After a week-end break, Yle has released the third entry of UMK26. Schlager band Komiat will perform “Lululai“on the UMK stage in Tampere.
Happy vibes with “Lululai”
Recently, Yle confirmed the names of the seven artists that will participate in UMK26. After revealing the first two entries on late Wednesday and Thursday (at 23:00 CET, so midnight on the day after in Finland), the releases took a break for the week-end. As we’re now Monday in Finland, the third entry “Lululai” is officially out.
The band, Komiat, was formed in the 2010’s to play “dance-hall schlager” with the accordeon, and won the 2018 Dance Orchestra competition at Tangomarkkinat, the big annual Finnish Tango competition (which crowned Erika Vikman “Tango Queen” two years earlier), which boosted their career.
The band consists of vocalist Aleksi Yli-Sissala, guitarist-vocalist Samuel Järvinen, accordionist Antero Linden, drummer Eero Nummela, and bassist Juho Eskola.
Our music and gigs are a great way to escape everyday life for a moment. You can just breathe, be present, and enjoy the moment.
Juho Eskola, bassist for Komiat
The UMK jury was quick to praise the entry and its potential, not only for Eurovision, but for the summer season, cementing the appeal of UMK as a valuable show for Finnish artists, even outside of the Eurovision context.
Riding a strong upward wave, Komiat brings its own positive energy to UMK. Dance-hall schlager has not been heard in UMK before, but now feels like the right time both in terms of trends and the band’s popularity. The song features a powerful sing-along moment for next summer’s festivals, where Komiat could easily be imagined on even bigger stages. The universal chorus, suitable for any language, perfectly completes the package.
UMK jury on “Lululai”
The release schedule for the remaining UMK26 acts is as follows (each release at 23:00 CET) :
- January 19 – Sinikka Monte
- January 20 – Antti Paalanen
- January 21 – CHACHI
- January 22 – KIKI
Final set for February 28
UMK will once again be held over a single show, on the last day of February, on what will be a very packed Super Saturday of five finals (for Norway, Germany, Bulgaria and Italy, alongside Finland) as well as two qualification shows (the last heat of Melodifestivalen in Sweden, and the second semi-final of Portugal’s Festival da Canção).
The show will be held in Nokia Arena in Tampere, and will be used to select the Finnish representative to Eurovision 2026, with a mix of jury (25%) and public (75%) voting.
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Making their Eurovision debut in 1961 with the entry ‘Valoa Ikkunassa’ by Laila Kinnunen, Finland has not always found life in the contest easy. Finland didn’t have a smooth start at Eurovision, placing last three times in the 1960s. Marion Rung was Finland’s first success, placing 6th in 1973 with ‘Tom Tom Tom’ – this remained as Finland’s best result until 2006.
Before the turn of the millennium, Finland placed last a further five times while they placed in the top ten on only three occasions. Finally, their fortunes changed in 2006 when Lordi won the contest in Athens with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ – their only victory to this date. Since the revamp to the UMK format the Nordic nation are on a five-year qualification streak and have achieved two top ten results, including runner-up in Liverpool 2023 for Käärijä with, ‘Cha Cha Cha’.
This year it was the turn of Erika Vikman to represent Finland. During the Basel contest, Erika placed 11th and achieved 196 points with, ‘Ich Komme’.
Do you enjoy “Lululai”? Can this catchy schlager song win the televote, and UMK in general? Could it do well on the Eurovision stage? Tell us more in the comments below or on socials media!
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