Blind Channel: We wanted to make an anthem to everyone who sometime feel like throwing their middle fingers up in the air and scream.

Photo: Mona Salminen

I think a big part of the general audience think of Finland as a country of rock of music and so do I and since I'm a big fan of their rock entries, every year a part of me hoped for them to bring that sound back to Eurovision but it wasn't until this year that they gave me what I was asking for. I got really excited when I saw Blind Channel on the list of participants but it wasn't until I heard the song that I felt that this was exactly what we needed in ESC!. This week I got the chance to interview one of the guys and without further ado here are Joel's answers:

Name: Joel Hokka

Birthday: 05.10.1993

Height: 187cm

What do you do in the band? Singer

What’s your strangest talent? I can move my ears.

What are you really good at? Music

What are you really bad at? Life :D

Childhood memory: first time I saw Chester Bennington on MTV and I felt shivers.

Celebrity crush: Margot Robbie

Favorite TV series: Sons Of Anarchy

Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Finland: Salmiakki

Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from an Finnish artist? The Rasmus - In The Shadows

Can you teach us some interesting words in Finnish? Juoda hiljaa kaljaa (which means drink beer in silence)

Welcome to the Eurovision universe! You are one of the participants of UMK 2021. How did it all begin? 

We’ve released 3 albums, toured a lot over europe. Because of the ongoing pandemic we wanted to try something different.

"Dark side” is the title of your song, what's the story behind it?

We began lockdown and just locked ourselves in the studio. We wanted to make an anthem to everyone who sometime feel like throwing their middle fingers up in the air and scream.

How do you feel about the reaction your song has been getting from the fans?

To be honest, it’s been a bit of a surprise for us. Of course we always had a great feeling about this song. But it’s been a positive surprise for us to see such a great feedback.

Photo: Mona Salminen

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?

Insanely energetic show. Unlike anything you’ve seen before in this concept.

What do you like/dislike about Eurovision?

We like the way it unites listeners. Maybe sometime we dislike the lack of variety in genres, but maybe this year will be different.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:

Dark chocolate: health for your heart

Sweat: our shows

Silence: depeche mode

Socks: different pairs of socks

Live music: heartbreaking because of covid

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?

Thanks for supporting us! Let’s make this year big.

Photo: Mona Salminen

Thanks to Joel for the interview!

Facebook: BlindChannelBand

Instagram: blindchannel

Twitter: BlindChannelFIN