Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015

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Eurovision Song Contest 2015
Country Finland
National selection
Selection processUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
7 February 2015
14 February 2015
21 February 2015
Final:
28 February 2015
Selected entrantPertti Kurikan Nimipäivät
Selected song"Aina mun pitää"
Selected songwriter(s)Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify
(16th, 13 points)
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2014 • 2015 • 2016►

Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Aina mun pitää" written and performed by the band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. 18 entries were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of three semi-finals and a final, taking place in February 2015. Six entries competed in each semi-final and the top three from each semi-final, as selected solely by a public vote, advanced to the final. Nine entries competed in the final on 28 February where the combination of votes from eight jury groups representing different factions of Finnish society and votes from the public selected "Aina mun pitää" performed by Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät as the winner.

Finland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 19 May 2015. Performing during the show in position 5, "Aina mun pitää" 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 sixteenth (last) out of the 16 participating countries in the semi-final with 13 points.

Background[]

Main article: Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2015 Contest, Finland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-eight 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 2014 contest, "Something Better" performed by Softengine managed to qualify Finland to the final and placed eleventh.

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 2015 Eurovision Song Contest on 26 May 2014.[2] Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest have been selected through national final competitions that have varied in format over the years. Between 1961 and 2011, a selection show that was often titled Euroviisukarsinta highlighted that the purpose of the program was to select a song for Eurovision. However, since 2012, the broadcaster has organised the selection show Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), which focuses on showcasing new music with the winning song being selected as the Finnish Contest entry for that year. Along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster also announced that the Finnish entry for the 2015 contest would be selected through Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015.[2]

Before Eurovision[]

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015[]

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015 was the fourth edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the music competition that selects Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition consisted of four shows that commenced with the first of three semi-finals on 7 February 2015 and conclude with a final on 28 February 2015. The four shows were held at the YLE Studios in Helsinki and hosted by Rakel Liekki and Roope Salminen.[3] All shows were broadcast on Yle TV2 and online at yle.fi/umk. The final was also broadcast online at the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv as well as via radio on Yle Radio Suomi and with commentary in Swedish on Yle X3M.[4]

Format[]

The format of the competition consisted of four shows: three semi-finals and a final. Six songs competed in each semi-final and the top three entries from each semi-final qualified to complete the nine-song lineup in the final.[5] The results for the semi-finals were determined exclusively by a public vote, while the results in the final were determined by the combination of public voting and jury voting.[6] Public voting included the options of telephone, SMS and online voting. The proceeds from the public voting were donated to the Nose Day Foundation (Nenäpäivä-säätiö), which funds projects in developing nations.[7]

Competing entries[]

A submission period was opened by Yle which lasted between 1 September 2014 and 8 September 2014.[8] The competition allowed entries longer than three minutes to compete, however, should the winning song be longer than three minutes, it would have to be shortened for the Eurovision Song Contest. 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.[9] A panel of experts appointed by Yle selected eighteen entries for the competition from the received submissions. The competing entries were to be presented during a live streamed press conference on 13 January 2015, however the entries were leaked on Spotify on 7 January 2015.[10] The competing entries were also presented in a televised preview programme on 31 January 2015, hosted by Aino Töllinen, where a panel of guests consisting of Cristal Snow, Hanna-Riikka Siitonen, Toni Wirtanen and Regina Iisa discussed the artists and songs and determined which entry had the best music video. The guest panel selected "Ostarilla" performed by Shava as having the best entry.[11]

Artist Song (English translation) Songwriter(s)
Aikuinen "Kyynelten lahti" (Bay of tears) Arde, Aikuinen
Angelo De Nile "All for Victory" Tuomas Heikkinen, Kimmo Blom, Mikko Salovaara, Torsti Spoof
Eeverest "Love It All Away" Marcus Tikkanen, Niko Mansikka-Aho
Hans on the Bass "Loveshine" Klaus Suhonen
Heidi Pakarinen "Bon voyage" Simo Koho, Maria Söder
Ida Bois "Kumbaya" Ida Bois
Järjestyshäiriö "Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla" (On the corners of broken hearts) Markkanen, Manninen
Jouni Aslak "Lions and Lambs" Jouni Aslak Raatikainen
Norlan "El Misionario" "No voy a llorar por ti" (I will not cry for you) Oldrich Gonzaléz, Norlan Leygonier Santana
Opera Skaala "Heart of Light" Visa Oscar, Essi Luttinen, Janne Lehmusvuo
Otto Ivar "Truth or Dare" Otto Iivari
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät "Aina mun pitää" (I always have to) Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät
Pihka ja Myrsky "Sydän ei nuku" (The heart doesn't sleep) Lasse Turunen, Laura Madekivi
Satin Circus "Crossroads" J.M.A, Patric Sarin, Olli Halonen, Paul Uotila, Axel Kalland, Kristian Westerling, Julia Fabrin
Shava "Ostarilla" (At the mall) Kiureli Sammallahti
Siru "Mustelmat" (Bruises) Ilkka Wirtanen, Kari Haapala, Siru
Solju "Hold Your Colours" Ylva Persson, Linda Persson, Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman
Vilikasper Kanth "Äänen kantamattomiin" (Beyond the reach of sound) Vilikasper Kanth, Vesa Lappalainen, Jari Kanth

