After having selected the artist internally for two years in a row – Saara Aalto in 2018, and Darude feat. Sebastian Rejman in 2019, YLE reverted back to an open selection for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest. The broadcaster revealed that a total of 426 songs were submitted for the Contest.

Tapio Hakanen, Music Manager at YleX and head of UMK’s expert jury stated:

The response of the music industry to the return to open competition was really positive. Some of Finland’s best songwriters, composers and producers submitted their songs. The six songs to compete in the Final were selected by a jury of ten, featuring music experts from inside and outside of YLE. The final level is really high, and the songs are versatile in terms of both style and artist. I hope that as many Finns as possible will find the artist and the song that is perfect for representing Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The six finalists of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2020 are going to be revealed on the 21st of January, whilst the Final will take place in the Mediapoliksen TV studio in Tampere on the 7th of March.

Darude and Sebastian Rejman represented Finland last year in Tel Aviv. Their entry “Look Away” finished in last place in their semi final, and thus failed to qualify for the Grand Final.