Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

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Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Country Finland
National selection
Selection processUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2012
Selection date(s)Introduction show:
27 January 2012
Performance shows:
3 February 2012
10 February 2012
17 February 2012
24 February 2012
Final:
25 February 2012
Selected entrantPernilla Karlsson
Selected song"När jag blundar"
Selected songwriter(s)Jonas Karlsson
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (12th)
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2011 2012 2013►

Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "När jag blundar" written by Jonas Karlsson. The song was performed by Pernilla Karlsson. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2012 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. 13 entries were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of four performance shows and a final, taking place in January and February 2012. Six entries ultimately competed in the final on 25 February where votes from the public selected "När jag blundar" performed by Pernilla Karlsson as the winner.

Finland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 22 May 2012. Performing during the show in position 9, "När jag blundar" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Finland placed twelfth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 41 points.

Background[]

Prior to the 2012 Contest, Finland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-five times since its first entry in 1961.[1] Finland has won the contest once in 2006 with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" performed by Lordi. In the 2011 contest, "Da Da Dam" performed by Paradise Oskar managed to qualify Finland to the final and placed twenty-first.

The Finnish national broadcaster, Yleisradio (Yle), broadcasts the event within Finland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Yle confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest on 16 May 2011.[2] Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest have been selected through national final competitions that have varied in format over the years. Since 1961, a selection show that was often titled Euroviisukarsinta highlighted that the purpose of the program was to select a song for Eurovision. However, along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster also announced that the Finnish entry for the 2012 contest would be selected through the selection show Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), which would focus on showcasing new music with the winning song being selected as the Finnish Contest entry.[2]

Before Eurovision[]

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2012[]

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2012 was the first edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the music competition that selects Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition consisted of five shows that commenced with the first of four performance shows on 3 February 2012 and concluded with a final on 25 February 2012. The four shows were hosted by YleX DJs Anne Lainto and Joona Kortesmäki. All shows were broadcast on Yle TV2, Yle HD and online at yle.fi. The final was also broadcast via radio on Yle Radio Suomi.[3][4]

Format[]

The format of the competition consisted of five shows: four performance shows and a final. Six songs competed in each of the first two performance shows and two entries from each show were eliminated. Nine songs consisting of the remaining eight songs and a wildcard selected by a public vote competed in the third performance show and two entries were eliminated to complete the six-song lineup in the final.[5] The results for the first three shows were determined by a five-member judging panel, the results for the fourth show were determined by public voting and judges' voting, while the results in the final were determined exclusively by a public vote. Public voting included the options of telephone and SMS voting.[6]

The judging panel participated in each show by providing feedback to the competing artists and selecting entries to qualify in the competition. The panel consisted of:[7]

  • Pauliina Ahokas – Executive Director of Music Export Finland
  • Sami Häikiö – Project Manager of Music Export Finland
  • Anna Laine – Programmer at Radio Helsinki
  • Tomi Saarinen – Head of Music at YleX
  • Jorma Hietamäki – Head of Music at Yle Radio Suomi

Competing entries[]

A submission period was opened by Yle which lasted between 15 August 2011 and 1 October 2011. At least one of the writers and the lead singer(s) had to hold Finnish citizenship or live in Finland permanently in order for the entry to qualify to compete.[6][8] A panel of eleven experts appointed by Yle shortlisted 40 entries from the 540 received submissions.[9][10] Demo versions of the shortlisted entries were released online at yle.fi on 2 November 2011 and an online vote took place which was won by "Aamuyön ikuisuus" performed by Jari and Taika. The judging panel selected twelve entries for the competition and an additional three entries for a wildcard vote: "Teleport My Heart" performed by The Spyro, "Checkmate" performed by Martina and "Better" performed by Jessica Wolff. The competing entries were presented during a televised preview programme on 27 January 2012, hosted by Anne Lainto and Joona Kortesmäki and the public was able to vote via telephone and SMS for the wildcard until 2 February 2012. "Teleport My Heart" performed by The Spyro was selected as the wildcard with 75% of the public votes and announced during the second performance show on 10 February 2012.[11]

