Image: Miikka Varila/YLE
Contrary to the belief of some, Windows95Man is the stage name of only one of the duo who will represent Finland in Eurovision this May. Keep reading to find out more about the artists behind this year’s Finnish entry!
A visual artist and DJ, Teemu Keisteri originally gained popularity in Finland through his character Ukkeli, an art project that Keisteri has portrayed in many different forms. Despite having released two EPs previously, one in 2019 and one in 2021, “No Rules!” marked his debut single as Windows95Man, his heavily late-90s inspired DJ persona. The persona of Windows95Man came around by chance, when 10 years ago Keisteri was looking for an unserious outfit for Flow Festival, a festival he’d been attending for years, and came across a Windows 95 t-shirt online. Paired with a pair of shorts made by his friend, Keisteri attended the festival. Fast forward a couple of years, Keisteri was then booked to play at the same festival. Manned with his now-signature shirt and jorts, this was where the Windows95Man act really took off.
Henri Piispanen is well-known throughout Finland as a prolific voice actor, alongside also a singer and TV presenter, having voiced the Finnish dub for many characters such as Hiro Hamada in Big Hero 6, Adrien in Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie, Dario in Wish and even Yule (originally played by Timothée Chalamet) in Don’t Look Up. His starring role in the Finnish Eurovision entry came about completely by chance, after having worked with Keisteri on the record, Piispanen recorded demo vocals for the track, with the full intention of being replaced once another singer for the track was found. However, another singer was not selected to join Keisteri on the track, with Piispanen’s vocal making the final cut.
Under the “Windows95Man” moniker, Keisteri and Piispanen will take to the stage in Malmö with the song “No Rules!”, a high-energy, retro-themed earworm of a track that carries an important message about unapologetically being oneself. “No Rules!” has been one of the fan favourites since it’s UMK win, with many loving the retro nostalgia the mention of the beloved operating system (despite the censoring of the logo mandated by the EBU), paired with the copious amount of denim featured on the UMK stage. Keisteri and Piispanen were one of the favourites to take this years UMK trophy, and did so in denim-clad style, amassing a total of 313 points, largely thanks to them topping the televote with 285 points. However, back in February, UMK juries weren’t in agreement with the public, with Windows95Man receiving the lowest jury score in the 2024 edition of the contest with 28 points, and only receiving one set of 12 points from The UK jury. Could this be a sign of things to come in May?
“No Rules!” is by no means a joke entry, however does align dangerously close with what more infrequent viewers of the contest may consider as one. Whether this will in fact work in its favour is yet to be seen, or whether the nostalgia, fun and inevitable copious amounts of pyro will carry this jorts-loving duo to cult classic status in the Eurovision history books.
How do you think Windows95Man will fare in this year’s contest? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to follow us on all socials!
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