2015 marks nine years since Finland’s one and only win in the Eurovision Song Contest. Back in 2006, it was rockers Lordi who conquered all with their ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’.
Since then, the Finns haven’t faired particularly well in the yearly competition, placing stone cold last in 2009 and failing to qualify for the finals in 2010 (when they last performed in Finnish) and 2012 (when the entry was in Swedish).
So they’re taking a big risk in 2015 by again performing in their native tongue; a song called ‘Aina mun pitää’, meaning ‘I Always Have To’ in English.
The track’s performed by punk rock outfit Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät, which is made up of a quartet of musicians, each of whom suffers from varying forms of developmental disabilities. And the song itself rocks out for little over a minute and a half.
We love the passion that’s gone into this project and the story behind it. But will it be enough to get the rest of Europe voting? Potentially. Cinq points.