Entries selection – 27 January 2012
Artist Song Songwriters(s)
1LOVE "International Love Song" Tumppi Niemelä
Aili "Mun taivas" Jussi Petäjä
ALCHEMY ROAD "Burning" Michael Goodman, Edin Gradincic
Anna Inginmaa "Meikin alta" Ape Anttila, Lex Strand, Sana Mustonen
Apila "Joenvarren tyttö" Mikko Adler, Pasi Kurttio
ARTo "Roudassa" Arto Sirkiä
Aura Pineda "Kunpa vois" Ape Anttila, Sana Mustonen
Boys Hate Silence "Miracle" Kim Kronman, Jonas Olsson
Captor "Hooked On Wii" Ville Pohjola, Tuomas Skopa
DCX "Erase You" Jani Hölli, Tracy Lipp
Fatima Koroma "Different Coloured Socks" Joni Masko
Freeman and Uusi Fantasia "Noitanainen" Leo Friman, Kroko-Roc, Street Kobra, Ercola, Mariska
Hans on the bass "Only 7 Days" Klaus Suhonen
Iconcrash "We Are the Night" Janni Peuhu, Rory Winston
Jari and Taika "Aamuyön ikuisuus" Jari Mustajärvi
Jessica Wolff "Better" Janne Hyöty, Niklas Rosström, Paul Oxley
Judy "Kisscollector" Marjut Backman
Kaisa Vala "Habits of Human Beings" Kaisa Vala
KaksKaks and Alisa "Anna aikaa" OP Beats, Mats Takila, KaksKaks
Kirahvi nimeltä Tuike "Sinisulkien viimeinen" Mikko Tirri, Visa Kurki
Lasmatic "Yksin yhdessä" Lassi Ylönen
Lassi, Tuukka and Jyrki "Huominen ei ole koskaan nyt" Lassi Rajala
Leola "Rytmit rikkoutuu" Kuisma Eskola
Malin Kojola "Home" Tobias Granbacka, Johan Nybäck
Martina "Checkmate" Hermanni Kovalainen, Aatu Mällinen, Adam Powers, Lene Dissing
Mica Ikonen "Antaa mennä" Lauri Hämäläinen, Mica Ikonen
MOOBS "Johnny" Marja Pelto, Susanna Ketola
Noora "Every Day In the Sunshine" Janne Äyräväinen, Noora Virtanen
Pauliina Salonen "Want My Life Back" J-P Järvinen
Pernilla Karlsson "När jag blundar" Jonas Karlsson
Petra "Janis Joplin" Erno Laitinen, Petra, Elviira Nieminen
Raita Ilomäki "Usko rakkauteen" Laura Madekivi, Mirjam Paaso
Rita Lovely and The Soultwisters "November's Touch" Panu Syrjänen, Leevi Leppänen, Riitta Keränen
Seamus "Like Soldiers Go" Seamus, Anna Suominen, Jussi Suominen
Selja Sini "Pack Up" Selja Felin
The Spyro "Teleport My Heart" Hape Haavikko, Olli Pitkänen
Stig "Laululeija" Matti Mikkola, DJPP, Paula Vesala
Tom Morgan "Melt" Tomos Morgan
Ville Eetvartti "Lasikaupunki" Jyri Sariola, Tero Myllyvirta, Joni Pekkarinen

Shows[]

Show 1[]

The first performance show took place on 3 February 2012 at the M1 Studios in Helsinki and two of the six competing entries were eliminated from the competition by the judging panel. "Aamuyön ikuisuus" performed by Jari and Taika and "Sinisulkien viimeinen" performed by Kirahvi nimeltä Tuike were eliminated from the competition.[12] Singer Laura Närhi was also featured as a guest judge of the show.[13]

Show 1 – 3 February 2012
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Mica Ikonen "Antaa mennä" Advanced
2 Jari and Taika "Aamuyön ikuisuus" Eliminated
3 Stig "Laululeija" Advanced
4 Aili "Mun taivas" Advanced
5 Kirahvi nimeltä Tuike "Sinisulkien viimeinen" Eliminated
6 Pernilla Karlsson "När jag blundar" Advanced
Show 2[]

The second performance show took place on 10 February 2012 at the M1 Studios in Helsinki and two of the six competing entries were eliminated from the competition by the judging panel. "Kunpa vois" performed by Aura Pineda and "Rytmit rikkoutuu" performed by Leola were eliminated from the competition.[11]

