This year’s Uuden musiikin kilpailu (UMK) takes place next Saturday, when the seven contestants take the stage of Turku’s Logomo hoping to represent Finland in Eurovision 2023. One of the contestants is Lxandra, who is hoping to win the ticket to Liverpool with her beautiful ballad ”Something to lose”. Although Lxandra surely is very busy at the moment getting ready for UMK, she still had time to answer a few questions we asked from her. This is what Lxandra told us about her relationship to Eurovision, her musical background, her UMK song and some other things too:

Hello Lxandra and thank you for giving me this interview! At first I’d like to ask what is your relationship to Eurovision? Do you usually watch the contest and do you have some favorite Eurovision songs?

I used to watch the Eurovision every year as a kid, loved the drama of the shows and all the excitement. Then I kind of forgot about it in my teens and early adulthood, but been getting back to it the last few years. I loved Duncan Lawrence “Arcade” and Måneskin ofc. Of the older ones Loreen’s “Euphoria” is a classic!

Could you tell us a little bit something of your musical background? How long have you been singing and do you play any instruments?

I played piano and was in a childrens choir as a kid, but only started properly singing when I started writing songs as a teenager. I also then took some singing lessons to learn the right technique. Through writing I played chords on the piano and a tiny bit on the guitar and found my own voice.

Your UMK-song ”Something to lose” is absolutely amazing and your vocals are unbelievably beautiful. How would you describe the song and the message if it?

Thank you so much, means a lot xx

The song is about the importance of meaningful connections in life. That you need to have something to lose to have something to fight for. We easily get so hyper independent that we start getting lonely. But we need those connections in life, we need that love. To give it and to receive it.

You have made successful career not only in Finland but in abroad as well. What do you think is the greatest achievement of your career so far and what would you like to achieve in the future?

For me it’s been reaching ppl, making ppl feel and making music that truly touches ppl. That is always my goal. Playing shows, both big festivals and some headline shows, and creating and releasing my debut album have also been a few of my gratest achievements for me. And that I’ve always stayed as true to myself as possible from the start. In the future I wish to play more, bigger shows and make more music that ppl can relate to, that makes them feel. And maybe write and perform a Bond song! That would be very cool.

What kind of stage show can we expect from you in UMK?

A beautiful, dramatic, emotional show that tells the story of the song. There will be dancers. Big notes. Cool outfits. Yay!

Who are your musical role models?

Hmm… I guess I have many! Artists that I truly admire and that have very much inspired me are Björk, David Bowie, Frank Ocean, Florence + Machine, Kate Bush, Prince, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin…. To name a few!

If you could record a duet with any former Finnish Eurovision representative, who would you choose and why?

Blind Channel! The energy! That would be a crazy duet hahah. 

What do you do when you don’t do music?

I watch movies, weightlift, do yoga, eat great vegan food with my friends and family, enjoy nature, write.

What would it mean to you to win UMK and represent Finland in Eurovision 2023?

It would be incredible! I love this song and am so proud of how the show is coming together, so it would mean the world.

What would you like to say to our readers and your fans from all over the world?

To the readers, check out my UMK 2023 song “Something To Lose” ✨ To my fans THANK YOU for listening and supporting. And vote for meeee hehee. Lots of love to you all! ❣️

Thank you for the interview and the best of luck to UMK!

You can listen to Lxandra’s UMK song ”Something to lose” here:

If Lxandra is your favorite to win UMK23, don’t forget to vote for her in our poll: