For everyone that still have not heard the news: Saara Aalto will be presenting Finland in the lovable-as-always Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon in next May. This means that Uuden musiikin kilpailu (UMK for short) will be organized only to choose a song for Aalto to sing. There are three different options of which the public can choose from.
Despite maybe seeming strange for today’s public, inviting singers or songwriters to prepare an act for Finland is not an exceptional occurrence. In the golden years of Eurovision song contest, this trick was used quite often. Also it seems that YLE cannot go wrong with their decision to send Aalto – it is difficult to imagine that anyone could be disappointed with the choice. Saara Aalto has come second twice in Eurovision’s Finnish national final, and after her success on the British X-Factor, she has also gained some fame in other countries. Aalto is brave, talented, openly homosexual, seasoned performer and very easy to imagine in the middle of glittering gloves and feather boas. Plus, we can count on the British to give us some points – all the better that they will be voting in the same (second) semi-final where Finland is performing. What could possibly go wrong this time?
Sadly, the song could. In the end it all comes down to the melody, message and whether the artist can carry the song live. Even Conchita Wurst would not have won back in 2014, if she had not had the talent to make her song great. Analyzing the songs and their changes is also a typical spring routine for a die-hard Eurovision nerd, so here we go.
Listen to all the songs here: https://yle.fi/aihe/umk
1. Monsters
Powerful pop-song Monsters is written by Aalto, Ki Fitzgerald, and Joy and Linnea Deb. The latter two are from a Swedish group of song-writers The Family, which was behind Måns Zelmerlöv’s winning song Heroes three years ago. Monsters is an empowering anthem about letting go of your fears and being yourself – about becoming friends with the monsters under your bed.
Monsters has many strong points, the strongest of them probably being appealing to Eurovision fan base. The catchy chorus has plenty of sing-along quality, and the song is sure to be a hit in Eurovision pre-parties around the continent. Empowering messages like letting go of personal fears and one’s past have done well in the contest during recent years. Accompanying the song is a very LGBTQ-friendly video with a good flow and a great party feeling. Possible down side is the fact that Monsters may appear a bit too inner-circle for the general public and perhaps even too straightforward to some countries (especially if the live show is going to be anything like the video). A lot comes down to the live performance too – Monsters cannot be an easy sing.
One of the most popular Eurovision themed blog Wiwibloggs has received Monsters, dare I say, extremely well. A quick analysis on Youtube comments and a poll on YLE website shows that interested audience also seem to prefer this song. As I am writing, Monsters is 14th in the official Finnish single chart and 30th in the Finnish Spotify chart, which is not a bad placement at all for a potential Eurovision entry.
You can try and scare me now, but I ain’t scared no more. I ain’t scared no more.
2. Domino
Domino is, simply put, a love song. And a happy one at that matter, written by Aalto, Bobby Ljunggren, Johnny Sanchez, Will Taylor and the Swedish Eurovision trouper Thomas G:son, who has written for example Loreen’s smash hit Euphoria.
If you are looking for something light that will lure a smile on your face, Domino is your choice. The very fresh and cute (also LGBTQ-supporting) video is worth a watch, and here’s assuming that we will see two female dancers on the stage too. Domino seems to be a bit easier to sing live, although Saara will most likely master each of her songs. For the song’s disadvantage, it does seem a bit more generic by its message than previously published Monsters. It also gets repetitive rather easily. Still, it is likely to spread out good feeling, which might be an advantage if other countries choose gloomier or heavier ballads.
Domino is currently 89th in the Spotify chart for Finland.
I’m hit and I’m falling, oh, I’m gonna fall like a domino, domino.
3. Queens
According to Aalto, Queens is a sequel to her past Eurovision candidate song No Fear, which lost to Sandhja’s Sing It Away. It is a song with a bit of mystery and queenly grace – yet still a story about a light and happy future. Queens is written by Aalto, Tom Aspaul, Farley Arvidsson and Charlie Walshe. Like the other two songs, this one also relates to Aalto’s personal life and experiences.
Queens is the one that probably requires a couple of hearings before you can decide whether you like the song or not. This can be risky, since it has been proven many times that a good Eurovision entry is one that hooks you right away. The bit cheap sounding backing track in the chorus resembles previous camp-styled entries in UMK. The grandiose video is fun, but a bit too all over the place – if you think of it as a promotion video, it may be the weakest out of the three. As of now, Queens has been the least popular of Aalto’s entries, but it still has its charms, personal lyrics and Aalto’s devotion to conveying the message being the most important among them.
We are the queens of the brand new nation, now it’s all for us, light it, light it up.
Let’s face it: camp era at Eurovision has long been over. LGBTQ-supporting entries can be successful, if they are classy and/or radio-friendly. Monsters is a potential party song, but it is deep and edgy enough to be taken as a serious entry. Aalto’s belting out in the chorus is the most personal and interesting hook these three songs have to offer. If Monsters functions live, I think it might be time to send some ‘ogres’ to the European stages once again!
The fact that the news about Aalto’s selection has been received so well by the international Eurovision fans has this Finnish fan quite excited. However, one should not get too overjoyed beforehand (as past experience will tell to any Finnish viewer). In the end it is the general public and juries that decide the order of the songs – not the fans. The ways of Eurovision are always capricious – one can always expect surprises. If a good song is chosen, Saara Aalto has great chances to qualify to the final, but after that, everything is game.
Sources: yle.fi, www.ifpi.fi/tilastot, spotifycharts.com, wiwibloggs.com
Thumbnail: photographer Ville Paul Paasimaa on Wikimedia commons.
Pictures: h heyerlein on Unsplash, fsightstudio on Pixabay, HoliHo on Pixabay