Many people are getting their sequins and frilly blouses ready because it's soon time to decide which act Finland will send to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Organised by Yle, the Contest for New Music (UMK) determines who will represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May.
That process has been honed down in recent years, with Finland now using a jury of music industry pros to choose seven finalists.
More than 360 acts applied to take part this year, but just a fraction made it through. They included the artists: Keira, Benjamin, Robin Packalen, Lxandra, Käärijä, KUUMAA and Portion Boys.
The songs will debut individually, starting on Thursday 12 January.
Keira (Lundström), who is taking her first single No Business On The Dancefloor to UMK this year, is an 18-year-old singer who has previously been seen on the Voice of Finland. She had help with the track from domestic music industry veterans Teemu Brunila, Axel Ehnström and German producer Jason Ok.
Keira enjoys K-pop groups like BTS and Stray Kids, as well as singers like Ariana Grande, Doja Cat and Dua Lipa.
This year's UMK jury said No Business On The Dancefloor could be one of the heaviest dance numbers in the competition's history, featuring "a groovy bass line and catchy chorus."
No Business On The Dancefloor will debut on 12 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena as well as on YouTube.
Benjamin, who is competing with the song Hoida mut, has built his public persona on social media since 2012. His international music career began a couple of years later with an English-language number called Underdogs, which among other things, reached the tops of the Spanish single and radio charts.
Benjamin's track GAY was the party anthem for last summer's Pride event and he also won last autumn's Finnish version of the Dancing With the Stars TV contest.
The UMK jury said it chose Hoida mut (roughly, Take Care of Me) because it had a catchy, 80s pop vibe and was similar to recent releases by artists like Ava Max, The Weeknd and Dua Lipa.
Hoida Mut will debut on 13 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena and YouTube.
Robin Packalen's Girls Like You is just one of several songs that he has released over the past decade. His career started in 2012 as a teen pop heartthrob when he was just 13.
The UMK jury praised the track because it was in English, had a feel-good, catchy groove that is a right fit for the contest.
Girls Like You will debut on 16 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena and YouTube.
Alexandra Lehti, or Lxandra, will compete with the song Something To Lose. She is a Swedish-speaking Finnish singer who released her debut album in 2021 and more than a dozen singles since 2017.
Her music has also appeared in several US films and TV shows.
UMK's jury described Lxandra as one of the country's most promising export prospects. Meanwhile, they said her ballad Something To Lose was sensitive, personal as well as dramatic and epic. Jurors also said they were looking forward to seeing what the performance of the song will involve, as Lxandra is also an audiovisual artist.
Something To Lose will debut on 17 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena and YouTube.
Käärijä is bringing the track Cha Cha Cha to UMK this year, but organisers of the contest said it was difficult to pigeonhole the artist's musical style, which often features hip-hop, metal and electronic elements.
Käärijä's first single was released in 2016 and the debut album Fantastista dropped in 2020.
The UMK jury said that Cha Cha Cha's combination of styles created an unusual but "really approachable" track that could be one of the heaviest rap entries in the contest.
Cha Cha Cha will debut on 18 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena and YouTube.
The trio called KUUMAA will compete with the track Ylivoimainen, which roughly translates to "Overpowering."
The group, which started in 2016, is made up of vocalist Johannes Brotherus, drummer Jonttu Luhtavaara and Aarni Soivio on bass guitar. The band released their eponymous debut album in 2019 and their music is popular on radio and streaming platforms.
The UMK jury called KUUMAA charismatic and modern, with the ability to create radio and streaming hits.
Ylivoimainen will debut on 19 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena and YouTube.
The party band Portion Boys was formed about a decade ago and saw success in 2021 with the hit song Vauhti kiihtyy (roughly, The Pace is Picking Up).
The group, which is one of the more popular acts in Finland at the moment, has released a string of hit singles but has yet to issue a debut album.
They will bring the song Samaa taivasta katsotaan (roughly, Under the Same Sky) to UMK23.
The UMK jury noted that Portion Boys one of the most popular groups in the country at the moment. They said their "ear worm" song entry celebrates diversity in a playful way that also reflects Eurovision's values of tolerance.
Samaa taivasta katsotaan will debut on 20 January on Yle's streaming platform Areena and YouTube.
After the final, one of these artists will represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Liverpool, UK on behalf of Ukraine in May.
Next month's final will be hosted by Samu Haber, best known as the singer of Finnish pop group Sunrise Avenue.
The UMK23 final is scheduled to be held on the evening of Saturday 25 February at Logomo in Turku. It will be broadcast live on Yle but some tickets to some parts of the event were still available as of Wednesday.
The final will be broadcast for international audiences on Yle Areena starting at 9 pm local time. The broadcast will also include English-language commentary.
The jruy that chose this year's UMK finalists included Aija Puurtinen, vocal coach from the Sibelius Academy; Amie Borgar, music director at Swedish-language radio stations Yle X3M and Yle Vega; Anssi Autio, UMK producer; Johan Lindroos, music director at Radio Suomi; Jussi Mäntysaari, music director at Nelonen Media; Juha- Matti Valtonen, UMK television director; Katri Norrlin, music journalist at YleX radio and Samuli Väänänen, senior editor at Spotify.
