Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...
with the song "Da Da Dam" written by
Axel Ehnström. The song was performed by Paradise Oskar, which is the artistic name of singer Axel Ehnström. The Finnish broadcaster
Yleisradio
Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...
(Yle) organised the national final ''Euroviisut 2011'' in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2011 contest in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
, Germany. 15 entries were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of three semi-finals and a final, taking place in January and February 2011. Ten entries ultimately competed in the final on 12 February where votes from the public selected "Da Da Dam" performed by Paradise Oskar as the winner.
Finland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2011. Performing during the show in position 10, "Da Da Dam" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 14 May. It was later revealed that Finland placed third out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 103 points. In the final, Finland performed in position 1 and placed twenty-first out of the 25 participating countries, scoring 57 points.
Background
Prior to the 2011 contest, Finland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-four times since its first entry in 1961. Finland has won the contest once in
2006 with the song "
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by Finnish hard rock band Lordi. It was released as a single in 2006, reaching the 1 spot in Finland and reaching the top 10 in eight other European countries. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at No. 25.
...
" performed by
Lordi
Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster ma ...
. In the
2010 contest, "Työlki ellää" performed by
Kuunkuiskaajat
Kuunkuiskaajat (/kuːn.kuˈi skaːjat/; "Moonwhisperers") is a Finnish female folk duo made up of Värttinä members Susan Aho and Johanna Virtanen, that represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song " Työlki ellää". ...
failed to qualify Finland to the final, placing eleventh in the semi-final.
The Finnish national broadcaster,
Yleisradio
Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...
(Yle), broadcasts the event within Finland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Yle confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest on 6 June 2010.
Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest have been selected through national final competitions that have varied in format over the years. Since 1961, a selection show that was often titled ''Euroviisukarsinta'' highlighted that the purpose of the program was to select a song for Eurovision. Along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster also announced that the Finnish entry for the 2011 contest would be selected through the ''Euroviisut'' selection show.
Before Eurovision
Euroviisut 2011
''Euroviisut 2011'' was the national final that selected Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. The competition consisted of four shows that commenced with the first of three semi-finals on 14 January 2011 and concluded with a final on 12 February 2011. The four shows were hosted by
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
host
Jaana Pelkonen
Jaana Pelkonen (born 27 January 1977) is a Finnish member of parliament and television presenter.
Career
Pelkonen's media career started as a radio presenter for ''Radio 99'' in Lahti in 1995–1997. She became famous in Finland as the host of ...
and
YleX
YleX (formerly known as YLEX) is one of the major radio stations of the Finnish Broadcasting Company ( Yle) featuring pop music and cultural programming. The station started as Radiomafia, and name changed to YleX in 2003. Programming targets the ...
DJ Tom Nylund. All shows were broadcast on
Yle TV2
Yle TV2 ( fi, Yle TV Kaksi; sv, Yle TV Två) is a Finnish television channel owned and operated by Yle. TV2 was launched in 1965 as the successor to the former television channels TES-TV (Tesvisio) and Tamvisio, and broadcasts public service ...
and online at ''yle.fi''. The final was also broadcast on Yle HD and via radio on
Yle Radio Suomi
Yle Radio Suomi is a radio channel owned and operated by Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwes ...
with commentary by Sanna Kojo.
Format
The format of the competition consisted of four shows: three semi-finals and a final. Five songs competed in each semi-final and the top three entries from each semi-final as well as a wildcard act selected by a jury from the remaining non-qualifying entries qualified to complete the ten-song lineup in the final. The results for the semi-finals and the final were determined exclusively by a public vote. Public voting included the options of telephone and SMS voting.
Competing entries
Twelve artists, including the winner of the Finnish tango contest ''
Tangomarkkinat
The Tangomarkkinat is the world's oldest tango festival. It is held early every July in Seinäjoki, Finland. As well as competitions to find the country's best tango singers, composers, and dancers, the festival features public dancing to live mu ...
'' in 2010, Marko Maunuksela, were directly invited by Yle to compete in the national final following consultation with record companies and presented during a press conference on 30 September 2010.
Among the competing artists was former Finnish Eurovision entrant
Sampsa Astala
Sampsa Astala, (born 23 January 1974), known by stage names Stala and Kita, is the lead singer of the Finnish glam rock band Stala & SO. and the former and original drummer for the metal band Lordi.
His current stage name, Stala, comes from his ow ...
(lead singer of Stala ja So.) who represented
Finland in 2006 as part of the band
Lordi
Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster ma ...
