2014: National selections (2)

Here is the 2nd part of my favorite NF songs from 2014:

Sverrir Bergmann - Dönsum burtu blús

MarieMarie - Candy jar

F.U.N.K. - Þangað til ég dey

Outtrigger - Echo

Group'N'Swing - Retikül

EKO - Red

Brequette - Mas

Hukka ja Mama - Selja

Ellen Benediktson - Songbird

Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir - Amor

Oda & Wulff - Sing

Ace Wilder - Busy doin nothin

UMK 2014: Semifinal - The Results

Here are the videos and the results from the UMK Semifinal:

Hukka ja Mama: It’s pop but from the organic shelf

Photo: Noora Isoeskeli

Hello! Lets start this week with a new UMK interview! They were one of the best acts in the 1st heat, they are very talented, their song is beautiful and I love them. Here are the answers of Lasse Hukka from HUKKA JA MAMA:

Name: Lasse Hukka
Birthday: December 8th
Height: Medium tall
Favorite Color: Blue
Favourite food: Red Curry Tofu
Eye color: Greyish
What do you do in the band: I compose, write the lyrics, play some instruments and sing
Where are you right now? At home
3 things that makes you happy: Love, existence and mystery
What’s your strangest talent? I don’t know
Do you have any nicknames? Laaser, Lituska, Hojo 
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Myself
What are you really good at? Composing songs
What are you really bad at? Navigating 
Childhood idol: John Frusciante
Childhood memory: I was sitting on a playground swing, closed my eyes and watched towards the sun. The colors on my eyelids changed from orange to red as I was swinging. I just enjoyed the warmth of the sun, the movement and the colors.
Tell me something no one knows about you: Last night I woke up and I didn’t remember who I was and where I was. I really had to shake myself awake. Luckily, in 10 seconds I was back here.
What would you do if you were invisible? First I would do all kinds of crazy shit, but after a while I’d just hope to be visible again.
Favorite movie: Lost in Translation
Favorite tv series: Six Feet Under - Twin Peaks
Tell me a super power you wish you had: Perhaps the ability to fly
What is your guilty pleasure? Watching how many likes there are on Hukka ja Mama facebook or how many plays there are on Soundcloud etc.
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: John Frusciante – Every Person
When did you start singing and writing? Around 1999
Can you teach me some interesting words in finnish? Nappula = a button, Hepuli = a state where you can’t stop laughing 
If you were the journalist what would you ask to Hukka ja Mama? and tell me your answer
Q: When is your record coming out? A: This year

Hello, The 1st UMK heat is over and you are one of the semifinalists! How do you feel right now?
I’m happy to be onboard! It’s a joyride.

Lets start talking about the band, what can you tell me about it? when did you start playing together? 
2011 we started to make recordings. We’ve been more active on that area than playing live. 

How would you describe Hukka ja Mama?
The music is sweet but it has a longing mood in it. So it’s like a candy that has salmiakki-powder inside. Lyrics can be simple and therefore a bit naïve. It’s pop, but from the organic shelf.

Tell me about the name of the band: 
My last name is Hukka and and our singer’s nick name is Mama, so the translation is Hukka and Mama. In Finnish hukka is a synonym for wolf, or it can also be used when you lose something. For example: I lost it = hukkasin sen

UMK 2014! How did it all begin?
We had a bunch of songs already mixed and mastered and unpublished. We wanted to draw some attention to us so we sent Selja to UMK14. I didn’t expect them to contact us from UMK, I must say. 

"Selja" is the title of your UMK entry. What is the song about? what's the story behind the song? what made you write it?
Selja is a girl’s name. The song is about when you fall in love with someone who don’t even know that you have such feelings. You start cumulating plans of how you’ll live happily ever after. It’s like children’s play. At some level you very well know the play is not true, but still you want to believe so. It’s similar to the feeling when you fall in love in a dream - in the morning you still feel in love, but you just have to shake it of and go about your day. In real life you can of course confess your love to your Selja, but it’s scary, because you don’t know what he/she will answer, so sometimes it’s nicer not to confess and in that way hold onto the sweet feeling 

Photo: Noora Isoeskeli

Describe the song with 4 words
She loves me. Not.

How did you feel on stage for the 1st heat performance?
I saw the video of it. We looked pretty serious, and that's because we were so nervous.  

You were one of the favorites from the juries and public, how do you feel about that?
It feels amazing. They said such sweet things about Selja. It gave us confidence to be just what we are.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Sun: Yellow
Pop: Lady Gaga
2013: Music technology
Friends: Simo and Jaakko
Candy: Chocolate
Water: Hurts (the band)
Finland: Reindeer
Crayons: Violet
Eurovision: Glitter explosion
UMK juries: I send hugs to them

We are getting a Hukka ja Mama album, right? what can we expect from it?
Every song has it’s own mood. There is more mysterious stuff and there some easy-to-connect kind of stuff. The soundscape will be playful, minimalistic and musical. I also sing more.

What are your plans for 2014?
It feels the ball is rolling and we just let it roll, and we do our best to support it’s movement. Hopefully we will perform live a lot.  

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Thank you for your questions, it’s been a pleasure!

Thanks to Lasse for his answers! I love Hukka ja Mama and i cant wait to get more of their music!

