Finand: Second Semi-final Online

/ hulluna

umk_etusivu5Finland – The next 6 performances of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu have been shown by Finnish broadcaster YLE. The videos show the acts performing for the Finnish jury, which includes Aija Puurtinen, Redrama, Toni Wirtanen and Tomi Saarinen. The two semi-finals will be shown live on Finnish TV and the internet from Helsinki on January 17th and 24th. 

The finalists are

  • Arion – Lost in the Woods (Iivo Kaipainen)
  • Atlético Kumpula – Paperilyhty (Paper Lantern) (Kyösti Salokorpi)
  • Diandra – Colliding Into You (Patrick Sarin/ Leri Leskinen/ Sharon Vaughn)
  • Ilari Hämäläinen – Sytytä mut vaan (Just set me on fire) (Ilari Hämäläinen)
  • Elina Orkoneva – He’s Not My Man (Elina Orkoneva)
  • Lucy Was Driving – Dancing All Around the Universe (Lucy Was Driving/ Otso Koskelo)
  • Great Wide North – Flags (Kaj Kiviniemi/ Mika Kiviniemi)
  • Krista Siegfrids – Marry Me (Krista Siegfrids/ Erik Nyholm/ Kristofer Karlsson/ Jessika Lundström)
  • Last Panda – Saturday Night Forever (Henry Tikkanen/ Aapo Immonen)
  • Mikael Saari – We Should Be Through (Mikael Saari)
  • Rautakoura – Ilmalaivalla (On board a plane) (Lauri Häme)
  • Iina Salin – Last Night (Iina Salin/ Tommi Gröhn)

Check out the 6 new performances:

Related articles

50 thoughts on “Finand: Second Semi-final Online”

  1. Copy and paste from the other thread:

    Atletico Kumpula – Paperilyhty (still my favorite title of the season so far)

    I adore this song, but the main singer has little stage presence. Now, I don’t personally mind it, but when thinking about results, it makes it harder for the song to advance beyond the semis. I can see this song playing in a park on sunny, temperate day and being part of a fantastic experience. 10/12

    Elina Orkoneva – He’s Not My Man

    Wonderful vocals. Good facial expressions, but an awful lack of sass to pull off the song. I enjoy the performance more when I’m not watching her perform. That being said, I don’t think she hurt the song as much as Iina Salin did in her jury performance. 7/12

    Lucy Was Driving – Dancing All Around the Universe

    The bloody awful performance and vocals in this song are the equivalent of the lyrics to Krista’s ‘Marry Me’ in terms of awful. In a way, they’re the exact opposite of Krista. While she had an awkward stage presentation and awful lyrics, her confidence and vocals brought the song to a below-average bit. Here, the song itself is a high-averagey piece while the vocals and performance were god awful in every way. 4/12

    Ilari Hämäläinen – Sytytä mut vaan

    This song still does absolutely nothing for me. I still think it sounds a bit like Metal: The Musical, but Ilari is a great performer, and the song, while far from anything that appeals to me, is a fine song. Overall, seeing this live made me like it more than I did, but I still don’t particularly care for it. 6/12

    Arion – Lost in the Woods

    I still don’t really understand the hype around this one. It’s an alright song, but there’s nothing particularly explosive about it, and the live performance makes it shakier and hard to judge (as its longer than what we’d see in Eurovision, and many parts can be chosen as the parts to cut). Overall, it’s a good version of an average typical-genre song that has an average performance and shaky, below-average vocals. 6/12

    Diandra – Colliding Into You

    I agree with Dimitris about Diandra’s vocals and AvatArmenia about the song itself. Everything that really needs to be said about it has been said. 6/12 (maybe only a 5/12. It’s right on the edge).

    Reply

  2. Hi im bert from ukraine but lives in scottland and england uk now. I like these songs so much my favourite is arion lost in the woods it reminds me of the times me was stuck in the woods when i was child but i found by my mom who then changed me because i had dog poo all over me i was only 4 at time. United kingdom and ukraine give 12 points to finland stuck in the woods yay

    Reply

  3. I was wondering, when were these recorded?
    Since Arion changed the name an lyrics of their song over a month ago o_O.

    Reply

  4. My review:

    Arion – Lost (7/12)
    I usually love symphonic metal, and I do think that even this song contains some powerful, epic elements. But just like Patrick, I don’t see why everyone is praising this song so much. It’s in fact a rather generic example in its genre, there’s nothing special that stands out.

    Atlético Kumpula – Paperilyhty (10/12)
    My second favourite this year, after Mikael Saari. A very simple, restrained and innovative song with an elegant and great orchestration and a smooth melody.

    Diandra – Colliding into you (6/12)
    Diandra knows how to sing and the song does contain some interesting parts, but just as with Arion, I don’t think it’s anything really special about this. The lyrics are quite uninteresting and so is the whole package.

    Ilari Hämäläinen – Sytytä mut vaan (4/12)
    Some guys who can’t leave the 80’s behind them obviously. I’m SO tired of all these kind of hard rock songs which MF already has drowned in. These guys do also look like they’re in the wrong place, which I also think they are. But there’s nothing particulary bad about this song, it is a bit catchy although silly at the same time.

    Elina Orkoneva – He’s not my man (8/12)
    A cool and sassy song with some jazz feeling. Reminds a bit of the Italian song in ESC 2012. The letdown is that this song, unlike Nina’s, lacks the necessary “edge” imo. But everything is saved by Elina who surely knows how to perform the song in a great way.

    Lucy Was Driving – Dancing all around the universe (3/12)
    Gosh, what a mess! The voices and the guitars and everything is just a sludge of bad ingredients. There is some energy from the guys but the should have used it on something better.

    Reply

  5. I repost my review:

    Arion:My second favorite but really shaky vocals!Plus,how come they got to sing a 5 + min. version of their song?9/12

    Elina Orkoneva: I like the song but the live perfomance could have been better.I think i would prefer it if it was 30 sec. shorter.I don’t know if it’s because of the song or because of Elina’s dull stage presentation. 8.5/12

    Diandra: Good but not great vocals.She was trying too much at parts ,making a vocal show off.The song is a well built yet quite generic r’n’b ballad. 8/12

    Atlético Kumpula: A nice song but a lacklustre performance.Total absence of stage charisma.8/12

    Ilari Hämäläinen: It’s catchy i guess but 80′s metal rock is not my genre.He is ok vocally. 6/12.

    Lucy Was Driving: A teen pop rock entry.The vocals need to improve. 5.5/12.

    All in all,i have a feeling that it will be between Mikael Saari and Arion.I would undoubtedly choose Mikael!It certainly stands out in this good selection of songs.However,i see the juries really liking Arion too,ignoring(?)the shaky vocals.So,who knows?Diandra is popular but is she that popular to win UMK with just an ok song?I don’t think so and i hope not.

    Reply

  6. I like Diandra – “Colliding into you”…but I think that she doesn’t need these guitarist at all, piano player is enough, me thinks..

    @ Shevek

    Do smth to that Atlantic ocean, if there are cyclons from Atlantic ocean in that period my country can’t get snow and that is now! GRRR!! :@ I want snow!!!! :D

    Reply

    • Marko, we are having a warm winter too. At least it is raining more than it did last year. The weather has a will of its own. I’ll try to push them away just for you (don’t get you hopes up though :)).

      Reply

      • Yeah Shevek I know! :)

        In the end we have February, last year we had the strongest winter EVER in that month, so there is a hope this year again, but I don’t want as strong though..because it was dangerous..

        Reply

  7. Repost

    Well, having viewed the second lot of jury rehearsal videos, I have to say I am a bit disappointed.

    Elina Orkoneva (7/12) – I had great hopes for this one – a simple, catchy vintage-tinged pop tune à la K.T. Tunstall, but unfortunately the live was a bit disappointing. Vocally she was fantastic, but much like Iina Salin, Elina doesn’t seem to have the charisma needed to pull off a performance of a song as sassy as this. Also, the outfits were quite boring, I would have preferred something more in line with what she wore in the music video.

    Atlético Kumpula (9/12) – I personally really like this song – it has a laid-back, summery feel and a pleasantly breezy melody. However, I admit that it is not very memorable. Vocally this performance was spot on, but the lead singer needs to work on engaging the audience – for most of this performance he seemed to be blankly staring.

    Lucy Was Driving (5/12) – Just when I was beginning to wonder if the UMK finalists were actually singing live (such was the high standard of the previous vocalists), this band come along. During the opening verse the lead singer was very weak, and he was audibly straining to reach certain notes. By the chorus he had improved, but was still only average. Musically this song is alright, the drums in particular are great and really propel the track along, but the chorus is a bit underwhelming and the overall impression isn’t great.

    Ilari Hämäläinen (5/12) – This oh-so 1980s hair-metal pastiche was performed in exactly the way you would expect. This reminds me of what Slovakia 2012 would have sounded like if the singer could actually hold a tune. Not my cup of tea at all, but as far as I could tell it was fairly competent.

    Arion (6/12) – Well, the general consensus on this forum seems to be that this is one of the best songs in UMK this year, but I’m personally not that much of a fan. To me this sounds like another generic (albeit servicable) Finnish metal entry that isn’t particularly outstanding in any way. The lead singer, like many of the finalists in UMK, needs to work on his stage charisma.

