The seven musical acts who will compete for a chance to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest were announced at an event on Wednesday evening. The finalists include veteran stars, newcomers making their big debuts — and at least two accordions.
You can find Yle's broadcast of the finalist announcement show here (it features commentary in English).
The artists' song entries will be released gradually — one act at a time, each weekday at midnight, starting a few hours after the the acts are formally announced on Wednesday night.
The UMK26 domestic qualifier will be held on Saturday 28 February at Nokia Arena in Tampere.
So, without further ado, here are the contestants:
Etta
Etta, whose real name is Emmalotta Kanth, is a singer and rapper raised in Vantaa, who released her debut single Ballerina in 2018.
She went on to release a few albums, one of which helped her become the first female rap artist to reach number one on the Finnish album chart.
Etta's UMK entry, Million Dollar Smile will be released on Thursday 15 January.
Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen
Pop star Pete Parkkonen and acclaimed classical violinist Linda Lampenius, who teamed up for UMK this year, have had very different musical careers.
Lampenius became a major star in the 1990s and has performed around the world. At one point, Andrew Lloyd Webber recruited her as a soloist, and she also released a solo album that made her the best-selling Finnish classical artist of her time.
Meanwhile, Parkkonen became well known in 2008 for his participation in the reality TV Idols singing competition show, when he came in third place. Since then, he has released several albums, with his 2018 release PETE going platinum in Finland.
Their song Liekinheitin will be released on Friday 16 January.
Komiat
The band Komiat describes their music as “straightforward accordion humppa with a good vibe”. Humppa is a decidedly Finnish traditional type of partner dance music, characterised by its quick-tempoed polka and foxtrot beats.
The group includes singer Aleksi Yli-Sissala, guitarist-singer Samuel Järvinen, accordion player Antero Linden, drummer Eero Nummela, and bassist Juho Eskola.
Formed in the mid-2010s. Eskola said they simply wanted to help people "break free from the hustle and bustle of everyday life".
They started rising to fame in 2018 after winning the Tangomarkkinat tango festival's best dance orchestra. The group has since brought their brand of traditional Finnish dance music to younger — and growing — audiences.
Their entry Lululai will be released on Monday 19 January.
Sinikka Monte
Twenty-three-year-old Sinikka Monte is half Finnish, half South African. The singer was born in Scotland and grew up in Austria, and says that she is "incredibly proud" of her ability to speak "such a difficult language" as Finnish.
Compared to some of her fellow UMK26 competitors, Monte is relatively unknown. She describes herself as an emotional artist who finds making music therapeutic.
"I hope people see me for who I am: passionate, emotional and genuinely grateful for this opportunity. I cannot control everything. The most important thing is that I can stand on the stage as myself and sing my story," she said in a UMK press release.
Her entry Ready To Leave will be released on Tuesday 20 January.
Antti Paalanen
In Finland, there's always room for another accordion. Antti Paalanen is an accordion-playing, throat-singing folk musician. His tunes join the folk traditions of Southern Ostrobothnia and Mongolian throat singing to unique effect.
Paalanen wants to take the musical concoction to a larger audience.
“I am fascinated by how tradition can live as part of modern music," he said in the release.
Early on he was thrilled by heavy metal and hard rock, particularly intrigued by the energetic stage antics of AC/DC guitarist Angus Young. But later, while working on his folk music studies at Sibelius Academy, he composed new music for the diatonic accordion. He has worked toward his goal of spreading the gospel of his blend of accordion and growling vocals for years.
His track Takatukka will be released on Wednesday 21 January.
CHACHI
Texas-born Chachi Hildén, whose stage name is CHACHI, is from a Mexican-American family that grew up in tough conditions but says she was saved by music and dance when she was four years old.
“I grew up in a place where, most of the time, I was scared and lost. But dance kept me sane. It allowed me to say everything without words,” she said in the release.
However, by the time she was nine, her passions turned to hip hop and R&B music — but she had difficulty in finding an authentic musical voice for years.
After moving to Finland for love, Hildén says she felt at home, embracing everyday life so fully that she considers herself Finnish. Her appearance in the reality TV show Masked Singer Finland in 2020 was followed by a record deal a few years later.
Her UMK entry Cherry Cake will be released on Thursday 22 January.
KIKI
With a Finnish mother and Greek father, KIKI (real name Petra Gavalas) also has an international background.
She says music and singing has been a helpful resource to channel her emotions. She was initially inspired by the music she heard played by her brother, rapper Lukas Leon, as well as the pop she listened to growing up.
KIKI describes herself as an authentic, emotional and dramatic artist that makes music combining Finnish melancholy and Greek darkness. She was also inspired by her heroes Rosalia, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna.
"UMK is my most successful manifestation. For a year, I kept telling myself that I would perform
at UMK. When I heard that I had been selected, I cried out of happiness," KIKI said in the release.
Her UMK entry Rakkaudenkipee will be released on Friday 23 January.
UMK published an article explaining details about how the acts were picked (it's several juries) and how the contest will proceed.
Edited at 7:21 on 15 January 2026 to change main photo.
