Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen, better known by his stage name Darude, is a Finnish DJ and record producer from Eura, Satakunta. His music is characterised by its progressive/uplifting style. He started making music in 1995 and released the platinum-selling hit single "Sandstorm" in late 1999. His debut studio album, Before the Storm, was released on 18 September 2000, and sold 800,000 copies worldwide, earning Darude three Finnish Grammy Awards. It peaked at number one on Finland's Official List and number 6 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States. Darude's second studio album, Rush, reached number 11 on the Billboard dance chart in 2003 and number 4 on weekly album chart in Finland.
Finland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 57 times since its debut in 1961. The Finnish participant broadcaster in the contest is Yleisradio (Yle), which has often selected its entrant with a national final, since 2012 known as Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. The country won the contest for the first – and to date only – time in 2006 with "Hard Rock Hallelujah" performed by Lordi. The country's best result before then was achieved with "Tom Tom Tom" by Marion Rung in 1973, which placed sixth.
"Sandstorm" is an instrumental by Finnish DJ and record producer Darude. It was released as the lead single from his debut studio album, Before the Storm. It was initially released in Finland on 26 October 1999 by 16 Inch Records and was later re-released in many other countries in 2000. The track was uploaded to MP3.com where it gained global recognition. It has also gained recognition for its usage in sports and popularity in internet meme culture.
Ari-Mikko Kuustonen is a Finnish singer-songwriter and television personality.
Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw is a Swedish singer and television presenter. He took part in Idol 2005, eventually finishing fifth, won the first season of Let's Dance, and scored a hit with his 2007 song "Cara Mia", which was his entry in that year's Melodifestivalen. Zelmerlöw was the host of Allsång på Skansen from 2011 to 2013. He participated in Melodifestivalen in 2007, 2009 and won in 2015. Zelmerlöw represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Heroes", winning the contest with 365 points. Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm.
The discography of Finnish DJ and music producer Darude consists of four studio albums, fourteen singles, and a multitude of remixes and other productions. His debut single, "Sandstorm", was an international breakthrough hit, peaking within the top ten in several countries. It has also gained recognition for its significant amount of usage in sporting events and popularity within internet meme culture. His second single, "Feel the Beat", was also a commercial success, peaking in the top twenty in multiple countries. Darude's debut studio album, Before the Storm, was released on 5 September 2000 and was a commercial success, as well. Darude released three studio albums following Before the Storm: Rush (2003), Label This! (2007), Moments (2015), and Together (2023).
Iina Kuustonen is a Finnish actress.
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu is an annual music contest organised by the Finnish public broadcaster Yle. It made its debut in 2012 as the Finnish selection format for the Eurovision Song Contest, replacing the previous Finnish Eurovision selection Suomen euroviisukarsinta which had been held since 1961.
Janne Pekka Haavisto is a Finnish drummer, recording engineer and record producer. He has been a professional musician since the age of 16.
Olli Haavisto is a Finnish musician best known for playing the pedal steel guitar and the guitar. He is one of the most respected pedal steel guitarists in Finland, and he has worked as a session musician for numerous Finnish artists. He has played on ca. 1 850 songs on ca. 600 albums. He has also acted as producer on ca. 50 albums. In addition to this, he has played ca. 5 000 gigs.
Sami Henrik Hedberg is a Finnish stand up comedian and actor. Hedberg became famous after winning the Get up, stand up competition on Sub TV in 2005. This victory caused him to become one of the most popular stand up comedians in Finland. Hedberg has his own company, The Showhouse OY, founded in 2005.
Arctic Circle is a Finnish-German crime drama television series that premiered on Finnish streaming service Elisa Viihde at Christmas 2018 and later on Yle. The series stars Iina Kuustonen, Maximilian Brückner, Pihla Viitala, Clemens Schick and Susanna Haavisto.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Look Away" written and performed by Ville Virtanen under the stage name Darude and Sebastian Rejman. Darude and Sebastian Rejman were internally selected by the Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) in January 2019 to represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu2019 was organised in order to select the song that Darude and Rejman would perform. Three songs were selected to compete in the national final on 2 March 2019 where the 50/50 combination of votes from eight international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Look Away" as the winning song.
"Look Away" is a 2019 single by Darude and Sebastian Rejman. The song represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel after winning Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019, Finland's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song did not progress to the final, only earning 23 points in the first semi-final.
The Czech Republic originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Kemama" written by Osama Verse-Atile, Ben Cristóvão, Charles Sarpong and Rudy Ray. The song was performed by Benny Cristo, which is the artistic name of singer Ben Cristóvão. The Czech broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) organised the national final Eurovision Song CZ 2020 in order to select the Czech entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Seven entries competed in the national final and "Kemama" performed by Benny Cristo was announced as the winner on 3 February 2020 following the combination of votes from an eleven-member international jury panel and a public vote.
Finland originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Looking Back" written by Joonas Angeria, Whitney Phillips, Connor McDonough, Riley McDonough and Toby McDonough. The song was performed by Aksel Kankaanranta. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2020 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Six entries were selected to compete in the national final on 7 March 2020 where the 50/50 combination of votes from eight international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Looking Back" performed by Aksel Kankaanranta as the winner.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Dark Side" written by Aleksi Kaunisvesi, Joonas Porko, Joel Hokka, Niko Moilanen and Olli Matela. The song was performed by the band Blind Channel. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2021 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Seven entries were selected to compete in the national final on 20 February 2021 where the combination of votes from seven international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Dark Side" performed by Blind Channel as the winner.
Presidential elections were held in Finland on 28 January 2024, with a second round held on 11 February. Voters elected a president of the Republic for a six-year term. Incumbent president Sauli Niinistö was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election, having served the maximum two terms, ensuring that the president elected would be the country's thirteenth.
The Worst Idea Ever is a 2023 Finnish drama film written and directed by Pamela Tola. The film stars Alina Tomnikov and Iina Kuustonen as the leads and follows the story of two friends, Ripe (Tomnikov) and Noora (Kuustonen), who work as video game designers. Other cast members include Chike Ohanwe, Mikko Kauppila, Joanna Haartti, Lotta Lehtikari, Leea Klemola, and Lauri Maijala.
Syke (Pulse) or also known as Nurses is a Finnish medical drama television series that has been airing since 2014. Set in the trauma department of a central hospital in a major city, the series initially focused on the lives of four nurses, both at work and during their personal time.