Here is their official website: http://hukkajamama.fi/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hukkajamama
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HukkajaMama
Instagram: http://instagram.com/hukkajamama

Here is the official video of their UMK song "Selja"

UMK 2014: Heat 1

Hello! Welcome to the UMK 1st heat post! Here are my comments about all the performances:

1.MIAU - God/Drug

Im not a big fan of this song but i liked the girls energy on their 1st performance. Their performance today was in my opinion too messy and shouty. #Noisy

2.Dennis Fagerström - My little honey bee

I like this song, i think the demo version was better but overall i think the problem with this act is the kinda bland and awkward performance, so if  they want to be in the final i think they should let Dennis be himself on stage and make the performance a bit more simple (I think Dennis with a mic stand would be great for the performance)  #TooSweet

3.Lili Lambert - Let me take you there

This song was my least favorite of the demo versions but when i heard the final version i liked it a lot. I think she did her best! Much better than her 1st performance! Lili is a good singer and even if there was something missing her performance was good. #SingItGirl

4.Hukka ja Mama - Selja

I love the song and they did a really good performance! Love Hukka ja Mama! #Genuine

5.Softengine - Something better

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! I WAS ACTUALLY SCREAMING IN MY ROOM WITH THIS PERFORMANCE! THIS GUYS ARE SO TALENTED, I JUST LOVE THEM! GREAT STAGE PRESENCE, THEIR SONG IS FANTASTIC AND THEIR PERFORMANCE WAS REALLY STRONG! SO YEAH GO SOFTENGINE! #WinnerPerformance

6.Jasmin Michaela - Kertakäyttösydän

This song is so catchy! I love Jasmin and her performance was really good and hot! I really hope for a better camera work in the final cause that will make this performance much better! #BANG

Photos: Tomi Mikola

Here are the performances and the results:

UMK 2014: The Songs - Part 2

Last week we got the performances from 6 UMK14 acts and now  here are the last 6 acts performing the demo versions of their songs in front of the juries:

Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn reunalla

Love this song! What a beautiful melody! The whole performance was very solid and what else can i say? its a lovely entry! This is one of my favorites without a doubt! Go Mikko!

Hukka ja Mama - Selja

This is a very harmless song, i was expenting something different but i really liked it! It is a nice song and they did a good performance.

Dennis Fagerström - My Little Honey Bee

I wanna be his little honey bee! jaja! Nice song, very radio friendly and he is a good singer so i like this a lot and i can see it doing very well in the competition.

Softengine - Something Better

WOW! Love love love this song! They are so good on stage and the song is fantastic! I wish them all the best! Definitely one of my top favorites! Go Softengine!

Lili Lambert - Let Me Take You There

Emm... This is not bad but i think its just a filler track on an album and not a single! It might grow on me later but right now its the song i like the least.

MIAU - God/Drug

I really like their energy on stage! They are very talented and their performance was strong, the song is kinda interesting but i dont love it! I think they are better than the song!

UMK 2014: The Finalists

Here are the 12 acts that are going to participate in the UMK 2014:

Mikko Pohjola - Sängyn reunalla

Säv., san. Mikko Pohjola Sov. Jukka Immonen ja Mikko Pohjola

MadCraft - Shining Bright

Säv., sov. Tom Nuorivaara, Juho Rinne, Jesse Mäläskä, Otto Uotila San. Tom Nuorivaara

Clarissa feat. Josh - Top of The World

Säv., sov. Paul Oxley, David Neisser, Christian Rabb, Annette Lundell, Joshua Standing San. Paul Oxley

Lauri Mikkola - Going Down

Säv., san. Lauri Mikkola Sov. Lauri Mikkola, Tuomas Viiliäinen

Jasmin Michaela - Kertakäyttösydän

Säv. Mikko Kierikki, Jasmin Michaela, Jutta Annala San. Johanna Viksten Sov. Mikko Kierikki, Jasmin Michaela, Jonas Olsson, Jani Lagerström

Hukka ja Mama - Selja

Säv., san. Lasse Hukka Sov. Lasse Hukka, Martina Myllylä, Simo Saukkola

Hanna Sky - Hope

Säv., san. Hanna Sky Sov. Hanna Sky, Kalle Marttila, Rolf Pilve

MAKEA - Painovoima

Säv., san. ja sov. Makea

Dennis Fagerström - My Little Honey Bee

Säv. Dennis Fagerström, Michael James Down, Niklas Hast, Andreas Anastasiou, Primoz Poglajen San. Dennis Fagerström, Michael James Down Sov. Niklas Hast

Softengine - Something Better

Säv. Topi Latukka San. Henri Oskár, Topi Latukka Sov. Softengine, Jyrki Tuovinen

Lili Lambert - Let Me Take You There

Säv., sov. Lili Lambert, Joonas Kaikko, Lasse Piirainen San. Lili Lambert

MIAU - God/Drug

Säv. Anu Kaukola San. Anu Kaukola, Henna Juvonen Sov. MIAU, Erno Laitinen

You can listen to a preview demo of all the songs in the official website http://yle.fi/aihe/umk2014

Official Photos: Tom Hakala / Anatom Pictures

Instagram photos: http://instagram.com/uudenmusiikinkilpailu

I've heard all the snippets and i kinda liked 3 or 4 of them but im not so impressed with the rest but yeah they are just snippets so lets hope the full versions are great. Good luck to all the artists!