Finnish broadcaster Yle has officially announced the acts that will participate in this year’s edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK). Etta, Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen, Komiat, Sinikka Monte, Antti Paalanen, Chachi, and Kiki are the seven artists set to compete at the Nokia Arena in Tampere on 28 February.
Tapio Hakanen, chair of UMK’s professional jury, highlighted the diversity of this year’s selection:
“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 UMK26 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.”
UMK26 received a total of 491 songs during the August 2025 submission period, with the final line-up chosen through a joint pre-selection process. A professional jury of music industry experts, chaired by YleX Head of Music Tapio Hakanen, worked alongside five audience juries to select the artists and songs for the show.
All competing songs will be released gradually on weekdays from Thursday, 15 January, until 23 January, always at midnight. You can check the list below for the order in which each contestant’s song will be released:
- Etta – 'Million Dollar Smile' - Thursday 15 Jan.
- Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen – 'Liekinheitin' - Friday 16 Jan.
- Komiat – 'Lululai' - Monday 19 Jan.
- Sinikka Monte – 'Ready to Leave' - Tuesday 20 Jan.
- Antti Paalanen – 'Takatukka' - Wednesday 21 Jan.
- CHACHI – 'Cherry Cake' - Thursday 22 Jan.
- KIKI – 'Rakkaudenkipee' - Friday 23 Jan.
All entries will become available at midnight on their respective release days via Yle Areena, YouTube, Spotify, and other music streaming platforms.
