| Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2015 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | Yleisradio (Yle) | |||
| Country |  Finland | |||
| Selection process | Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015 | |||
| Selection date | 28 February 2015 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "Aina mun pitää" | |||
| Artist | Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät | |||
| Songwriters | Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät | |||
| Placement | ||||
| Semi-final result | Failed to qualify (16th) | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
| ||||
Finland was represented at theEurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Aina mun pitää" written and performed by the bandPertti Kurikan Nimipäivät. The Finnish participating broadcaster,Yleisradio (Yle), organised the national finalUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015 in order to select its entry for the contest. 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.
Prior to the 2015 contest,Yleisradio (Yle) had participated in theEurovision Song Contest representing Finland forty-eight times since its first entry in1961.[1] It has won the contest once in2006 with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" performed byLordi. In2014, "Something Better" performed bySoftengine managed to qualify Finland to the final and placed eleventh.
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, Yle organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2015 contest on 26 May 2014.[2] Yle had selected its entries for the contest through national final competitions that have varied in format over the years. Between 1961 and 2011, a selection show that was often titledEuroviisukarsinta highlighted that the purpose of the program was to select a song for Eurovision. However, since 2012, the broadcaster has organised the selection showUuden 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 its participation confirmation, the broadcaster also announced that its entry for the 2015 contest would be selected throughUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015.[2]
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2015 was the fourth edition ofUuden 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 inHelsinki and hosted byRakel Liekki and Roope Salminen.[3] All shows were broadcast onYle TV2 and online atyle.fi/umk. The final was also broadcast online at the official Eurovision Song Contest websiteeurovision.tv as well as via radio onYle Radio Suomi and with commentary in Swedish onYle X3M.[4]
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]
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 onSpotify 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 ofCristal Snow, Hanna-Riikka Siitonen,Toni Wirtanen andRegina Iisa discussed the artists and songs and determined which entry had the best music video. The guest panel selected "Ostarilla" performed byShava as having the best entry.[11]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Aikuinen [fi] | "Kyynelten lahti" | Arde, Aikuinen |
| Angelo De Nile | "All for Victory" | Tuomas Heikkinen [fi], Kimmo Blom,Mikko Salovaara [fi],Torsti Spoof [fi] |
| Eeverest | "Love It All Away" | Marcus Tikkanen, Niko Mansikka-Aho |
| Hans on the Bass | "Loveshine" | Klaus Suhonen |
| Heidi Pakarinen [fi] | "Bon voyage" | Simo Koho, Maria Söder |
| Ida Bois [fi] | "Kumbaya" | Ida Bois |
| Järjestyshäiriö | "Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla" | Juho Markkanen [fi], Mikko Manninen |
| Jouni Aslak | "Lions and Lambs" | Jouni Aslak Raatikainen |
| Norlan "El Misionario" [fi] | "No voy a llorar por ti" | Oldrich Gonzaléz, Norlan Leygonier Santana |
| Opera Skaala [fi] | "Heart of Light" | Visa Oscar [fi],Essi Luttinen [fi],Janne Lehmusvuo [fi] |
| Otto Ivar | "Truth or Dare" | Otto Iivari |
| Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät | "Aina mun pitää" | Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät |
| Pihka ja Myrsky | "Sydän ei nuku" | Lasse Turunen [fi], Laura Madekivi |
| Satin Circus | "Crossroads" | J.M.A,Patric Sarin [fi],Olli Halonen [fi],Paul Uotila [fi], Axel Kalland, Kristian Westerling, Julia Fabrin |
| Shava | "Ostarilla" | Kiureli Sammallahti [fi] |
| Siru | "Mustelmat" | Ilkka Wirtanen [fi],Kari Haapala [fi], Siru Airistola |
| Solju | "Hold Your Colours" | Ylva Persson, Linda Persson,Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman |
| Vilikasper Kanth | "Äänen kantamattomiin" | Vilikasper Kanth, Vesa Lappalainen, Jari Kanth |
The three semi-final shows took place on 7, 14 and 21 February 2015. The top three from the six competing entries in each semi-final qualified to the final based on the results from the public vote. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, host Roope Salminen together with Koirat performed the song "Biisonit" as the interval act in the first semi-final, while1987 Finnish Eurovision entrantVicky Rosti,2002 Finnish Eurovision entrantLaura Voutilainen and2013 Finnish Eurovision entrantKrista Siegfrids performed a cover of the1982 Finnish Eurovision entry "Nuku Pommiin" in the second semi-final andAntti Tuisku performed his single "Peto on irti" and a cover of the2006 Finnish winning Eurovision entry "Hard Rock Hallelujah" in the third semi-final.[12][13][14]
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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 byPertti Kurikan Nimipäivät was selected as the winner 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 andtaxi drivers (10%).[18] Each jury group distributed their points as follows: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 points, while the viewer vote was based on the percentage of votes each song achieved through the following voting methods: telephone, SMS and online voting.[19] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval act featuredEmma Salokoski and2014 Finnish Eurovision entrantsSoftengine.[20][21]
| 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 |
| Draw | Song | Marthas | LGBT | Children | Finland Swedes | Musicians | Media | Eurovision fans | Taxi drivers | Total score | 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% |
| Jury | Members |
|---|---|
| Marthas |
|
| LGBT |
|
| Children |
|
| Finland Swedes |
|
| Musicians |
|
| Media |
|
| Eurovision fans |
|
| Taxi Drivers |
|
"Aina mun pitää" set a Eurovision record by being the shortest Eurovision song to ever compete at the contest with its 85-second length.[22] 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 withdevelopmental disabilities.[23][24] 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."[24]
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. In the 2015 contest, Australia also competed directly in the final as an invited guest nation.[25] TheEuropean 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.[26] 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.[27]
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 theNetherlands and before the entry fromGreece.[28]
The two semi-finals and the final were televised in Finland onYle TV2 andYle Radio Suomi with asecond audio program providing commentary in Finnish by Aino Töllinen andCristal Snow and in Swedish by Eva Frantz and Johan Lindroos also onYle Radio Vega.[29] The Finnish spokesperson, who announced the Finnish votes during the final, was2013 Finnish Eurovision entrantKrista Siegfrids.[30]
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät took part in technical rehearsals on 11 and 15 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 18 and 19 May. This included the jury show on 18 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[31]
The Finnish performance featured the members of Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät dressed in punk outfits and performing in a band set-up. The stage lighting transitioned between white and golden yellow and the LED screens displayed industrial brick walls. Sound equipment were scattered around the stage and the performance also featured smoke effects.[32][33]
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.[34] It was later revealed that Finland placed sixteenth (last) in the semi-final, receiving a total of 13 points.[35]
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.[36]
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.[37]
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:
| Score | Country |
|---|---|
| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point |  Belarus |
|
|
The following members comprised the Finnish jury:[36]
| Draw | Country | A. Puurtinen | L. Haimila | M. Pykäri | Aikuinen | J. Immonen | 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 |
| Draw | Country | A. Puurtinen | L. Haimila | M. Pykäri | Aikuinen | J. Immonen | 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 |