Musician Antti Paalanen’s long-time dream is close to coming true.
Singer Antti Paalanen, 49, from Kokkola, participates in the New Music competition. His competition piece is Back hair.
– I have been a fan of UMK since the beginning and have often tried to compete, Paalanen reveals.
The man’s call has been heard before at UMK.
– My wife Heidi was doing Emma’s UMK song in 2017. I played accordion in the song.
Heidi’s wife has also been making Antin Back hair– song. In addition, the author team includes lyricist Saara Törmä and Lauri Halavaara.
– The song has been loaded with such an amount of energy that it will roar, the singer laughs.
Hanuristi Antti Paalanen is known for his social media videos. Elle Laitila
Paalanen is known as a masterful accordion player. Many may have seen the man’s playing videos on social media. On Tiktok, Paalanen’s videos have been viewed tens of thousands of times.
– I have received many comments about my hanuri. Yesterday I received a comment that someone had ordered an accordion from Temu.
The musician plays cover versions of the productions of well-known bands and artists such as Rammstein and Avicii on his accordion.
– Avicii is one of my favorites. He has great songs and they are perfect pop songs.
– I have always been a supporter of tukkahevi. As a teenager, I also played guitar and drums.
Paalanen has often aspired to UMK. Elle Laitila
The Israel issue
Israel’s participation in Eurovision has been a hot topic in recent years. Some think the country should not participate in the song contest because of the war in Gaza. Demands have also been made for Yle to withdraw from the singing competition.
Paalanen has signed a petition in 2024, which demanded Yle to boycott the competition and pressure EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, to exclude Israel from the competition.
Now, however, Paalanen is involved in UMK, whose winner will represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel will also participate in visas this spring.
– It’s a contradictory pattern and a difficult question for the artist, he continues.
– The fact that Yleisradio is an independent media increased my understanding. I understood the difficulty, that it is difficult to influence things.
The artist wants to make an impact with his art.
– I want to build peace and love.
Antti Paalanen’s Takatukka song will be published on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.