Shows[]

Semi-final 1[]

The first semi-final show took place on 7 February 2015 and the top three from the six competing entries qualified to the final based on the results from the public vote. "Crossroads" performed by Satin Circus, "No voy a llorar por ti" performed by Norlan "El Misionario" and "Aina mun pitää" performed by Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät qualified to the final.[12]

Semi-final 1 – 7 February 2015
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Satin Circus "Crossroads" Advanced
2 Hans on the Bass "Loveshine" Eliminated
3 Vilikasper Kanth "Äänen kantamattomiin" Eliminated
4 Pihka ja Myrsky "Sydän ei nuku" Eliminated
5 Norlan "El Misionario" "No voy a llorar por ti" Advanced
6 Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät "Aina mun pitää" Advanced
Semi-final 2[]

The second semi-final show took place on 14 February 2015 and the top three from the six competing entries qualified to the final based on the results from the public vote. "Ostarilla" performed by Shava, "Heart of Light" performed by Opera Skaala and "Lions and Lambs" performed by Jouni Aslak qualified to the final.[13]

Semi-final 2 – 14 February 2015
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Siru "Mustelmat" Eliminated
2 Shava "Ostarilla" Advanced
3 Otto Ivar "Truth or Dare" Eliminated
4 Eeverest "Love It All Away" Eliminated
5 Opera Skaala "Heart of Light" Advanced
6 Jouni Aslak "Lions and Lambs" Advanced
Semi-final 3[]

The third semi-final show took place on 14 February 2015 and the top three from the six competing entries qualified to the final based on the results from the public vote. "Hold Your Colours" performed by Solju, "Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla" performed by Järjestyshäiriö and "All for Victory" performed by Angelo De Nile qualified to the final.[14]

Semi-final 3 – 21 February 2015
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Solju "Hold Your Colours" Advanced
2 Aikuinen "Kyynelten lahti" Eliminated
3 Ida Bois "Kumbaya" Eliminated
4 Järjestyshäiriö "Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla" Advanced
5 Angelo de Nile "All for Victory" Advanced
6 Heidi Pakarinen "Bon voyage" Eliminated

Final[]

The final took place on 28 February 2015 where the nine entries that qualified from the preceding three semi-finals competed. "Aina mun pitää" performed by Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät was selected as the winner. The winner was selected by a combination of public votes (90%) and eight jury groups that represented different sections of Finnish society: Marthas, LGBT, children, Finland Swedes, musicians, the media, Eurovision fans of voluntary UMK viewers and taxi drivers (10%).[15] Each jury group distributed their points as follows: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 points. The viewer vote was based on the percentage of votes each song achieved through the following voting methods: telephone, SMS and online voting.[16]

Final – 28 February 2015
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
1 Shava "Ostarilla" 1.2% 2.2% 3.4% 8
2 Satin Circus "Crossroads" 2.1% 24.2% 26.3% 2
3 Solju "Hold Your Colours" 0.7% 5.8% 6.5% 4
4 Järjestyshäiriö "Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla" 0.9% 2.4% 3.3% 9
5 Norlan "El Misionario" "No voy a llorar por ti" 0.4% 3.7% 4.1% 7
6 Opera Skaala "Heart of Light" 1.6% 6.7% 8.3% 3
7 Jouni Aslak "Lions & Lambs" 1.1% 3.3% 4.4% 6
8 Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät "Aina mun pitää" 1.2% 36.2% 37.4% 1
9 Angelo De Nile "All For Victory" 0.8% 5.5% 6.3% 5
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Marthas LGBT Children Finland
Swedes 		Musicians Media Eurovision
Fans 		Taxi
Drivers 		Total Percentage
1 "Ostarilla" 1 8 10 8 6 2 6 41 1.2%
2 "Crossroads" 6 6 12 12 1 12 12 12 73 2.1%
3 "Hold Your Colours" 12 1 6 2 4 25 0.7%
4 "Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla" 2 4 6 8 4 8 32 0.9%
5 "No voy a llorar por ti" 4 1 1 4 2 1 13 0.4%
6 "Heart of Light" 10 2 12 10 10 10 54 1.6%
7 "Lions & Lambs" 2 8 10 6 8 4 38 1.1%
8 "Aina mun pitää" 8 12 4 10 1 6 41 1.2%
9 "All For Victory" 10 4 2 8 1 2 27 0.8%

Preparation[]

"Aina mun pitää" set a Eurovision record by being the shortest Eurovision song to ever compete at the contest with its 85-second length.[17] Following their Finnish national final win, the band garnered media interest from international press commenting on the fact that the band was composed of middle-aged men with developmental disabilities.[18][19] The band's manager, Teuvo Merkkiniemi, stated: "They try to change the world by their songs and playing: they are an example to other people with handicaps."[19]

At Eurovision[]

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät during a press meet and greet

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (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. In the 2015 contest, Australia also competed directly in the final as an invited guest nation.[20] The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into five different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[21] On 26 January 2015, 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, to be held on 19 May 2015, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[22]

Once all the competing songs for the 2015 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Finland was set to perform in position 5, following the entry from the Netherlands and before the entry from Greece.[23]

All three shows were televised on Yle TV2, with a second audio program available and providing commentary in Finnish by Aino Töllinen and Cristal Snow and in Swedish by Eva Frantz and Johan Lindroos. The three shows were also broadcast via radio with Finnish commentary broadcast on Yle Radio Suomi and Swedish commentary broadcast on Yle Radio Vega.[24] The Finnish spokesperson, who announced the Finnish votes during the final, was 2013 Eurovision entrant Krista Siegfrids.[25]

Semi-final[]

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät at a dress rehearsal for the first semi-final

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät took part in technical rehearsals on 11 and 15 May,[17][26] followed by dress rehearsals on 18 and 19 May. This included the jury final where professional juries of each country, responsible for 50 percent of each country's vote, watched and voted on the competing entries.[27]

The stage show featured the members of Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät in a band set-up: vocalist Kari Aalto, guitarist Pertti Kurikka, bassist Sami Helle and drummer Toni Välitalo. Stage lighting was the most prominent feature of the performance with the background LED screens displaying industrial brick walls.[17][26]

At the end of the show, Finland failed to qualify to the final and was not announced among the top ten nations.[28] It was later revealed that Finland had placed sixteenth and last, receiving a total of 13 points.[29]

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, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. 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 individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final.[30]

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Finland had placed tenth with the public televote and sixteenth (last) with the jury vote in the first semi-final. In the public vote, Finland scored 51 points, while with the jury vote, Finland scored 1 point.[31]

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)[32]
Score Country
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point  Belarus

Points awarded by Finland[]

Detailed voting results[]

The following members comprised the Finnish jury:[30]

