Finland participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "Niin kaunis on taivas" written by Timo Niemi. The song was performed by the singer
Jasmine
Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...
. The Finnish broadcaster
Yleisradio (Yle) returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their relegation from
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
as one of the bottom nine countries in the
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
contest. Yle organised the national final ''Euroviisut 1996 - Euroviisut ja Emma'' in order to select the Finnish entry for the 1996 contest in
Oslo, Norway. Ten entries selected to compete in the national final were presented on 3 February 1996 and votes from the public selected "Niin kaunis on taivas" performed by
Jasmine
Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...
as the winner with 67,907 votes, which was announced during a televised programme on 5 February 1996.
Finland was announced among the top 22 entries of the qualifying round on 20 and 21 March 1996 and therefore qualified to compete in the final which took place on 18 May 1996. It was later revealed that Finland placed twenty-second out of the 29 participating countries in the qualifying round with 26 points. Performing during the competition in position 18, Finland placed twenty-third (last) out of the 23 participating countries, scoring 9 points.
Background
Prior to the 1996 contest, Finland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-three times since its first entry in 1961. Finland's best result in the contest achieved in
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
where the song "
Tom Tom Tom" performed by
Marion Rung placed sixth. The Finnish national broadcaster,
Yleisradio (Yle), broadcasts the event within Finland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. 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. The broadcaster selected the Finnish entry for the 1996 contest again through the ''Euroviisut'' selection show.
Before Eurovision
Euroviisut 1996 - Euroviisut ja Emma
''Euroviisut 1996 - Euroviisut ja Emma'' was the national final that selected Finland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996.
The competition consisted of a final on 3 February 1996, held at the
Espoo Cultural Centre in
Espoo during the annual
Emma-gaala The Emma Gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland
Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland ry, or Musiikkituottajat for short, ( en, Music Producers; formerly known as Suomen Ääni- ja kuvatallennetuottajat ...
awards show on
Yle TV1 and hosted by Finnish presenter Minna Pentti and Finnish scripwriter/journalist Nina Honkanen. Ten entries selected for the competition from 70 submissions received from record companies competed and the winner was selected based on the results from a public vote, which were revealed by Finland's five telephone regions along with the votes of the venue audience. Among the competing artists was former Finnish Eurovision entrant
Kirka who represented
Finland in 1984.
Due to a technical failure of the telephone system caused by an unexpectedly large number of votes being cast, the voting was extended until 5 February 1996 and "Niin kaunis on taivas" performed by
Jasmine
Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...
was announced as the winner during a televised programme on the same day.
219,034 votes were cast in the national final, which was watched by 1.2 million viewers in Finland.
At Eurovision
In 1996, all nations with the exceptions of the host country were required to qualify from an audio qualifying round, held on 20 and 21 March 1996, in order to compete for the Eurovision Song Contest; the top twenty-two countries from the qualifying round progress to the contest.
During a special allocation draw which determined the running order of the final on 22 March 1996, Finland was announced as having finished in the top 22 and subsequently qualifying for the contest. It was later revealed that Finland placed twenty-second in the qualifying round, receiving a total of 26 points.
[ ] Following the draw, Finland was set to perform in position 18, following the entry from
Ireland and before the entry from
Iceland. The Finnish conductor at the contest was
Olli Ahvenlahti, and Finland finished in twenty-third (last) place with 9 points. This was the eighth time Finland finished in last place at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Jasmine's appearance on stage with unstyled hair and no make-up (in contrast to her groomed appearance at the national final) caused considerable puzzled comment – she would subsequently explain that she had strongly disliked the results of the Norwegian hairstyling and make-up artists endeavours, and at the last minute had decided to wash out her hair and remove the make-up, but had no time to start again herself so had no choice but to appear on stage ''au naturel''.
The final was televised in Finland on
Yle TV1 with commentary by
Erkki Pohjanheimo
Erkki Pohjanheimo (born 28 January 1942) is a Finnish television producer and director.
Television career
Pohjanheimo joined Yleisradio in 1961 as a television cameraman and worked as a cameraman for five years. In 1966 Pohjanheimo was appoint ...
, Sanna Kojo and Minna Pentti as well as via radio with commentary by Iris Mattila and Pasi Hiihtola on
Yle Radio Suomi. The Finnish spokesperson, who announced the Finnish votes during the final, was Solveig Herlin.
Voting
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Finland and awarded by Finland in the qualifying round and the final. The nation awarded its 12 points to Sweden in the qualifying round and to Estonia in the final. Among the members of the Finnish jury in the final was singer and musician
Maarit Hurmerinta
Maarit Helena Hurmerinta (born in Helsinki on 10 November 1953) is a Finnish singer and musician. She is better known by her mononym Maarit. Maarit is the granddaughter of Italian musician Michele Orlando. Maarit's daughter Janna Hurmerinta
...
.
Qualifying round
Final
References
External links
Full national final on Yle Elävä Arkisto
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1996
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...