In tonight’s second semi-final in Finland, another two acts qualified directly for the final. Waldo’s People and Remu were the lucky two, while Passionworks and Sani will have to try again in the second chance round.
The show came from the television studios in Tampere and was hosted by Jaana Pelkonen and Mikko Peltola. The two qualifiers were decided by a public vote and would join Tapani Kansa and Kwan, who qualified from the first semi-final last week, in the final on January 31st
Sani – Doctor, Doctor
First to perform was a lady who is no stranger to the Euroviisut. Sani was the lead singer in Aikakone, who were one of Finland’s biggest groups in the 1990’s. Her song tonight was written by Maki Kohlemainen, a fellow, Aikakone member. The song itself is typical of Aikakone’s modern pop sound and has a breathy backing vocal. If it does go on to represent Finland, it will be a different sound to anything Finland has sent to the contest before.
Passionworks feat. Tony Turunen – Surrender
Surrender starts slowly, then bursts into a good old rock song. Unsurprisingly then, it features a lot of guitars. It is also a melodic song, which is a duet between Tony and female lead singer Harry.
Remu – Planeetta
Remu is an experienced performer and his song is the second rock song of the night. His voice is a deep, typically Finnish sort of voice. It’s interesting to note this is the only song in Finnish in this semifinal.
Waldo’s People – Lose Control
The final song of the night stands out from the others in it’s style. It’s a dance song with elements of techno and wouldn’t sound out of place in any nightclub in Europe. The vocal in the verses is male dominated with a strong female vocal joining in for the chorus.
After the interval, the results were announced. Waldo’s People, with 44.3% and Remu with 28.6% qualified for the final, leaving Sani and Passionworks to try to do their best to make the most of their second chance.
On YLE’s Euroviisut site, you can hear the songs and see photos. The link is below.