  • Aija Puurtinen (jury chairperson) – singer, musician
  • Laura Haimila – morning show host
  • Mikko Pykäri – composer
  • Pekka Eronen (Aikuinen) – songwriter/lyricist, film critic
  • Jukka Immonen – producer, composer
Detailed voting results from Finland (Semi-final 1)[34]
Draw Country A. Puurtinen L. Haimila M. Pykäri Aikuinen J. Immonen Average Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Points
01  Moldova 5 14 12 8 13 12 12 12
02  Armenia 15 15 15 3 15 15 15 15
03  Belgium 1 4 2 2 3 1 2 1 12
04  Netherlands 9 9 5 6 2 4 11 8 3
05  Finland
06  Greece 4 3 7 9 9 7 10 9 2
07  Estonia 10 11 6 1 4 5 1 3 8
08  Macedonia 14 10 11 14 10 14 14 14
09  Serbia 8 6 9 12 14 10 5 7 4
10  Hungary 7 7 8 4 5 3 7 4 7
11  Belarus 13 5 13 13 11 13 13 13
12  Russia 2 1 1 11 1 2 3 2 10
13  Denmark 12 12 4 7 8 9 9 10 1
14  Albania 6 8 10 15 12 11 8 11
15  Romania 3 13 14 5 7 8 4 5 6
16  Georgia 11 2 3 10 6 6 6 6 5
Detailed voting results from Finland (Final)[35]
Draw Country A. Puurtinen L. Haimila M. Pykäri Aikuinen J. Immonen Average Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Points
01  Slovenia 17 15 8 8 18 12 11 10 1
02  France 22 14 11 7 15 13 20 14
03  Israel 10 9 16 10 17 10 10 8 3
04  Estonia 4 13 4 2 8 5 1 2 10
05  United Kingdom 27 19 10 22 19 22 17 23
06  Armenia 25 27 27 18 27 27 27 27
07  Lithuania 16 26 14 16 11 17 21 21
08  Serbia 14 10 18 25 26 21 16 19
09  Norway 7 21 9 4 9 9 7 7 4
10  Sweden 2 2 1 5 3 2 2 1 12
11  Cyprus 15 23 15 6 5 11 22 15
12  Australia 8 11 12 11 4 6 6 6 5
13  Belgium 3 3 3 1 6 3 5 4 7
14  Austria 26 20 17 13 25 23 23 25
15  Greece 9 6 19 23 21 14 24 22
16  Montenegro 23 25 26 21 20 25 9 16
17  Germany 11 7 7 15 7 7 19 12
18  Poland 24 12 13 9 22 16 25 24
19  Latvia 1 1 6 3 2 1 8 5 6
20  Romania 18 22 25 14 24 24 13 18
21  Spain 12 8 20 24 16 15 14 13
22  Hungary 20 16 21 17 10 18 18 17
23  Georgia 6 5 5 20 13 8 15 11
24  Azerbaijan 13 18 22 26 12 20 26 26
25  Russia 5 4 2 19 1 4 4 3 8
26  Albania 21 24 24 27 23 26 12 20
27  Italy 19 17 23 12 14 19 3 9 2

References[]

  1. ^ "Finland Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b Jiandani, Sanjay (26 May 2014). "Finland: YLE confirms participation in Eurovision 2015". Esctoday.com. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  3. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (13 January 2015). "UMK 2015 launched in Finland". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  4. ^ Borg, Luke (28 February 2015). "Watch now: UMK Final in Finland". Esctoday. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  5. ^ Othman, Hanna (20 December 2014). "UMK-tävlarna avslöjas i januari". Yle (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  6. ^ Luukela, Sami (5 February 2015). "Finland: UMK 2015 final to have national juries". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
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  9. ^ "Contest for New Music 2015 - Rules in English". Yle. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
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  14. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (21 February 2015). "UMK Final line-up complete in Finland". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  15. ^ "Finaaliraadit: "Ihan kuin olisi saanut kutsun Linnanjuhliin"" (in Finnish). Eurovision.tv. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  16. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (28 February 2015). "Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät win UMK in Finland!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  17. ^ a b c Brey, Marco (11 May 2015). "Finland sets a new record". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  18. ^ Young, Alex (1 March 2015). "Disabled punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät to represent Finland in Eurovision". consequenceofsound.net. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  19. ^ a b Crouch, David (27 February 2015). "Finnish punk band with a difference take a punt at Eurovision title". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  20. ^ Siim, Jarmo (10 February 2015). "Australia to compete in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  21. ^ Brey, Marco (25 January 2015). "Tomorrow: The semi-final allocation draw". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  22. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (26 January 2015). "Allocation Draw results: Who's in which Semi-Final?". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  23. ^ Siim, Jarmo (23 March 2015). "Running order of Semi-Finals revealed". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  24. ^ "Pertti Kurikan nimipäivien h-hetki lähestyy – tutustu Ylen laajaan euroviisuohjelmistoon" (in Finnish). 7 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  25. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (23 May 2015). ""Good evening Vienna" - Voting order revealed". eurovision.tv. EBU. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  26. ^ a b Escudero, Victor M. (15 May 2015). "Finland: Punk debuts in Eurovision". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  27. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (18 May 2015). "Juries...start voting!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  28. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (19 May 2015). "We have our first ten finalists". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  29. ^ "First Semi-Final of Vienna 2015". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  30. ^ a b Bakker, Sietse (1 May 2015). "Exclusive: Here are this year's national juries!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  31. ^ Adams, Willy Lee (25 May 2015). "Semi final split results: Who the jury hurt at Eurovision 2015". wiwibloggs.com. Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  32. ^ a b "Results of the First Semi-Final of Vienna 2015". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Results of the Grand Final of Vienna 2015". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Full Split Results | First Semi-Final of Vienna 2015". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  35. ^ "Full Split Results | Grand Final of Vienna 2015". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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