Review: “UMK 2024” (Finland)

Finland will choose an artist and a song for Eurovision 2024 via “UMK 2024″.
7 artists will compete in the show, which will be held on Saturday (the 10th of February 2024).
The results will be determined by a combination of public and international jury votes.
In this post, I will review the competing songs.

#1.Sini Sabotage – Kuori mua

• It is an RnN pop song.
• The song starts with a classic piano playing, which might make us think we are getting a ballad here. However, ver shortly after this impression was cancelled.
• She opened the intro with the “Kuori mua” reciting, where her vocals are processed by some efffects.
• The first verse is quite sassy. She starts with a sweet voice singing. Later on, she continues to RnB confidently-fast singing. The melody is based on a more contemporary drum-dance beat.
• The pre-chorus pushed less, and her singing is more delicate, while the previous beat is gone and we can hear more of electronic motivs in the melody.
• The chorus is catchy, somehow the electronic beats from the pre-chorus are mixed into a uniform beat and synth elements. She finalized this part with the “Kuori mua” part.
• The second verse has more urban sounds, but still the singing is in the RnB area.
• The second pre-chorus is longer and based on synth elements.
• The second chorus kicks in, and it is memorable. The melody is based on electronic elements and light secondacy dance beat.
• The bridge comes after and suggests a more “vogue” sound direction. The melody is based on keyboards and string elements, while the beat slowly explodes. Thereafter, we can hear the piano playing from the intro.
• The 3rd chorus follows, and has the same structure as the first one.
• Is this Sini Saborage or Nicky Minaj? For some reason, I feel like her song is highly motivated by Minaj’s music, and maybe for some reason their names rhyme.
• Overall, it is a song that makes you dance and conveys sassy and positive vibes. I love the fact it is mainly in Finnish. The main challenge will be to stage it wisely.

#2. Cyan Kicks – Dancing With Demons

• It is a pop rock song.
• The song starts with electronic keyboards and later on guitar riffs. The lead vocalist sings in a mid-high tone of voice, producing her notes curverly between the electronic beats. Thereafter, we can hear some hummings. The second part of this verse goes in a more rocky direction, as the electronic and bass guitar play a greater role. She performs this mini-part in a more sophisticated way.
• A short first pre-chorus takes us to the chorus. The chorus is more of a stadium hymn, with a clear flow and hook. The lead singer performs it more powerfully. The melody is based on drum, bass and electronic beats.
• The second verse is a higher tempo rock piece. The lead singer does a great job in performing it in a mid-high tone of gentle voice, but still being “faithful” to the rock vibes.
• The second chorus follows, and this time we can hear more backing vocals, while the drums taking a greater part.
• The bridge is based on a pre-recorded part where the main vocals are wrapped with plenty of effects. The tension was built successfully with more alt-dark production. Each instrument gets its own peak moment, until we can hear them all in a spinning melody.
• The song continues with a softer singing, and then we get the final chorus. We got one last instrumental part, composed of keyboards, guitars and drums.
• On the one hand, it is probably the most “sane” and safe choice for Finland this year. We are pretty sure that this kind of song will work at Eurovision, but not sure if it aims for the top chart. On the other hand, we might easily get a similar song to this one from any other country.
• In general, I think I am more into supporting this song. The melody changes along with the song and the production is quite sharp. I love the lead singer’s vocals and the song is catchy.

