20,000 fans expected for Finnish UMK 2026
Finland is about to turn up the volume on its national Eurovision selection. According to Yle, the 2026 edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK)...
22 August – It’s how I learn to fly
All genres come along occasionally to our favourite TV show. Some welcome and do well. And some others, well... It also sometimes happens that...
17 August – The child of the earth is looking for...
Do you ever see a performer and think "they have class"? That performer who doesn't need to try. They have a stage presence, and...
16 August – Purified, justified
It's opening song time again. And not just any old opening song. Oh no. This was has a special place in Eurovision history. It...
28 June – Oh, why can’t the clocks stop?
Do you think it's true that some languages sound easier on the ear than others? French songs did well in the early days, before...
9 May – You just rub your hair, start negotiating
In our favourite TV show, it's easy to be winners one day, tail-enders the next. Hero to zero, or vice versa. It's all good...
“Ich komme aus Tampere!”
Finland’s Eurovision queen Erika Vikman is getting the full hometown hero treatment—complete with saunas, drag queens, and sweeping views of Tampere. The city has...
Phil’s Eurovision Countdown 2025 – Finland
FINLAND – Ich Komme – Erika Vikman
Well colour me slightly puffy and call me Alice. The genius that’s Erika Vikman, four years removed from...
Monty’s Eurovision Countdown 2025 Part 12 – Finland
Ich Komme by Erika Vikman
I’ve seldom been as thankful for being one of the organisers and presenters of Second Cherry – a second...
Nick “does” 2025 – Finland
FINLAND – Ich Komme – Erika Vikman
When I heard that Erika was having another go at UMK, I really wasn’t expecting a subtle, understated...