09 February 2025

She’s coming! Erika Vikman convincingly won Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2025 with a throbbing performance of Ich Komme and will represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel in May. A huge favourite heading into the show, Erika avoided a sticky situation after the jury ranked her in second place to score hard with a whopping 362 points from the public. That sealed the win as there simply weren’t enough points left for the jury’s favourite, Goldielocks, who performed Made Of, to overcome the deficit. The 229 points she scored was still quite impressive and ensured she finished way clear in second place. Viivi, performing Aina, finished third, after ranking just fifth with the jury. Overall, it was yet another excellent and stimulating UMK, with all artists delivering a satisfying performance.

The public get 75% of the say with the scoring at UMK, and their ranking matched the overall combined rank. The same occurred last year when their impotence was really on display. Their highest ranked song in 2024 (Paskana by Sara Siipola) got swamped and was beaten by their lowest ranked song (No Rules! by Windows95man) once the public votes were revealed. This year, the 6 point lead for Goldielocks over Erika Vikman (74 to 68) was immaterial. The jury at UMK are simply nuisance value now. If they ever do flip a close result, imagine the outcry over this measly 25% voice of questionable tastes denying the 75% will of the Finnish people.

Results

01 Erika Vikman – Ich Komme – 430 (68/362)
02 Goldielocks – Made Of – 303 (74/229)
03 Viivi – Aina – 138 (38/100)
04 Nelli Matula – Hitaammin hautaan – 138 (50/88)
05 Neea River – Nightmares – 84 (20/64)
06 Costee – Sekaisin – 83 (40/43)

Review & Score

01 Costee – Sekaisin (6)

Slow beginning, then Costee really kicked it along and finished strong. Vocals were patchy, and he got breathless a couple of times. The song makes up for it.

02 Neea River – Nightmares (5)

Flat, weak vocals, and an uninspiring presentation. Once the chorus got going, it improved, and then it felt repetitive by the end. Also, use a hand microphone. It looks so much more professional. The head microphone makes it look like musical theatre. If you’re already struggling for impact, you don’t need to make matters worse.

03 Goldielocks – Made Of (7)

Goldielocks lost her voice prior to the show so the live vocals from the rehearsal were used instead. This song always had that immediately catchy and contemporary appeal, and the presentation was superb. Probably the song not quite strong enough for my liking to score it higher. She’ll be happy with a solid second place anyway.

04 Viivi – Aina (9)

Absolutely stunning performance. Viivi brought a few tears to my eyes. She kept the staging simple and let her delightful voice and powerful vocal presentation do all the talking. Oh, and that finale. Breathtaking! Viivi reminds me a bit of my favourite singer, Lenna Kuurmaa from Estonia. That likely added to the appeal, and I’d love Lenna to sing an Estonian version of this song. Both voices have a raspy nature to them, with Lenna’s much stronger.

05 Nelli Matula – Hitaammin hautaan (8)

A sedate opening. It seemed to need some flashes or streaks of light to enhance the mood. A wind machine at the end might have helped. Mostly, Nelli performed basic choreography in a classical dress with four dancers. Then dropped the side curtains. That was it. Perhaps the staging made more sense to the locals who could appreciate any harmonisation with the lyrics. Vocals were excellent throughout and strongly resonated, and I just love the song so much.

06 Erika Vikman – Ich Komme (8)

That was orgasmic. Erika kept me hard throughout and I never experienced a climax before that made me laugh. Vocals were solid, and while the song isn’t the greatest, this was always about performance. The abrupt ending to the song, which was a major weakness, was turned into an asset. Simply an iconic performance by a quality artist.

Erika’s win is a reversal of the injustice 5 years ago when she was just beaten into second place when performing Cicciolina. In hindsight, with the Eurovision Song Contest cancelled that year due to COVID-19, no great loss, and Erika was able to establish a powerful career anyway. Perfect timing that this year is the 69th edition of ESC too. The double entendres aren’t over by a long way.

My Top 6

01 Viivi – Aina (9)
02 Erika Vikman – Ich Komme (8)
03 Nelli Matula – Hitaammin hautaan (8)
04 Goldielocks – Made Of (7)
05 Costee – Sekaisin (6)
06 Neea River – Nightmares (5)

Only a few changes in position from my preview. Erika and Nelli switch positions (no pun intended). Goldielocks rises from sixth to fourth, which bumps down Costee and Neea a notch. Average score is 7.2, so another strong UMK. They nearly always rate above 7 due to the focus on quality, not quantity. Last year at 6.9 was a rare exception, and that’s still an excellent score. The highest rating was 7.6 in 2021. So, it’s onto Basel and to see if Erika can maintain the intensity for the duration.

Finland: UMK 2025 – Preview & My Top 6