#3. Jesse Markin – Glow

• It is an Indie-afro house and rap music.
• The intro is quite monotonous. The flow builds until it becomes faster. The focus is so on his vocals, while the melody is based on continuous drum beat and keyboard playing.
• Thereafter, we are getting the first verse. The flow is wilder, we hear some urban music elements. The production suggests a somewhat non-trivial combination of African beat and urban synth music. I felt this part is too long, and somehow lost the patience in this middle.
• The chorus is more catchy. He sings it a mid-tone of voice, while he is supported by some backing vocals. This part is also more accessible. The melody is based on soft synth beat, keyboards and mid-tempo beat.
• The second verse starts less “aggressively”. The melody is mainly based on synth beat. Later on, we can hear faster beat with urban and house elements.
• The second chorus is simpler, and the melody develops slowly from piano and guitar playing, to deeper beats.
• The bridge features the sentence “You’re gonna make it” several times. Production is more modest. The melody is based on cyclic keyboards playing, and a kind of Caribbean beat. We can hear the backing vocalists singing “oh la la la”
• The song with one last usual chorus
• There’s something positive about the vibes of the song, but it doesn’t grab me. He took a non-common genre (at Eurovision), but somehow converted it to something too radio-friendly. I would have designed the song differently: It lacks a real bridge, and also the first verse lasts forever before we get the chorus.
• Even though we have nothing similar to this song, it feels like it won’t be a worthy choice for Finland at Eurovision.

#4. Mikael Gabriel x nublu – Vox populi

• It is a techno-rap song.
• The song starts with a hyper-electronic sound. Mikael Gabriel was the first one to perform and he sings in the genre of soft rap*spoken word. As this part continues, his singing becomes more energetic. The melody is based on drums and bass.
• The chorus follows. It starts with percussion elements, and later on we can hear a higher tempo bass and drums playing. They repeat the phrase “Vox populi” from time to time, framing this part with periodic and memorable structure. This part also includes a hyper-techno beat.
• The first chorus is linked to the second verse by a short operatic singing. Nublu is the one to sing the second verse, he performs in the rap genre. His voice is accompanied by some studio effects like echo. Thereafter, it continues to be more of a choir singing.
• The second chorus follows, with the same drumb and beats, this time the hyper-techo beats make the chorus a more festive and danceable piece. This time, the post-chorus hook is longer.
• The operatic choir singing is brought up again. This time it is longer and builds up to a growing beat that explodes into the melody of the chorus.
• The final chorus is catchy and memorable.
• Overall, this is a different kind of song and therefore will make it stand out. However, I can’t ignore the fact that the chorus is much stronger than the verses. In fact, all I can remember from this one is the “Vox populi” phrase and the specific techno beat.
• It is a song that was meant for the staging, and I can even imagine people dancing to its sounds on a Euroclub. I’m not sure how strong it is as an independent track. This is a song that should be properly revived with a staging.

#5. Sara Siipola – Paskana

• It is an RnB mid-tempo modern ballad with influences of pop and rock music.
• The song starts with a short instrumental part composed of piano playing and some orchestral elements.
• The first verse relies on a uniform beat and keyboards playing. Sara sings it in a mid-tone thick voice.
• The first pre-chorus has a slower flow and it is quite short. The emphasis is on her voice.
• The chorus is catchy. She sings powerfully and emotionally. The beat is more intense, and you can tell she expresses her sadness and furiousity. There are some studio effects over her singing.
• After the chorus, we’re getting a short instrumental part composed of piano and string elements. In the background, we can hear echo pre-recorded backing vocals.
• The second verse starts in a softer way, and she performs it in a higher tone of voice. The beat is sparser but with a bigger hook, while the piano playing is kept simple.
• A second chorus follows. The melody is based on drum beats and piano playing. She lengthens some of the words and is supported by backing vocals.
• A short instrumental part comes in and then we get to the bridge which feels very painful and she performs it emotionally. Towards the end, we can hear her outcry.
• The final chorus starts unplugged with pre-recorded and revarbed backing vocals, and later on it reshaped back to the known structure.
• I think this song takes the listener on a sentimental journey, it is mainly rooted in her will to stop the world, following the loss she had. Even though it is a ballad, it isn’t a regular one. Therefore, even non-ballad stans can fall in love with this one. Sara Siipola is a vocalist you can trust, and I believe we can rely on her.
• Will Finland choose a ballad as “UMK” winner for the first time in years?

