This weekend sees the return of the highly anticipated Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, more commonly known as UMK, Finland’s national selection. Over recent years, UMK has grown to be one of the more well loved national finals with Eurofans, and this year is no different. Keep reading to find out more about this year’s UMK!
NEEA RIVER
The first song to be revealed from this year’s UMK was ‘Nightmares’ by NEEA RIVER. The nostalgic, retro-yet-current Eurodance track opened the week of UMK releases with a bang, immediately making waves and getting added to playlists such as Spotify’s own New Dance Pop. The independent artist has been releasing music since 2023, whilst also writing for many notable artists, including past UMK contestants BESS and Benjamin (under her real name Neea Jokinen), and Blanka, who represented Poland at Eurovision in 2023. Neea is hoping to bring her music to a new, international audience, and hopes that the UMK stage will be just the place to do so.
Listen to NEEA RIVER’s UMK entry here:
Nelli Matula
The next song to be revealed for this year’s UMK was Nelli Matula’s entry, ‘Hitaammin hautaan’. Translating as ‘Slower to the grave’, the lyrics of Nelli’s song talk all about enjoying the life you have and living it to its fullest, something that is particularly poignant in the course of Nelli’s journey in the music industry, after having to take time out of her music career back in 2023 due to health concerns. Performing has always been at the heart of Nelli’s career, and her participation in UMK marks a milestone in continuing to return to the big stages. Could she go one step further and make it to the Eurovision stage in May?
Listen to Nelli Matula’s UMK entry here:
costee
The only male participant in this year’s line up, costee will be hoping to take home the UMK trophy on Saturday with his song ‘Sekaisin’. ‘Sekaisin’ is a clear boyband pop/borderline-dark pop fusion, with an underlying message of it being okay to be vulnerable, or ‘messed up’ as the title suggests. Having previously been a member of multiple different bands before releasing his first solo single in 2018, costee is no stranger to the music industry. Could a win at UMK be the next step in his career?
Listen to costee’s UMK entry here:
VIIVI
The only ballad in this year’s selection, VIIVI will be hoping to take home the UMK trophy this year with her song ‘Aina’. ‘Aina’ is a simple yet elegant ballad, perfectly elevated by VIIVI’s delicate vocals. A very well-acclaimed artist within Finland, with multiple top-5 singles, including her single ‘Ihana kipu’ with former UMK participant sitting at number one in the singles chart for two weeks, VIIVI is another strong contender within this year’s lineup. VIIVI will be hoping that her commercial success can translate to the UMK stage and help her take home the UMK trophy and the chance to fly the flag for Finland in Basel in May.
Listen to VIIVI’s UMK entry here:
Goldielocks
Goldielocks is another one of this year’s UMK artists hoping to take home the trophy on Saturday, and competes with her song ‘Made Of’, a catchy, retro-pop song. The Finnish-born but Berlin-based singer has always had a love of theatre and dance, which undoubtedly comes across within their music. Goldielocks is no stranger to the stage, having toured previously in places such as Germany, Iceland and Italy. She hopes through her music to help change perceptions of English-language music within the Finnish industry, where attitudes have previously been negative. Could taking the UMK trophy and making it to the Eurovision stage be one step further on that journey?
Listen to Goldielocks’ UMK entry here:
Erika Vikman
Back for what some may call revenge after failing to win UMK back in 2020 with the song ‘Cicciolina’, Erika Vikman makes her return to the UMK competition this year with the song ‘Ich Komme’. By no means a stranger to the UMK stage itself, after performing as a guest act in 2021 with Antti Tuisku and 2024 with Käärijä, 2025 sees Erika once again shining solo and bidding for the UMK crown. Championing feminine empowerment, ‘Ich Komme’ talks both openly but ambiguously about typically more of a taboo topic of female pleasure. Erika will be hoping that the grandeur and extravagance of the song, along with the music video, can translate to the UMK stage and win her the trophy, alongside the honour of representing Finland in May.
Listen to Erika Vikman’s UMK entry here:
The running order for this year’s UMK is as follows:
- costee – ‘Sekaisin’
- NEEA RIVER – ‘Nightmares’
- Goldielocks – ‘Made Of’
- VIIVI – ‘Aina’
- Nelli Matula – ‘Hitaammin Hautaan’
- Erika Vikman – ‘Ich Komme’
This year’s UMK brings a slight change in the voting procedure, with viewers being able to vote for their favourite acts from the beginning of the show. As in previous years, the winner will be decided by both the public televote and the international jury voting, with 75% weighting on the public televote, and 25% weighting on the international professional jury votes.
Want to hear our thoughts on this year’s UMK entries? Check out our UMK 2025 episode of Instead We Made A Pod here!
Who would you like to see lift the UMK trophy on Saturday night? Could we have a surprise victory? Let us know!
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