Finnish broadcaster Yle have now announced that EDM artist Darude will be representing Finland at Eurovision 2019.
This year, Finnish broadcaster Yle decided to follow the same format that was used last year where the artist was selected internally, then potential Eurovision entries will be revealed in the coming weeks concluding in a national selection (UMK) where the public and jury will choose their favourite entry. The national selection will take place on the 2nd of March.
Who is Darude?
Ville Virtanen who is better known by his stage name Darude is a Finnish DJ who in his career has become one of the widest known and most successful Finnish artists. He began making music back in 1995, and his most iconic single was the song Sandstorm which was released in 1999 and is still popular today.
He is a multi-platinum, award winning producer and DJ who has released four studio albums to date. His latest album Moments was released in 2015. Darude has toured around the world and performed at many clubs and festivals.
At Eurovision, Darude hopes to create a good atmosphere with his music, as if he was playing at a festival. He will perform his entries alongside featured vocalist Sebastian Rejman who is known from the band The Giant Leap.
Commenting on his participation, Darude said, ‘This is a huge challenge for me in many ways. When I was asked to represent Finland I felt a bit scared at first, but there was no way I could say no to my country! It is an honour to be part of this incredible experience and I only have positive expectations!’
The next step will be the song releases which will happen on the 8th, 15th and 22nd of February. On March 2nd, UMK will take place where the three songs will be presented live, and from there the public and jury will vote on the entry they think should represent Finland at Eurovision.
Stay tuned for more news, and for now watch Sandstorm below: