UMK 2024 Song Review - Cyan Kicks

5 habits I've picked up during my Lisbon years

These are the biggest life changing habits I've picked up during my seven Lisbon years.

They come in no specific order.

Vegetarian diet

Not my pic.

Not that Portuguese cuisine is known for its vegetarian dishes (because it has none!) but my view on food and cooking have changed while spending my 30's in Lisbon (or it's the old age hehe). Good flavors are rather a simple thing and a lot can be done with fresh and good ingredients without complex procedures.

When still living in Finland I didn't enjoy cooking that much or know exactly how to use the best out of the ingredients I had in my reach. Finnish grocery stores are filled with overproduced and ready-to-go meal options which I also indulged greatly. Finnish cuisine is also rather meat focused which I have stepped away from a bit during my years abroad even though I still enjoy a good steak every now and then.

Portuguese supermercardos on the other hand differ quite a lot - many things can be found fresh and locally produced (except cod because that they actually get from Norway). Instead of e-code filled spice mixes you don't need much else to highlight the natural flavors except salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. This has changed my way of seeing and consume food tremendously.

Nowadays my social media feed is filled with Mediterranean style vegetarian recipes and I've taken on such things as herbs, onions, garlic, olive oil, arugula and fresh vegetables to my daily diet. I take advantage of seasonal products such as pomegranate, watermelon, mint to bring variety to my plate.

Fun fact is that I've also learned to eat oats, berries + cottage cheese in here which all have been part of Finnish classical diet forever but which I used to hate when living back home.

I'm more human

Not my pic.

Things don't always work and not especially here in Portugal. Systems crash, procedures fail and so do people. You cannot be in a hurry while living in this city or schedule no more than one bureaucrat procedure on your weekly agenda. And that one thing takes the entire day often! Portuguese people and culture still embrace old fashion lifestyle in many ways. Many things still run with pen and paper here and developments come in practice slowly. It's human that mistakes take place and that things might not be easy on the first try.

On a different side of the coin however, elderly, pregnant women or people with small kids or injuries often get priority in groceries and other places. Or you might be passed by the queue because you only have one item in your shopping basket when the person in front of you is buying for a family of six. There's humanity in everyday counters. I'm not saying that not being able to trust the process is entirely stress free but I do enjoy the more human side of things. Life is more merciful, my flaws don't make me and I demand less from myself and those around me.

Traditional = more simple life?

Not my pic.

I'm not saying that everything is about money or that you wouldn't need it but when you don't have much of it you tend to prioritize the real things in life.

The essential part of Portuguese everyday life routine is the meals, family and relationships in general. Yes, we all have to go to work but it doesn't become us. During free time people read books, exercise, go to the beach or play football - some of these being perhaps the essential parts of a Portuguese (or even of South European) lifestyle. These off-screen activities embrace social relationships, healthy and in my opinion more equal lifestyle where one's background with money or success doesn't matter.

This a far cry how I remember the years lived in Finland. The society is very performance and success focused - whether it's from the financial wealth to meeting the social standards - life is measured with achievements, success. The standards are the same for everyone, every child, woman and man and pressures start to grow from a very young age on. Individuality feels criminal. It's about reaching the finish line with great scores instead of enjoying the journey and its benefits to you.

Portuguese salary is is still lower than an average EU-citizen's elsewhere in Europe. As mentioned this country is slow to develop, therefore people and the lifestyle have remained traditional in many ways. Despite of the recent years' tourism boom that has brought along more pressure to provide things in a more modern manner. However it's not super uncommon to step into a store that only accepts cash, or to a Portuguese kitchen that has changed only a little during the last century. Life can be so simple.

Outdoor sports

Not my pic.

Funnily enough coming from the country of four seasons, thousands of lakes and forests that offer almost the same amount of possibilities to exercise all year round, I didn't learn to embrace outdoor sports before January 2020 - in Lisbon. I started running just before the covid shit storm, just in time when gyms and everything else shut down. There was nothing else than the empty streets and parks to conquer.

Funnily enough this new found lifestyle would suffer significantly if I ever moved to Finland (or any other Northern country with proper winters) because indoor, treadmill running doesn't do it for me. I'm in eternal love with the Portuguese weather because I can get around the rains or heat waves - the weather is not an obstacle for me!

Less productive

Not my pic.

I said these five things come in no particular order but it feels natural though to put this last. This is the result of all these four.

I don't feel pressured to do anything that I don't want to do. Whether it's to change jobs, to have a relationship, to travel, to exercise or eat healthy. I do all these things because I want to and if not, it's because I'm not feeling like it. I may be less productive and not where "I supposed to be at my age" - I can feel the judgement every time going home.. but the choices I've made during these seven years have felt truly mine and only mine.

