Finland is continuing its preparations for UMK 2024. As the artists prepare for Tampere, Daniel speaks to Sara Siipola. She is hoping to represent Finland in Malmö with her entry “Paskana”.
Check out our interview with Sara Siipola here:
During the interview, Daniel spoke with Sara about the deep lyrics behind the song, Sara’s experiences growing up in a small town in Ostrobothnia, and how UMK has progressed in the last few years, and is breaking down barriers for the Finnish music scene.
About Sara Siipola
26-year-old Sara Siipola has been releasing music since 2019, and has had hits in Finland such as Susta tulee tähti and Rohkee Sydän. She describes her voice as “Dark and soulful” and her UMK entry “Paskana” stays true to this, and is about how people go on with their lives during grief.
Finland’s Eurovision Journey
Finland debuted in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 10th with Laila Kunnunen’s “Valoa ikkunassa.” Since then they have competed 56 times, and appeared in the final 48 times. Finland has finished in the top 10 an impressive 14 times. They have won the contest once, in 2006, with Lordi’s performance of “Hard Rock Hallelujah” getting 292 points.
Finland’s most recent entry was “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä. He won the first semi-final in Liverpool, thus qualifying for the final. At the close of voting, he gained a total of 526 points, earning them 2nd place – Finland’s second best result of all time. Käärijä received 376 points from the televote, and an extra 150 points from the juries.
What do you think of our interview with Sara Siipola? Do you want to see Paskana at Eurovision? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Threads, Tumblr and Bluesky as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Yle / Nelli Kenttä
Rory Gannon