UMK23 is really shaping up to be a show that you shouldn’t miss next Saturday 25th February. In a release today, Finnish broadcaster Yle announced the interval acts for UMK23’s final, and some big names are scheduled to perform!
Last year’s UMK winner The Rasmus, 3rd place finisher BESS and singer Samu Haber will all take to the UMK stage during the interval act. Another one of the finalists from last year’s UMK, Younghearted, will also warm up the crowd before the live broadcast in Turku.
The Rasmus have had a very busy year since winning UMK22, and had this to say about returning to the show next week:
“It’s so awesome to get back up on the UMK stage! When we were in last year’s contest, the excitement was overwhelming. Now, we get to come back to Logomo [Arena] to head up an amazing show with our latest single Live and Never Die […] UMK and Eurovision were absolutely amazing experiences. At ESC in Turin, we were able to make friends with other artists, and we came up with this really great idea to do a collaborative version of In The Shadows together with Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra. Our Eurovision entry Jezebel has also become an audience favourite along with our other hits.”
Another UMK22 artist whose career took off after the competition last year was BESS. Her song Ram pam pam was so successful in Finland, she went on to release an English version for international markets. At UMK23, BESS will perform her new single Lähtee käsistä, which was just released. Fans can also look forward to the release of BESS’ new album later this spring. Until then, she’s promising a special performance at UMK:
“It’s a huge pleasure and honour to be able to perform on the UMK stage again and put together a show with this amazing team […] It’s all at once inspiring, exciting and challenging in a different way than when I was competing. It’s so awesome! So, buckle up, and don’t say I didn’t warn you – this UMK is going to be a mega show like no one has ever seen before.”
The broadcast will start at 20:00 CET and also include an English-language commentary option for international viewers!
Of course let’s not forget we’ll have seven amazing performances before the interval act performances. The UMK23 finalists are Keira, Benjamin, Robin Packalen, Lxandra, Käärijä, KUUMAA, and Portion Boys, with the winner to be chosen jointly by Finnish television viewers (75%) and international juries (25%). You can vote in our poll below and let us know your favourites!
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The Rasmus’ “Jezebel” qualified for the Grand Final in Turin last year, coming in 21st place overall.