Show 2 – 10 February 2012
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Iconcrash "We Are the Night" Advanced
2 Aura Pineda "Kunpa vois" Eliminated
3 Freeman and Uusi Fantasia "Noitanainen" Advanced
4 Leola "Rytmit rikkoutuu" Eliminated
5 Ville Eetvartti "Lasikaupunki" Advanced
6 Kaisa Vala "Habits of Human Beings" Advanced
Show 3[]

The third performance show was filmed on 10 February 2012 and aired on 17 February 2012 where nine competing entries including the remaining eight entries and the wildcard entry performed a live gig in front of an audience at the Club Dom in Helsinki. Two of the entries were eliminated from the competition by the judging panel. "Mun taivas" performed by Aili and "Teleport My Heart" performed by The Spyro were eliminated from the competition.[14][15]

Show 3 – 17 February 2012
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Kaisa Vala "Habits of Human Beings" Advanced
2 Mica Ikonen "Antaa mennä" Advanced
3 Aili "Mun taivas" Eliminated
4 Freeman and Uusi Fantasia "Noitanainen" Advanced
5 Iconcrash "We Are the Night" Advanced
6 Pernilla Karlsson "När jag blundar" Advanced
7 Ville Eetvartti "Lasikaupunki" Advanced
8 Stig "Laululeija" Advanced
9 The Spyro "Teleport My Heart" Eliminated
Show 4[]

The fourth performance show took place on 24 February 2012 at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki as part of the final rehearsals and one of the seven competing entries was eliminated from the competition. Prior to the show, the public was able to vote in advance starting on 17 February 2012 and "Habits of Human Beings" performed by Kaisa Vala and "Noitanainen" performed by Freeman and Uusi Fantasia were announced as the bottom two entries during the show. "Noitanainen" performed by Freeman and Uusi Fantasia was eliminated from the competition by the judging panel.[16]

Show 4 – 24 February 2012
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Mica Ikonen "Antaa mennä" Advanced
2 Pernilla Karlsson "När jag blundar" Advanced
3 Ville Eetvartti "Lasikaupunki" Advanced
4 Kaisa Vala "Habits of Human Beings" Advanced
5 Iconcrash "We Are the Night" Advanced
6 Freeman and Uusi Fantasia "Noitanainen" Eliminated
7 Stig "Laululeija" Advanced
Final[]

The final took place on 25 February 2012 at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki where the six entries that qualified from the preceding performance show competed. The winner was selected over two rounds of public voting through telephone and SMS voting. In the first round, the top three from the six competing entries qualified to the second round, the superfinal. "När jag blundar" performed by Pernilla Karlsson, "Laululeija" performed by Stig and "Lasikaupunki" performed by Ville Eetvartti qualified to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "När jag blundar" performed by Pernilla Karlsson was selected as the winner.[17]

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval act featured The Rasmus, Anna Abreu, 2011 Finnish Eurovision entrant Paradise Oskar with Felix Zenger and Minna Tervamäki, and Eun-Ji Ha and Linda Haakana from the Finnish National Ballet.[17][4]

Final – 25 February 2012
Draw Artist Song Televote Place
1 Iconcrash "We Are the Night"
2 Pernilla Karlsson "När jag blundar" 29.8% 1
3 Mica Ikonen "Antaa mennä"
4 Kaisa Vala "Habits of Human Beings"
5 Stig "Laululeija" 17% 3
6 Ville Eetvartti "Lasikaupunki" 18% 2
Superfinal – 25 February 2012
Draw Artist Song Televote Place
1 Pernilla Karlsson "När jag blundar" 53.4% 1
2 Stig "Laululeija" 17.8% 3
3 Ville Eetvartti "Lasikaupunki" 28.7% 2

At Eurovision[]

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 25 January 2012, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Finland was placed into the first semi-final, held on 22 May 2012, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[18] The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 20 March 2012 and Finland was set to perform in position 9, following the entry from Belgium and before the entry from Israel.

