Finland will is participating for the 56^th time in the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Last year the band The Rasmus made it into the Grand Final in Turin, but ended 21^st at the end.

Finland made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 Laila Kinnunen with “Valoa Ikkunassa” and has since become a regular participant in the competition. However, there were a few years in the 1990s and early 2000s when Finland had to sit out the contest due to poor results.

According to the rules at the time, countries that finished in the bottom four of the contest were required to skip the following year’s competition. Finland was forced to take breaks in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003 due to poor placings in the previous year’s contest. However, these breaks did not dampen Finland’s enthusiasm for the competition, and the country has continued to be a strong participant in recent years.

Despite Finland sending songs of high quality quite often, their reputation in terms of success has suffered over the years. While they have produced great evergreens, the points did not flow as much as they did for other countries, resulting in Finland often found at the bottom of the scoreboard undeservedly.

Finland has received the infamous “nul points” three times in the past. The first time was in 1963, with the song “Muistojeni laulu” by Laila Halme. The second time was in 1965 with the song “Aurinko laskee länteen” by Viktor Klimenko. And the third time was in 1982 with the song “Nuku pommiin” by Kojo.

As for the language issue, it is true that nowadays every country can choose the language of their entry, and Finland has mostly chosen to sing in English in recent years.

After all the long years of waiting the hard rock band Lordi came with “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in 2006 and Finland had its first fulminate victory in ESC history. This was very well deserved and long overdue at the same time. The entire country was in a kind of “Lordi-fever” and a long-cherished wish came true. A wonderful and unforgettable contest has been held in Helsinki a year later.

Finland has been able to qualify for the Grand Final more often than in the past. Out of the 18 times Finland has participated in the Semi-Finals, they have qualified for the Grand Final 10 times. Finland has also showcased a diverse range of music styles, including hard rock, ballads, pop, and folkloristic songs.