The Rasmus have won Finland’s Eurovision selection contest, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), in a comprehensive win with 310 points.
“We did it,” vocalist Lauri Ylönen said, “We are so happy. It was a super tough competition. All the other songs were very good. We were preparing so hard for this for six months. We are really taken and honoured, and we will be working like pigs to represent Finland in the best way in Turin.”
“We sat at that table in the green room,” bassist Eero Heinonen said, “and the band was about to collapse under that psychological pressure,”
“It was quite tense,” guitarist Emppu Suhonen agreed.
After the victory, The Rasmus were asked how they felt about the competition, given the news in the Ukraine and Russia banned from this event. “This is an important issue,” Eero said, “and we are constantly thinking about it. It’s really shocking and distressing, and it has been really emotional.”
“What is happening feels very wrong,” Lauri said. “I watched the news on TV in my hotel room and cried. It felt twisted and wrong to go to the UMK rehearsals after that. It was like being on an emotional rollercoaster.”
The Rasmus’ winning song Jezebel was co-written by frontman Lauri Ylönen and renowned producer-musician Desmond Child. “This is just amazing,” says Lars Tengroth, the band’s A&R at Playground Music. “We signed the band just when our label started in 1999, and now we have our first entry in the ESC together. I am so happy for the band, and I love them with all my heart. They totally deserve this win after long hard work. It’s not that they suddenly got lucky. It really shows that persistence plus talent equals luck.”
The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Turin, Italy, starting on 10 May 2022. Finland competes in the second semifinal on 12 May 2022.
