Sami Hintsanen wants to bring back some old influences to Eurovision

I met with Sami Hintsanen who is a busy man. Despite his participation in Euroviisut he also continuing to act in the musical Chicago. After today's rehearsal in Turku he went back to Tampere for the show but before that I had a chance to talk to him.

How was your first rehearsal Sami?
It went well. We just fixed some small things with the cameras.

Have you changed something since the semifinal?
The biggest change is that I have new clothes. Otherwise only minor things.

This is your second time in Euroviisut. Last time was 1996.
15 years ago and I had long hair and was 15 kg thinner. I became eight in the final and it was good that I didn’t win. I was too young and inexperienced. Among this year’s finalist I think I’m the only one that has been in the contest before. Weather it is an advantage or not is difficult to say. It was so many years ago.

Is it different this time?
Not such a big difference. The orchestra was gone already in 1996. The big difference is that I’m so much more experienced and I feel more confident in my performing.  A funny coincidence is that the final was in Turku also in 1996.

Can you tell us something about your background and what you are doing?
I’m an actor in theatre and since 1997 I have been in different musicals. Right now I’m performing in Chicago in my hometown Tampere. I am also hosting a TV-show called “Grab the microphone” where professional singers are competing against each other. And after 20 years of thinking I am finally working on my first solo album. It will be published in October.
Privately I have two kids, a son of 7 years and a daughter who is only 10 weeks.

How would you describe your song for those who do not understand Finnish?
It’s a big ballad and the mood in the song is a little bit in Johnny Logan style. The composer Antti Klemola, is a huge fan of Elton John so it has a bit of inspiration of his music as well. The lyrics are about a father who sings to his children that he will be protecting and support them. It represents the situation where I am in my life right now.

Your musical role model?
I’m a big Eurovision fan and I like Johnny Logan and his great songs. He represents the finest period of Eurovision. I hope the competition is going backwards in that sense. Outside the Eurovision world Steve Wonder is the artist that has influenced me the most.

Is Johnny Logan the reason why you participate in Euroviisut again?
Well – there are several reasons. One is that people in Finland see me as a TV-host.  It’s a chance for me to show that I’m a singer by profession plus that my solo album will be released later this year. The other reason is that I want the contest to have a winner like my song. I got the question about what kind of new things I will bring into Euroviisut. My answer is that I want to bring back something old. This is a SONG-contest and that’s why we do not have dances on stage. We hardly move and let the song speak for itself.

If you win, will you sing in Finnish?
We have no decided yet.  Finnish is a difficult language and the lyrics have a lot of Ä, Ö which sounds very strange to people in Europe. I like to keep the same feeling and idea in the song and if we can’t do a proper translation we keep it in Finnish.  But first of all we have to see what happens in the final. There are nine other good songs.
 
Antti Klemola wrote your song and he participated last year. Have you got any advices from him?
Nothing special. We are good friends since many years. I called him and told him to write me a beautiful song. I trusted in him so I went directly to the studio without having heard the song. And he trusts in me as well. We enjoy performing together. Maybe he will before I go on stage.

Any favorites among your competitors?
It’s really difficult to say. Everyone can win. A personal favorite is the song “Da Da Dam” with Paradise Oskar very much. It’s a James Blunt kind of song.

If you don’t win what’s your future plans?
If I do win, then I’m in trouble because of my busy schedule during spring. If I don’t win I will continue according to the my plan with theatre, my album etc.

Thanks a lot Sami. We wish you good luck in the final.

Tonight: Euroviisut 2011, a tough chaper two

Ikväll är dags för deltävling 2 i Finlands Euroviisut. Det kommer att bli en tuff kamp då alla låtar har potentiella finalchanser.
Tonight it’s semi-final 2 in Euroviisut. It will be a tough fight as all the five songs are potential finalists.

1. Soma Manuchar: "Strong”
Modern Lady Gaga-inspirerad poplåt. Bra tryck och en refräng som fastnar. Mycket hänger på Soma Manuchars framförande och hur pass bra hon sjunger live. Oavsett hur det går i Euroviisut så borde detta vara en given radio-hit.
A modern Lady-Gaga inspired song. Good beat and a chorus like a glue. It depends very much on Soma Manuchar’s live performance and if she delivers as good as on the audio version. Despite of what is happening tonight this is a radio-hit.

2. Paradise Oskar: "Da Da Dam"
Det låter både modern och gammalt samtidigt. En lyckad hybrid mellan Daniel Powter och Cat Stevens. Man kan också säga att det är Finlands uppföljare på Tom Dice, Belgiens bidrag 2010 som slutade på en sjätte plats. Upprepningar av fjolårs succéer brukar sällan lyckas men om Johanna Iivanainen lyckades ta sig till final förra fredagen så borde Oskar vara självskriven.
Modern and old at the same time. A successful hybrid between Daniel Powter and Cat Stevens. Oskar is Finland’s version of Tom Dice, Belgium’s entry 2010 which ended sixth. Replicas are usually not successful but if Johanna Iivanainen managed to qualify last week, Oskar should be a given finalist.


3. Jimi Constantine: "Party to Party"
Den här har vi hört förut. Låten är som klippt och skuren för Melodifestivalen. En mix av BWO, Alcazar, Eric Saade. Jimi är obekant för mig men lär vara ett känt namn i Finland. Det gör att han har ett visst försprång och klarar sig till final. Låten är bra och passar att dansa till. Den kommer definitivt att spelas på Euro-club i Düsseldorf. I detta sammanhang lämnar den mig med en axelryckning.
We have heard this before, many times. This song could be a copy paste from Swedish Melodifestivalen. A mix of BWO, Alcazar and Eric Saade. Jimi is not known for me but he is a well-known name in Finland, which for sure will give him an advantage. It a good song for dancing and I, sure we will hear it many times at the Euro-Club in Düsseldorf. In this occasion it leaves me leaves me with a shrug.

4. Milana Misic: "Sydämeni kaksi maata"
Kvällens mindre lyckade hybrid. Latin goes balkan in Finnish. Men jag vill ändå inte räkna ut den. Dessutom är det kvällens enda låt på finska vilket kan gynna Milana. Titeln betyder ”Mitt hjärtas två länder”. Kanske anspelar det på Milanas egen bakgrund.
The second, and less successful, hybrid of tonight. Latin goes Balkan in Finnish. But I don’t want to neglect the chances. It’s also the only song in Finnish tonight which might benefit Milena.  The title means “The two countries in my heart”. Maybe it reflects Milana’s background.

5. Father McKenzie: "Good Enough"
Snyggt pianointro som också får mig att tänka på Daniel Powter och givetvis Elton John. Proffsigt, pompöst genomarbetat arrangemang och min personliga favorit ikväll. Tre minuter känns väldigt kort då detta är en låt som skulle vinna på att vara längre. Father McKenzie är ett svenskt-finländskt samarbetsprojekt, där två av medlemmarna i bandet kommer från Sverige, en från Åland och bandledaren och kompositören från Finlandsvenska Österbotten.
Slick piano introduction which once again makes me think about Daniel Powter and of course Elton John. A professional and pompous arrangement. This is my personal favorite tonight. Three minutes feels short as this is a song that would be even better in an extended version. Father McKenzie is a Swedish-Finnish cooperation. Two of the members are Swedish and two, including the composer are from Finland.

Listen to the songs / Lyssna på låtarna


Source, photos: YLE