Sometimes I do wonder if these changes and steps would have occurred if I had lived in Finland or somewhere else. Some maybe, others not.

They say that Olaias is the most beautiful metro station in Lisbon and even one of the most outstanding ones in the world!

UMK25 Song review: Nightmares

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) is back and stronger than ever! We have seven new artists ready to compete for the trophy and the ticket to Basel in May! The first song kicked off the UMK season with a banger!

Neea River - Nightmares

Neea River is a singer-songwriter who was discovered on Instagram (she sang Céline Dion's All By Myself) during her holidays in L.A. The singing sensation has since written songs for other artists (Bess, Laura Voutilainen, Blanka, K-Pop artists etc). So she has a full day job as a music professional and she's made a name for herself as one.

As a solo artist she's been pushed by her label to switch to Finnish but she's always found English as a more natural choice. Now days, she has own label. She loves dance pop genre, loud bangers and Eurovision. Her musical influencers are Britney Spears, Weekend and Rihanna.

Her UMK song Nightmares was inspired by traumatic experience and reminds the people that there's always an exit of the difficult experiences. She wrote it together with Ilkka Wirtanen and Petri Alanko. With Nightmares she wants to bring pure pop banger to Eurovision from Finland.

Nightmares is her first own song to be released as a solo artist. And so far it has been compared to Loreen (Sweden, 2023), Keiino (Norway 2019) and Saara Aalto (Finland, 2018). This defintely has a nordic sound!

The beginning starts with a dark, mysterious tone - some might be fooled to think we have a ballad in our hands. The song builds up strong to the first drop which reveals the EMD/ disco beat which is the core of the song. This could be easily taken from early 2000's house music scene.

The woman can sing even though many have been worried the layered edits on her voice during the track. Personally, I'm not one of those people. There's a debate going on whether the dancing she does in the music video is part how you do it in this type of music or if she's actually just not the best at it.

It's true that often EMD tracks it's difficult to get a real climax, a drop happening later in the song because the beat is so strong and in here the song tends to continue kind of predictably without further surprises. This bothers me a bit tbh.

A lot of people speak about "the eurovision sound" and how much this song has it. Yeah would be an easy fit to the contest and a big pleaser for a lot of people. But I don't see this pulling a lot points

However, this is an impressive defeat for someone producing her own music as independantly as Neea does and running her own label on top of it - I do hope all the best for Neea but I have a feeling this ain't our UMK25 winner.

What do you think of the first UMK25 track and what are the chances of Neea to advance to ESC? Talk to me in the comments below!

Some Braga stuff last week. The city didn’t impress me the way as Porto but it was worth of a day trip.

Amazing creativity at the Light Festival LUX in Helsinki :)

UMK 2020

After two years of selecting internally our representative YLE has gone back to have an open competition. Out of the 400 songs sent out, the final 6 artists with their songs were released in January. I feared the worse and hoped for the best. But compared to many other years material we’ve had this is a gigantic leap to the right directions. Here are my thoughts (the songs appear in the order of their release) - please click the link in the title of the song to listen the tracks.

Saara Aalto represented Finland in 2018 as internally selected artist.

1. TIKA - I LET ME HEART BREAK 

THE power ballad. The X-Factor winner 2018 in Finland is specialized in them and she has a voice for it! However I feel something is missing. It has the right structure but it’s missing some filling. Surprisingly it has kept in the race within the ratings on Youtube (almost 200 000 views) and Spotify (over 120 000 streamings) making it the third most popular UMK entry this year. I haven’t lost my faith though and I’ll give the live version a chance. 

2. ERIKA VIKMAN - CICCIOLINA

The most buzzed about. The song special theme (Italian porn star /politician whose story gave the name for the song) has received attention international and national along with the headlines. I’m bothered by Erika’s poor English skills though and her mispronunciation of the title. However I find her way from the Finnish tango scene to the pop sky interesting. It has a nostalgic Euro/ Finnish pop vibe but doesn’t represent the 2020 scene of either of them - it can be a pro or a con. The song sounds just out dated and something that Finns have been sending to ESC for decades with a little success. I find it difficult to understand why would we be going back for that. However it has a catchy chorus though. Unfortunately general opinion is against me and Cicciolina has been viewed over 1 million times on Youtube and streamed on Spotify  over 1200 000 times. I just hope that these people click the song out of curiosity for once and will not be voting for it. Even though the international ESC bloggers seem to excited about it too. I really stand alone. 

In 2014 Softengine brought Finland our best result (11th in the final) since Lordi’s victory (2006).

