Lake Ismo Puljujärvi
Windows95man and Henri Piispanen cannot indefinitely pledge their decision whether they will participate in Eurovision or not, writes Iltalehti news manager Ismo Puljujärvi.
Windows95man and Henri Piispanen won UMK in February. MATTI MATIKAINEN
Do they represent Windows95man and Henri Piispanen Finland in the spring Eurovision?
This is a question to which many are now feverishly waiting for an answer. The situation can even be considered historic, because basically the winner of the New Music Contest has always represented Finland at Eurovision. The years 2018 and 2019 can be considered exceptions, when the artist was selected internally by Yle.
Now the decision seems to be complicated by Israel’s participation. The country has been criticized for military actions in Gaza, and Palestinian activists in particular have made a big fuss about it on social media. Windows95man and Piispanen have received very judgmental comments, especially on Instagram, where they are demanded to boycott the singing competition.
The situation is not easy for Yle either.
It’s not long until May and the exercises should start pretty soon.
– We’re not in a hurry, let’s just move on, UMK producer Anssi Autio said to Iltalehte.
How long will the two be allowed to pledge their decision and how quickly will it be announced to the public?
If Windows95man and Piispanen refuse the representative role, the decision would be a loss for everyone.
Primarily, the biggest loss would be for the artists themselves. Eurovision is very popular at the moment. Last year, three live TV broadcasts reached 162 million viewers internationally. If an artist can get their music out on such a platform, that in itself can be considered a victory.
Another loser would be the UMK voters who chose Windows95man and Piispanen as representatives. Due to the avalanche of sound, the duo has solid support. A large crowd believes in their show.
The third loser would be Yleisradio.
UMK has gained enormous popularity over the past few years. Only four years ago, few would have believed that the competition would be held in a place like the Nokia Arena.
If the UMK winner can just skip the representation task because of that, does the whole format have any meaning in the final games?
Of course, the program can continue to search for domestic radio hits, but at least in my own eyes, the trick lies in finding a viuseo representative.
However, one thing is certain in the situation: the decision cannot be put off for much longer.
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