    Diandra (7/12) – I had been expecting a strong performance from Diandra, and she didn’t disappoint. Vocally she was stunning, and the experience she gained from Idol shows – unlike the majority of the performers in UMK this year, she is a very confident performer, and was the only one to directly engage with the camera – which is crucial in a “televised” music competition. The song itself is good, but not particularly remarkable – it is Diandra’s performance which elevates it above mediocrity.

    Reply

      • Where do you live in Australia? I watch on TV that fire is very big atm in many parts of Australia and Tasmania, and temperatures around 50 degrees! :S :/ :(

        Reply

        • I live in Sydney, and fortunately we seem to have avoided the worst of the bushfire damage so far… there has been some very hot weather though – a couple of days ago it was 45 degrees (our second hottest day on record :O). In New South Wales though there are still over 100 bush fires burning, and 30 of them are still out of control. At least there haven’t been any fatalities yet :(

          Reply

          • All right! I hope will be cooler a bit! I personally can’t stand heat like that! :(

            I prefer Melbourne to Sydney because of Australian Open!! I ADORE tennis! Few days left till Aussie open! :D :-**** No sleeping for me! :P

            Reply

            • AAAAAAAAAAAAAA why did you tell me that, now I ‘m gonna kill you because I know that!! :@ :D

              Just tell me that you will watch Serena Williams and I’m gonna kill you SERIOUSLY!! :P LOOL :D

              Will you watch some Serbian tennis players maybe!?

  12. Ok, a little better bunch of songs, maybe I will, after all, watch this final. Song I liked the best was by Atletico Kumpula but I doubt Finnish people would go for it. I also didn’t dislike Okuneva with “He’s not my man”, it was kind of ok song and surprisingly, Lucy was Driving wasn’t as bad as I thought. The rest was nothing special – forgetful and rather boring. I don’t think we will be going to Helsinki in 2014 or any time soon if they continue in the same pace. I don’t even think that Finland will make it to the final unless they have a great draw and 2013 will turn out to be a very weak year. I miss Lordi.

    Reply

  13. Lucy was driving – Weakest vocals so far of the performances in front of the judges. I also don’t like the song much.

    Diandra – Booooooring song. Very average, but good voice and well performed. I guess this is the clear winner and I won’t be satisfied with it…

    Elina – Nice song, decent performance. Could be a little more “bouncy” on stage to match the song.

    Atlético Kumpula – I don’t like this song and the performance seem a bit boring. They sound bored and flat.

    Arion – To me they clearly have the best song of the bunch, but the performance is SO flat and weak. His vocals are poor here and there and he looks like Justin Bieber. Actually the whole band lacks energy and they come off as too inexperienced, too young. I wish the band was older and more experienced/better because the song is pretty decent. It’s still my favourite song though because I judge SONGS in their studio versions (when available), but they need to work hard to make it better on stage.

    Ilari – Good performance, good voice. The song is what’s lacking here. It’s one of the better songs though. This is the guy who should have been the vocalist for Arion, lol.

    —-

    The Grete Paia song was not so bad.

    Reply

      • Well, I said my opinion in the German thread. I found it average, nothing special. I don’t want average songs to win. :(

        Reply

          • I think their/her chances are better now. Their only real competition was the big name Söhne Mannheims, but they won’t even perform with their most known singer. :( So I think Cascada are likely to win now. Either that or she flops live and some other unknown newcomer will win instead :P. I hardly think the gregorian stuff will win, Mobilée can’t enter ESC with the song if they win, can they? I thought it broke the September rule (or maybe there are special rules for certain countries). Ben won’t win, I don’t believe it. Betty seems too unpromising and unknown to win. Finn too + his song was a snorefest. You know, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was made for something lame like Nica & Joe to win, LOL! I will laugh if they do! :D

            Reply

            • Well, I don’t see how that song can be a winning song, but who knows… she could be the “newcomer” to win. Maybe it’s too similar to Lena. I don’t know. We will see. :)

  14. I think the songs here are stronger, but “Flags” and “We Should Be Through” are still my favorites, along with Diandra, who made her song soar.

    “Paperilyhty” – Atlético Kumpula
    As random as it seems, this song reminds me of Christmas. Aside from that, it’s certainly one of the better songs in this NF. It’s charming, down-to-earth, earnest and endearing, and that’s what got Paradise Oskar into the final in Düsseldorf. In fact, that’s the same result I see for this if it goes to Malmö. Despite that, I’ll still support it, because it’s a good song and I actually enjoy it.
    Score: 60/100
    If it went to Malmö: Second Place (ahead of Belgium)

    “He’s Not My Man” – Elina Orkoneva
    Much better than the last song. Elina turned in a solid performance with a solid song. It’s fun, upbeat, jazzy and, somewhat importantly, catchy. On a first listen, it came across well, so if Finland sends this, they’ll do okay. Probably one of the better songs.
    Score: 60/100
    If it went to Malmö: Second Place (ahead of Belgium)