3. AKSEL KANKAANRANTA - LOOKING BACK 

Our only male entry. This was the first one I actually liked. Well produced but tt could go further though. I wish they’d update it a bit or the live version will give it much needed kick. I really like his singing! He is fairly popular also among UMK 2020 entries - viewed over 200 000 times on Youtube and streamed almost 200 000 times on Spotify. 

4. F3M - BANANAS

I understand why people wouldn’t like this but that’s exactly why I do! It’s a bit goofy,definitely catchy but also annoying. The song has some definite hooks that will be playing in your head all day but I wonder is it too forgettable? And people like this! Not doing bad on bloggers lists and on Youtube + Spotify considering. 

5. SANSA - LOVER VIEW 

Hate to say this but the loser of the crowd. A very unlikely winner. It doesn’t interest people. However Sansa’s song was the one I was the most excited about beforehand because of the dance and electronic style. It’s nicely produced but too light and easy. I wish there would be something to catch me properly. A great ac companion for a run or to the gym but perhaps that is its biggest problem. The most annoying thing is that I get it why they’ve left the song like this because I understand people who like music without too much drama or screaming. 

6. CATHARINA ZUHLKE - ETERNITY

She competed in UMK 2017 and is back for another round. The first time I heard her song Eternity I knew this was it! From the Perfect Villain to a perfect pop song! However I’m afraid that it might be too predictable and that’s why it hasn’t become a Youtube/ Spotify favourite (or is  it because she was released last). I really hope the live goes well for this one. I’m hopeful based on the positive comments and the mix of two genres (slow ballad in the beginning to catchy euro pop in the end). 

The representitive will be selected tonight at 9pm (finnish time). Make sure you’ll be voting for your favourite(s)!

UMK artists 2020.

Masterlist

Contains my photos and blogs from 2017 on. Updating as we go along and digging some older posts from MTL times. 

BLOG 

Eurovision

UMK 22 

Host City 22 : Turin

ESC 20 : Best Non-English Entry

UMK 20

Eurovision 2018, Lisbon. 

ESC 19: Songs that I love but others don’t / Artists coming back to ESC / Songs that I don’t love but others do / Different genres / UMK artist guess / 

ESC 18: Positive review / Negative review / Songs that I loved but other’s didn’t / Non-English songs / Biggest growers / Different genres / The BIG 6 / Saara Aalto Songs / Mid tempo tracks / 

ESC 2023: 10 things I don’t want to see / Voting system to be changed / Who will qualify SF2 / Who will qualify in SF1 / Top 5 Non-English Songs / 

UMK23: Keira / Benjamin / Robin / Lxndra / Käärijä / Kuumaa / Portion Boys / The worst UMK stagings / UMK23 review / 

UMK24: Cyan Kicks / Sexmane / Sara Siipola / Jesse Markin / Windows95Man / Sini Sabotage / Mikael Gabriel x Nublu 

Lisbon Life : 

LX Blogs / LX tips Part 1 / LX tips part 2 / 1 year in LX / Sintra first impressions / Quilty 6 months in LX /  Fall 2017 / One month in LX / 2w / PT expectations / Going to LX / 

Something else 

100 years of Finland / 3 x / Home / Geography of my way / 

PHOTOGRAPHY: 

Lisbon

Sintra / Lisbon before Covid-19 

Lisbon Before Covid-19

Lisbon Before Covid-19 Part 2

Mixed: Olaias Metro, the most beautiful / Xmas / Less known LX / Random Part 1 / Pantheon + random / Rua August sunrise / 

Waterfronts : Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / 

Parque das Nacoes: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / 

Belem: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / 

Palaces: Queluz part 1 / Queluz part 2 / Belem Part 1 / Quinta da Regaleira Part 1 / Pena and the Moors Part 1 / Pena and Moors Part 2 / Pena and Moors part 3 / Pena and the Moors part 4 / Pena and the Moors part 5 / Royal Palace of Ajuda / 

Lisbon Streets: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 /  Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / 

Beach: Part 1 / Cascais / Praia da Ursa

Sétubal: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Arrabida : Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Portugal

Berlengas: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / 

Azenhas Do Mar: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / 

Porto: Part 1 / 

Nazaré: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Évora: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Braga: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Coimbra: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Costa Nova

Helsinki

 Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / 

Lahti

 Lake: Summer Part 1 / Winter Part 1 / Winter Part 2 / 

Travels

Bologna: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / 

Amsterdam : Part 1 / 

Galicia:  part 1 /  part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / 

Tampere part 2.

Amsterdam in April. It was very grey so made it even more so. 

These are the hoods where I work every day! Parques das Nacoes in Oriente.