#6. Sexmane – Mania

• It is a pop rock song with rap influences.
• The song starts with drum beat, and processed vocals (with echo and vocoder effect). It sounds like the beginning of the chorus.
• The first verse starts, and the singing is more like speaking at the beginning. He performs it in a mid-low tone of voice. The melody is based on keyboard playing and a contemporary modern mid-tempo electro beat. Later on, we can hear drum beat as well as part of the pre-chorus
• The chorus is full of effects, especially vocoder over his singing. It is more melodical, and the melody also includes electric guitar playing. The word “Mania” plays a significant role.
• The second half of the chorus is more drums and bass oriented, and we finally can hear him singing (and not rapping/speaking). He stretches his vocal abilities by performing in a mid-high tone of voice. This is also the catchier part of the song.
• Thereafter, the second verse follows. The melody is based on percussion elements, keyboards and guitar playing. The flow is somehow more chill. Once again the singing is more like speaking/reciting/soft rapping.
• The per-chorus follows, and then we also get the chorus. This time the chorus features backing vocals. The main vocals are processed with effects. The melody is built until the “exploding” with electric guitar, bass and drums. The second half of the chorus is more melodical.
• This part is followed by a short instrumental part composed of electronic guitar playing.
• The song ends with an outro that sounds more like a rock song. The melody is mainly based on electronic guitar and we get a kind of “soft” shout from him.
• On one hand, I appreciate the fact the song is in Finnish. However, I feel like some parts of the song are performed in a lazy way. Something about the flow in the verse makes it less memorable.

#7. Windows95Man ft. Henri Piispanen – No Rules!

• It is a dance pop-rap song with wide influences of the 1990’s music.
• The song starts with continuous keyboards playing, while the main singer welcomes us with reciting in a smokey voice. We also get a sneak peak to the chorus.
• The first verse features speaking in a low tone and a smokey voice by Windows95Man. The melody is based on a speedy beat.
• The pre-chorus is performed by Henri Piispanen. He sings in a higher tone of voice. The melody is denser and the beat sounds like many things from the 1990s.
• Drum beats lead us to the chorus. The singing is mainly by Henri, while we can hear Windows95Man saying “No Rules!”. The melody is based on keyboard playing and some whistle effects. The singing in high-tone of voice keeps on going in this part as well.
• The beat that is sped up is the transition and then we get the second verse. Windows95man once again talks (in a bit creepy voice), but luckily this part is short.
• The second pre-chorus comes in and the tempo is higher this time.
• Thereafter, the second chorus appears with an almost similar structure to the first one, but with more improvisations from Windows95man.
• The bridge is based on slower tempo, while the melody is based on keyboards playing and later on electronic elements.
• The melody explodes and we get an additional chorus, this time with a modulation.
• I find this song quite weak. It feels like an attempt to follow a very specific 1990’s music melody. The weaker parts are the verses, which are basically reciting in a non-melodical way.
• At some point, it becomes repetitive, and then we get this unessential modulation.

Personal Ranking

1. Sara Siipola – Paskana
2. Cyan Kicks – Dancing With Demons
3. Sini Sabotage – Kuori mua
4. Mikael Gabriel x nublu – Vox populi
5. Sexmane – Mania
6. Jesse Markin – Glow
7. Windows95Man – No Rules!

Prediction

To begin with I will raise an unpopular opinion: I think this is the weakest “UMK” since 2020 (not considering years where a single artist took part).
Even though we have more “risky” entries, I feel like the level isn’t that high.
The majority of the song still lacks soul or creativity or even both.
In some other cases, the songs are performed almost lazaly.
In my opinion, there is no clear winner at the moment. The possible scenario is that we won’t have a full agreement on the winner between the public and the international jury.
Possible winners are: Sara Siipola, Windows95Man, and Mikael Gabriel x nublu.

Which song is your favorite one?
Who will represent Finland at Eurovision 2024?

Eurovision 2024 will be held in Malmö, Sweden.
The semi-finals will be held on the 7th and 9th of May 2024, and the grand final will be held on the 11th of May 2024.
Finland will compete in the second half of semi-final 1.

Don’t forget to visit our Eurovision 2024 homepage