Get to know the artists of UMK 2026

Broadcaster YLE has announced the names of the acts they've selected to participate in the 2026 edition of their popular Eurovision pre-selection, UMK.

The seven names were revealed during a live broadcast on Finnish TV on Wednesday 14 January, and fans won't have long to wait before they hear the songs, either!

Allowing each entry to have its moment in the spotlight, YLE will be releasing one song and music video every weekday beginning on Thursday 15 January and ending on Friday 23 January.

Here's your UMK 2026 lineup, as well as the release date for each song:

• Etta – Million Dollar Smile (15 January)
• Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin (16 January)
• Komiat – Lululai (19 January)
• Sinikka Monte – Ready to Leave (20 January)
• Antti Paalanen – Takatukka (21 January)
• CHACHI – Cherry Cake (22 January)
• KIKI – Rakkaudenkipee (23 January)

UMK 2026 will be taking place on Saturday 28 February 2026 at the Nokia Arena in Tampere. The winner will be determined by combining the Finnish public vote (contributing 75% of the result) and the international jury score (contributing 25%).

Tapio Hakanen, the chair of UMK’s jury gave fans a preview of what to expect from the 2026 edition of the contest:

“This UMK season is set to be unique in many ways. We handpicked the contestants from a record number of applicants, and the entries range from pop to folk music, dance, and light dance music. In UMK, the song really determines who gets to compete, so both self-funded artists and seasoned legends can take part. I am really excited that UMK 2026 will feature new artists who are not familiar to most Finns, and that the selection of instruments is so varied, including a violin, accordion, whistling, delicate singing, club bass drum and rapping.”

Ahead of the release of their songs, we also get to learn a little about each artist that will be competing to represent Finland in Vienna:

Etta, whose real name is Emmalotta Kanth, describes herself as a singer, rapper, and an outspoken processor of emotions whose story has taken her from the suburbs of Vantaa to the biggest stages in Finland.

Her debut album Tyttö (2021) included the hit song Ämmä, which captured the attention of young people across the country. With her next album Tykkäät Kummiski (2022), Etta made Finnish rap history by becoming the first female rapper to have an album reach number one on the official album chart in Finland.

Linda Lampenius is best known worldwide as a classical violinist. At the age of eight, she joined the Helsinki Junior Strings orchestra and, by the time she was a teenager, was touring North America, Europe. and Asia.

A classical solo album made her the best-selling Finnish classical artist of her time, and Lampenius has since been able to tell her story via her autobiography My Untamed Life and in the Linda documentary series, which won the Golden Venla Award (Finland’s Golden Globe).

Pete Parkkonen became known to larger audiences through the Idols TV show, where he finished third in 2008. Since then, he has released several albums, toured Finnish clubs and festival stages, and established himself as one of Finland's leading pop and soul voices. In 2014, Parkkonen won Dancing with the Stars Finland with pro dancing partner Katri Mäkinen.

Komiat consists of singer Aleksi Yli-Sissala, guitarist-singer Samuel Järvinen, accordion player Antero Linden, drummer Eero Nummela, and bassist Juho Eskola. Each member has a different musical background, but together they form a band whose music they describe as “straightforward accordion humppa with a good vibe”.

Komiat was formed in the mid-2010s but recently experienced their most successful year yet. Their song Kaihosielu went platinum on streaming, featured on radio playlists for more than six months and, at its peak, was the fourth-most played song in Finland. At the end of last year Komiat received four Emma nominations (Finland’s Grammy Awards).

Sinikka Monte is a 23-year-old artist whose roots are in multiple countries and cultures; she was born in Scotland, grew up in Austria and is half Finnish, half South African! Monte says she makes music for “people who are sad and need a hug”.

So far, Sinikka's favourite memory of her career was when her music was played in the reality series Love is Blind: "I watched the episode on my laptop while I was putting on my makeup. Suddenly, I heard my song play. I started jumping around the room and called my mum. It felt incomprehensible!"

Antti Paalanen, who lives in Kokkola and is originally from Alavus, is a folk musician, accordion player and throat singer. Paalanen’s instrument is a diatonic, two-row accordion that he started playing at the age of eight; the same accordion that was played by both of his grandfathers back in the day.

Paalanen loves the idea that both the Southern Ostrobothnian folk music tradition and the Mongolian throat singing tradition can fit naturally into the framework of pop and rock music. His mission is to bring this combination to the attention of the wider audience: “I am fascinated by how tradition can live as part of modern music.”

CHACHI, whose real name is Chachi Hildén, describes herself as a Mexican-American performer who has lived her entire life surrounded by music and dance. At nine, ballet was replaced by hip-hop, with Michael Jackson on MTV and the rising popularity of R&B music making a lasting impression on young Chachi.

Chachi’s career exploded in her teens. At 15, she ended up in the US TV show America’s Best Dance Crew. Her team won the entire competition, making Chachi its youngest-ever champion.

KIKI, whose real name is Petra Gavalas, has built her career on the foundation of two cultures, drawing influence from a Finnish mother and a Greek father.

KIKI describes herself as an artist in three words: authentic, emotional, and dramatic. Her music is a combination of Finnish melancholy and Greek darkness. And although her songs are known for being dramatic, they are all about empathy and the desire to make the listener feel less lonely: "I hope that my music arouses emotions and makes people feel safe."

(all images used courtesy of YLE / Miska Voinoff)