. A submission period was also opened by Yle which lasted between 6 June 2010 and 31 August 2010. At least one of the writers and the lead singer(s) had to hold Finnish citizenship or live in Finland permanently in order for the entry to qualify to compete.
A panel of experts appointed by Yle selected fifteen entries for an online selection from the 277 received submissions.
The competing entries were released on 30 September 2010 at ''yle.fi/euroviisut'' and the public was able to vote through SMS until 15 October 2010.
The top three from the fifteen entries qualified to the national final and were announced during a televised programme on 16 October 2010.
Shows
Semi-finals
The three semi-final shows took place on 14, 21 and 28 January 2011 at the YLE Studios in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
. The top three from the five competing entries in each semi-final qualified to the final based on the results from the public vote. "Dancing in the Dark" performed by Eveliina Määttä was awarded the jury wildcard and also qualified to the final.
Final
The final took place on 12 February 2011 at the Holiday Club Caribia in
Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
where the ten entries that qualified from the preceding three semi-finals competed. The winner was selected over two rounds of public televoting. In the first round, the top three from the ten competing entries qualified to the second round, the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Da Da Dam" performed by
Paradise Oskar
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in parad ...
was selected as the winner. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval act featured
Linda Lampenius and Gentlemen.
Promotion
Paradise Oskar specifically promoted "Da Da Dam" as the Finnish Eurovision entry on 14 April 2011 by performing during the ''Eurovision in Concert'' event which was held at the Club Air venue in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, Netherlands and hosted by
Cornald Maas
Cornald Maas is a Dutch television presenter who has been known for presenting talk shows in the Netherlands. He is the brother of Frans Maas.
Early career
He was an editor involved in ''The Scream of the Lion'' (VARA) with Paul de Leeuw, ''Son ...
,
Esther Hart and Sascha Korf.
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "
Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 17 January 2011, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in.
Finland was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 10 May 2011, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 15 March 2011 and Finland was set to perform in position 10, following the entry from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and before the entry from
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
The two semi-finals and the final were televised in Finland on
Yle TV2
Yle TV2 ( fi, Yle TV Kaksi; sv, Yle TV Två) is a Finnish television channel owned and operated by Yle. TV2 was launched in 1965 as the successor to the former television channels TES-TV (Tesvisio) and Tamvisio, and broadcasts public service ...
and Yle HD with commentary in
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
by Tarja Närhi and Asko Murtomäki. The three shows were also broadcast on
Yle FST5 with commentary in
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
by Eva Frantz and Johan Lindroos as well as via radio with Finnish commentary by Sanna Pirkkalainen and Jorma Hietamäki on
Yle Radio Suomi
Yle Radio Suomi is a radio channel owned and operated by Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwes ...
. The Finnish spokesperson, who announced the Finnish votes during the final, was member of
2010 Finnish Eurovision entrant Kuunkuiskaajat
Kuunkuiskaajat (/kuːn.kuˈi skaːjat/; "Moonwhisperers") is a Finnish female folk duo made up of Värttinä members Susan Aho and Johanna Virtanen, that represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song " Työlki ellää". ...
,
Susan Aho
Susan Aho (born 5 March 1974) is a Finnish folk music singer-songwriter and a member of the Värttinä music group. In 2010, she represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 as part of the duo Kuunkuiskaajat.
Biography
Susan Aho was ...
.
Semi-final
Paradise Oskar took part in technical rehearsals on 1 and 5 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. This included the jury show on 9 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. The Finnish performance featured Paradise Oskar performing alone in a shirt and pants made of recyclable fabrics with the LED screens displaying an image of the Earth turning.
At the end of the show, Finland was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Finland placed third in the semi-final, receiving a total of 103 points.
Final
Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine the running order for the final. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Finland was drawn to perform in position 1, before the entry from
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
.
Paradise Oskar once again took part in dress rehearsals on 13 and 14 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Paradise Oskar performed a repeat of his semi-final performance during the final on 14 May. Finland placed twenty-first in the final, scoring 57 points.
Voting
Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.
Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Finland had placed twenty-first with the public televote and seventeenth with the jury vote in the final. In the public vote, Finland scored 47 points, while with the jury vote, Finland scored 75 points. In the first semi-final, Finland placed third with the public televote and fifth with the jury vote. In the public vote, Finland scored 111 points, while with the jury vote, Finland scored 86 points.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Finland and awarded by Finland in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Hungary in the semi-final and the final of the contest.
Points awarded to Finland
Points awarded by Finland
References
External links
Euroviisut official websiteEuroviisut official website
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2011
2011
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Eurovision
Eurovision