“I don’t understand why this is such a big deal”

Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen have given interviews all day Sunday. The day before, they won the New Music competition overwhelmingly Flamethrowerwith his song.

– I don’t even remember how long we were in the green room after the results before they started taking us on stage. And I was going in a different direction and then they said no, no, go left, Parkkonen laughs.

– The whole situation was so surreal, there were strong emotions, Lampenius recalls the moment of victory.

Both of them have had little sleep at night, but it doesn’t show anywhere. There is usually a lot of talk from both.

A big topic of discussion has been Lampenius’s violin and the fact that its sound is not heard in the broadcast. According to UMK’s and the rules of the viuses, the sounds of the instruments must come from the tape. So it is not Lampenius’ own decision.

– I don’t understand why this has become such a big deal. Alexander Rybaki the song was a violin piece and he won fives. One person from Komia sang and the other four played instruments. Why not make a number out of it, Lampenius asks emphatically.

Norway’s Rybak, mentioned by Lampenius, won Eurovision in 2009 Fairy talewith his song.

Spectators could notice that Lampenius’s violin was “tuned”. This was because he himself heard his call. The call also belonged to the front row of the Nokia Arena.

– Playing exactly the same way as on the tape is much more difficult than playing if I were to play live. I play those sounds exactly as they are on the tape, says Lampenius.

Squat

The Nokia Arena audience shuddered when Lampenius squatted during the performance. It’s one of his trademarks. However, the history of squatting is a sad one.

Of course, Lampenius’ picture was needed for the cover of Lampenius’ Violator CD, which appeared in 1997. Lampenius suffered from a bad eating disorder at that time. On the day of the shoot, he had only eaten an apple and drank a glass of water. He was gone.

The violinist was wearing a PVC suit that doesn’t breathe at all. The lights did not make Lampenius feel any easier.

Several hours had already passed before the shooting day when Lampenius suggested a photographer To Enrico Seri a little break.

– I was ungodly thin then. I had to rest. I went down into a squat, and then the cameraman shouted “don’t move, stay in the squat”. That’s where the squat came from, Lampenius recalls.

The goal is to win five games

Lampenius and Parkkonen are not going to get a good ranking from the wise men, but they are going to Vienna with the goal of winning.

– We’re looking for a win, that’s clear. Let’s take the Finnish flag and the Finnish language to the world, says Parkkonen.

– We show that the music produced and written in Finland is top class and can win the Eurovision Song Contest. The target is that we will soon be at Kauppatori, Lampenius knocks.

There will inevitably be changes to the five-piece show, as the stage in Vienna is different from the Nokia Arena. It is not yet known what the changes will be.

Midsummer can be tough for artists, both mentally and physically. Lampenius and Parkkonen are aware of this.

– I have emphasized that now both of them go to therapy, says Parkkonen.

Keywords are outdoor activities, time with loved ones, routines and sports.

– It is important to focus on your body and through it on your mind. And if there are any small doubts, we call to say that this and that are bothering us. It’s not worth trying to handle this alone, says Parkkonen.