Following the announcement of the seven acts competing in Finland’s Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2025, Finnish broadcaster Yle is dropping the music videos for each entry one by one. First up is Neea River with “Nightmares.”
The Nurmijärvi-born beauty makes music in English, which she says has posed big challenges in Finland, where the pop music sector is focused on Finnish-language music. Many people, including bigwigs at record labels, said she should switch to Finnish.
“They asked me why I even tried,” she says. “I kept my cool. I get a little pleasure from the fact that now these same people are asking how I got this far.”
River hopes for an international breakthrough. Not only for herself, but also for other Finnish artists aiming for the international market.
“It would be great to be one of those who show that there are pop stars in Finland just like in Sweden. All it takes is successful examples. Sweden has Zara Larsson and Tove Lo. We could be in the same situation if there was a change in attitude in the industry.”
Asked how she would sum up her artistry, Neea said “pop machine.” She’s a fan of Britney Spears, Rihanna and The Weekend, among others.
“I have a kind of pop armor that is full of power. When I have it on, nothing can stop me!”
Neea River — “Nightmares”
Ms. River’s UMK 2025 song discusses overcoming personal trauma. The goal, is to “remind the listener that no difficult situation or phase in life is final. There is a way out of everything.”
“I took a really traumatic life experience and turned it into a song, and I made it a source of strength for myself and hopefully for others as well.”
She is very clear about her goal with the song: to win the Eurovision Song Contest. She wrote it in collaboration with Ilkka Wirtanen and Petri Alango.
“We decided at that moment that we wouldn’t make the song a ballad. We wanted a melody that would make the crowd fall off their chairs,” she says. “I’m going to bring pure pop to the world. The kind that will definitely win the Eurovision Song Contest.”
UMK 2025 song release schedule
The full release schedule is as follows:
- Thursday 9th: Neea River – “Nightmares”
- Firday 10th: Nelli Matula – “Hitaammin hautaan”
- Monday 13th: Costee – “Sekaisin”
- Tuesday 14th: Viivi – “Aina”
- Wednesday 15th: One Morning Left – “Puppy”
- Thursday 16th: Goldielocks – “Made of”
- Friday 17th: Erika Vikman – “Ich komme”
Songs will be released at 00:00 EET each day (22:00 GMT / 23:00 CET the prior evening).
UMK 2025 will take place on Saturday 8 February, starting at 20:00 CET / 21:00 EET. The show will be held inside Nokia Arena in Tampere. Hosts Sanni and Jasmin Beloued will guide viewers through proceedings.
What do you make of “Nightmares”? Do you think Neea River would be a credible entry for Finland? Let us know in the comments below!
