Sandhja wins UMK and will represent Finland!

UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu) has been a national final process that the Finnish public broadcaster has used for many years, and this year was no exception. After three exciting heats, a total of nine acts competed in the final to earn the right to represent Finland at this year’s edition of Eurovision.  The hosts of the show were Krista Siegfrids and Roope Salminen, and the show took place in the nation’s capital, Helsinki.

The nine acts were:

1. Cristal Snow – Love is Blind

2. Stella Christine – Ain’t Got Time for Boys

3. Annica Milán & Kimmo Blom – Good Enough

4. Eini – Draamaa

5. Barbe-Q-Barbies – Let Me Out

6. Tuuli Okkonen – Don’t Wake Me Up

7. Sandhja – Sing It Away

8. Saara Aalto – No Fear

9. Mikael Saari – On It Goes

Mikael Saari and Saara were two of the favourites of the show, but after the voting, which was 50/50 jury and televoting, it was decided that Sandhja would represent Finland. The song is titled Sing It Away, and will be performed in the first semi-final at Eurovision this year.

Not only did audiences get to watch the nine great performances, but also Lordi – the winners of Eurovision 2006, as well as Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (PKN) who represented Finland last year.

The winner, Sandhja, is a young Finnish singer-songwriter, with roots in India and Guyana. Her voice has elements of soul, and her stage performance, as shown by her UMK performance is full of energy. In 2014, she released her debut album titled Gold, and featured the hits Hold Me and Gold.

Listen to the song down below, and if you think Sandhja has what it takes to sing away the competition, make sure to vote for her here.

If you are interested in having your review posted on this very website, for Sandhja, or any other artist of this year’s contest, click here to read how you can get involved!