Finland was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, held in Moscow, Russia. The country was represented by the band Waldo’s People with „Lose Control“.
Euroviisut 2009
Euroviisut 2009 was the national final that selected Finland’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The competition consisted of five shows that commenced with the first of three semi-finals on 9 January 2009 and concluded with a final on 31 January 2009. The four shows were held in Tohloppi, Tampere and hosted by Heikki Paasonen and Jaana Pelkonen. All shows were broadcast on Yle TV2 and online at yle.fi as well as via radio on Yle Radio Suomi.
Format
The format of the competition consisted of five shows: three semi-finals, a Second Chance round and a final. Four songs competed in each semi-final and the top two entries from each semi-final qualified directly to the final, while the entries placed third and fourth qualified to the Second Chance round. Six songs competed in the Second Chance round and the top two entries qualified to complete the eight-song lineup in the final. The results for the semi-finals and the final were determined exclusively by a public vote. Public voting included the options of telephone and SMS voting.
Competing entries
Twelve artists were directly invited by Yle for the national final in consultation with record companies. The competing artists were presented on 25 September 2008. On 3 December the competing entries were released.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Janita | „Martian“ | Janita, Tomi Sachary |
| Jari Sillanpää | „Kirkas kipinä“ | Petri Laaksonen |
| Kwan | „10,000 Light Years“ | Harry Sommerdahl, Pauli Rantasalmi, Jaani Peuhu, Mari Pajalahti |
| Passionworks feat. Tony Turunen | „Surrender“ | Kristian Pihlajaharju, Harriet Hägglund |
| Remu Aaltonen | „Planeetta“ | Remu Aaltonen, Ilkka Vainio, Risto Asikainen |
| Riikka | „Meren“ | Ville Laaksonen, Riikka Timonen, Saara Honkanen, Suvi Nurmi |
| Sani | „Doctor, Doctor“ | Maki Kolehmainen, Mats Tärnfors, Steven Stewart |
| Signmark feat. Osmo Ikonen | „Speakerbox“ | Osmo Ikonen, Mahtotapa, Sulava, Signmark, Brandon |
| Tapani Kansa | „Rakkautta on, rauhaa ei“ | Mika Toivanen, Tapani Kansa |
| Tiara | „Manala“ | Tiara |
| Vink | „The Greatest Plan“ | Vink |
| Waldo’s People | „Lose Control“ | Ari Lehtonen, Karima, Waldo, Annie Kratz-Gutå |
Semi-finals
Three semi-finals were held on 9, 16 and 23 January 2009 at the Tohloppi Studios in Tampere. Four acts competed in each semi-final, and the top two acts as determined by a public vote qualified for the final. The remaining acts moved to the Second Chance round to compete for two additional spaces in the final.
Semi-Final 1 – January 9th
| 1 | 10 000 light years | 10 000 light years | Kwan | 31.9% | 2nd | F |
| 2 | Meren | The sea | Riikka | ? | ? | SF |
| 3 | Rakkautta on, rauhaa ei | There’s love, there’s no peace | Tapani Kansa | 37.4% | 1st | F |
| 4 | Manala | Underworld | Tiara | ? | ? | SF |
Semi-Final 2 – January 16th
| 1 | Doctor, doctor | Doctor, doctor | Sani | ? | ? | SF |
| 2 | Surrender | Surrender | Passionworks feat. Tony Turunen | ? | ? | SF |
| 3 | Planeetta | Planet | Remu | 28.6% | 2nd | F |
| 4 | Lose control | Lose control | Waldo’s People | 44.3% | 1st | F |
Semi-Final 3 – January 23rd
| 1 | Speakerbox | Speakerbox | Signmark feat. Osmo Ikonen | 46.5% | 1st | F |
| 2 | Martian | Martian | Janita | ? | ? | SF |
| 3 | The greatest plan | The greatest plan | Vink | ? | ? | SF |
| 4 | Kirkas kipinä | Bright spark | Jari Sillanpää | 34.0% | 2nd | F |
Second Chance
The Second Chance round took place on 31 January 2009 at the Leonardo Hall in Tampere where the six entries that placed third and fourth in the preceding three semi-finals competed. The top two entries qualified to the final based on the results of a public vote.
Second Chance – 31 January 2009
| 1 | Surrender | Surrender | Passionworks feat. Tony Turunen | F |
| 2 | Manala | Underworld | Tiara | – |
| 3 | Meren | The sea | Riikka | – |
| 4 | The greatest plan | The greatest plan | Vink | F |
| 5 | Martian | Martian | Janita | – |
| 6 | Doctor, doctor | Doctor, doctor | Sani | – |
Final
The final took place on 31 January 2009 at the Leonardo Hall in Tampere where the nine entries that qualified from the preceding three semi-finals and the Second Chance round competed. The winner was selected over two rounds of public voting through telephone and SMS voting. In the first round, the top three entries qualified to the second round, the superfinal. In the superfinal, „Lose Control“ performed by Waldo’s People was selected as the winner.
In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval act featured Scandinavian Hunks and Northern Kings.
Final – 31 January 2009
| 1 | 10 000 light years | 10 000 light years | Kwan | – | – |
| 2 | Kirkas kipinä | Bright spark | Jari Sillanpää | – | – |
| 3 | Speakerbox | Speakerbox | Signmark feat. Osmo Ikonen | 41.2% | 2nd |
| 4 | Rakkautta on, rauhaa ei | There’s love, there’s no peace | Tapani Kansa | – | – |
| 5 | Lose control | Lose control | Waldo’s People | 45.1% | 1st |
| 6 | Planeetta | Planet | Remu | – | – |
| 7 | Surrender | Surrender | Passionworks feat. Tony Turunen | 13.7% | 3rd |
| 8 | The greatest plan | The greatest plan | Vink | – | – |
Gallery
Source: YLE
Facts & Figures
- Riikka was a backing singer for Finland in ESC 1996 & 2004.
- Waldo’s People included Karoliina Kallio who previously took part in the 2004 & 2005 Finnish Semi-Finals.
- At the ESC, Waldo’s People came 25th.
- Jari Sillanpää represented Finland in ESC 2004.