    “Dancing All Around the Universe” – Lucy Was Driving
    Umm, okay? This odd song about evolution and the formation of Earth just sounds so odd. His accent is also really thick, which makes the important fact that the Universe has been around for 14 billion years sound like 40 billion years. I mean, this is crucial if they’re trying to educate Europe! It’s middling at best.
    Score: 55/100
    If it went to Malmö: Fourth Place (ahead of Albania)

    “Sytytä mut Vaan” – Ilari Hämäläinen
    I’d say that this was the better rock song for Finland, but it just sounds too… un-Finnish to do well. Sure, it’s a well-performed slice of classic-sounding rock, but it’s still a little anonymous. I’m not sure why, but this one’s just gets a no from me.
    Score: 50/100
    If it went to Malmö: Fifth Place (ahead of Ukraine)

    “Colliding Into You” – Diandra Flores
    The second Swedish-produced song of the lost doesn’t disappoint. The song is contemporary and catchy yet dramatic and Diandra’s performance is best so far. This could do something like Slovenia 2011 for Finland, which would be a welcome change for the Finns. And as for me, I like it! It’ll probably be the third in a three-way tie.
    Score: 65/100
    If it went to Malmö: Second Place (ahead of Belgium)

    “Lost in the Woods” – Arion
    This is exactly why I wanted to hold off on rankings until the lives were turned in. I actually like this song in studio. It’s great. However, the lead singer is bad. The song feels sapped of any of that awesome energy it had before. I caught myself near laughter at parts of the video because I couldn’t believe how bad it sounded. Even Krista’s song sounded better live than this. Terrible.
    Score: 50/100
    If it went to Malmö: Fifth Place (ahead of Ukraine)

    As for Cascada’s song, if it doesn’t win the NF (which probably will happen based on what I’ve seen), it’ll certainly be a big hit with fans. I like it, but it would probably be a 75/100 on my list, 80 with a good live. I’m very interested in Germany this year. :)

    Reply

  15. I agree with most of what people have written above about the Finnish hopefuls. The vocals are way above average with one obvious and painful exception (Lucy was driving). There is a serious lack of charisma going on with a few exceptions (Saari who is very intense, Krista who sells that silly song very well and Ilari Hämäläinen who knows what he is doing).

    When it comes to the songs, there are two that stand out: We should be through and He is not my man in that order. We should be through has it all: great vocals, intense singer (lose the sweater, please LOL), fine melody and excellent orchestration. He is not my man needs more charisma from its singer (just imagine what Krista could do with this song…) Next, come Paperilyhty and Sytytä mut vaan who stand on their own as interesting proposals. Colliding into you is just boring (the more I listen to it, the more boring it becomes), but Diandra does her best. Salin’s song is not bad either is not baid either, but it also needs another Krista. Great Wide North and Rautakoura also have decent songs. Lost in the woods is simply too much for those guys to handle (never really understood all the commotion around Arion). Last Panda do nothing for me. Lucy was driving should go drive somewhere else.

    All in all this is an above average NF. There were a couple of miscasts, Ilina, Elina (Krista would do a better job with those songs, I think) and Arion, whose song needs someone like Ilari Hämäläinen ( I agree with Laila).

    If Mikael Saari wins this NF, Finland may end up being my 2013 nº1. It is indeed the best option here, imo. Good luck to all hopefuls.

    Reply

    • 100% agree.If Finns don’t choose Mikael Saari , it will be a BIG mistake ! It’s the only song I can see in top 10 ( even top 5 ) in May.Let for once my favourite in a NF win this year :P

      Cascada’s song is more than ok. ( 7/10 material )
      I ‘m disapointed with Sven Lõhmus’s new song.It’s not as edgy as “Rockefeller Street” and it’s definitely not THE MASTERPIECE “Randajad” was…

      Reply

  16. I have just returned from my short trip to beautiful Lisbon, where I slept only 6 hours in 3 days … and thus I better wait until tomorrow to give my opinion on the 2nd bunch of Finnish hopefuls because atm only very, very loud stuff will manage to keep me awake.

    Reply

  17. I have finally watched the songs for the 2nd semi-final in Finland:

    Arion – I like the song a lot but the lead singer is certainly not up to the job of singing this song. 6/12
    Ilari Hämäläinen – generic song, competent performance. 4/12
    Atlético Kumpula – nice, gentle and straightforward but a tad dull too. 8/12
    Diandra – She is very good … such a shame that the song isn’t on par with her. 7/12
    Elina Orkoneva – I like everything about this one … except the static performance that does not fit the bubbly nature of the song. 9/12
    Lucy Was Driving – Sweden 2004 … 2/12

    Reply

Leave a reply to Bert Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.