The two semi-finals and the final were televised in Finland on Yle TV2 and Yle HD with commentary in Finnish by Tarja Närhi and Tobias Larsson. The three shows were also broadcast on YLE FST5 with commentary in Swedish by Eva Frantz and Johan Lindroos as well as via radio with Finnish commentary by Sanna Kojo and Jorma Hietamäki on Yle Radio Suomi.[19][20] The Finnish spokesperson, who announced the Finnish votes during the final, was lead singer of Finnish Eurovision Song Contest 2006 winners Lordi, Mr Lordi.

Semi-finals[]

Pernilla Karlsson took part in technical rehearsals on 13 and 17 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 21 and 22 May. This included the jury show on 21 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. The Finnish performance featured Pernilla Karlsson performing in a green dress joined by cellist Heikki Takkula.[21] The LED screens displayed golden sparkles and fireworks with additional red spotlights surrounding Karlsson. The performance also featured the use of a wind machine.[22][23]

At the end of the show, Finland was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Finland placed twelfth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 41 points.[24]

Voting[]

Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The following members comprised the Finnish jury: Patric Sarin, Sana Mustonen, Susanna Laine, Mikael Saari and Kyösti Salokorpi.

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Finland had placed twelfth with both the public televote and the jury vote in the semi-final. In the public vote, Finland scored 36 points, while with the jury vote, Finland scored 57 points.[25][26]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Finland and awarded by Finland in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Finland[]

Points awarded to Finland (Semi-final 1)[27]
Score Country
12 points  Hungary
10 points
8 points  Denmark
7 points  Iceland
6 points  Latvia
5 points
4 points
3 points  Ireland
2 points  Israel
1 point

Points awarded by Finland[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Finland Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b Busa, Alexandru (16 May 2011). "Finland: Selection format revamped". Esctoday.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  3. ^ Montebello, Edward (25 February 2012). "Watch now: Finland decides for Baku". Esctoday. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Uuden Musiikin Kilpailun finalistit selvillä". yle.fi (in Finnish). 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Repo, Juha (24 October 2011). "Finland: UMK final will take place in Helsinki Ice Hall". Esctoday.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Escuerdo, Victor M. (15 August 2011). "Finland unveils new format for 2012". Esctoday.com.
  7. ^ Escuerdo, Victor M. (14 September 2011). "Finland announces dates for national selection". Eurovision.tv.
  8. ^ "UUSI MUSIIKKIKILPAILU 2012 SÄÄNNÖT" (PDF) (in Finnish). YLE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  9. ^ Escuerdo, Victor M. (2 November 2011). "Finland's contenders online!". Eurovision.tv.
  10. ^ Repo, Juha (3 October 2011). "Finland: Record number of submissions for UMK, many newcomers". Esctoday.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Escuerdo, Victor M. (10 February 2012). "Finland: two more acts evicted in UMK". Eurovision.tv.
  12. ^ Escuerdo, Victor M. (3 February 2012). "Four acts through in Finland". Eurovision.tv.
  13. ^ Wetterstrand, Ninni (11 January 2012). "Laura Närhi ja Anna Puu tuomareiksi Uuden Musiikin Kilpailuun". yle.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Wells, Simon (17 February 2012). "Finland: Two further acts eliminated". escXtra.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  15. ^ "FINNISH SHOWS 2012". Eurovision.tv.
  16. ^ Escuerdo, Victor M. (24 February 2012). "Finland ready for the UMK Final". Eurovision.tv.
  17. ^ a b Escuerdo, Victor M. (25 February 2012). "Pernilla Karlsson winner of UMK in Finland". Eurovision.tv.
  18. ^ Escudero, Victor (25 January 2012). "Results of the Semi-Final allocation draw". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  19. ^ "Eurovision laulukilpailun 42 kilpailubiisiä lauantai-illan esikatselumaratonissa". Yle (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  20. ^ "Eurovision 2012: Euroviisujen ensimmäinen karsinta" (in Finnish). YLE. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  21. ^ "Finland". Six on Stage. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "Pernilla sings for her mum on Mother's Day". eurovision.tv. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Finland: Pernilla closes her eyes". eurovision.tv. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "First Semi-Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  25. ^ Siim, Jarmo (18 June 2012). "Eurovision 2012 split jury-televote results revealed". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Semi-Final (1)". Eurovision.tv.
  27. ^ a b "Results of the First Semi-Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Results of the Grand Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.

External links[]

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