The Eurovision Song Contest is heading toward its 70th edition, which will take place in Vienna (Austria) on May 12, 14, and 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle.<\/p>\n
The Eurovision season once again featured Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) as one of the most prominent national selections thanks to its distinctive identity. Seven entries competed on February 28 at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, facing the evaluation of an international jury and televote. Ultimately, Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen with their \u201cLiekinheitin\u201d swept the vote and secured the ticket to Vienna.<\/p>\n
How did their collaboration for Eurovision come about? What experience do they have in the music world? How are they preparing their entry for Vienna 2026?<\/p>\n
In this edition, we take a look at the musical career of Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen, the context of their candidacy, and their song. Finland\u2019s representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will try to achieve a second victory for their country with \u201cLiekinheitin,\u201d in what will be Finland\u2019s 60th participation in the European contest.<\/p>\n
Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen, a deep connection through music<\/p>\n
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen form the duo representing Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, bringing together two very different but complementary careers. Their collaboration was initiated by producer Antti Riihim\u00e4ki, at Linda\u2019s own suggestion, while she was working on the song \u201cLiekinheitin\u201d. The artistic connection between them emerged immediately in the studio, based on perfectionism and intense emotional involvement, resulting in a stage proposal that combines intimacy, interpretative strength, and a highly detailed visual narrative.<\/p>\n
Linda Lampenius, born in Helsinki in 1970, is an internationally renowned violinist with an established career in the classical and crossover fields. Raised in a family of artists, she showed her talent from a very young age and trained at the Sibelius Academy. Throughout her career she has performed across Europe, Asia, and the United States, collaborating with orchestras and prominent figures. Her versatility has allowed her to blend genres such as pop, rock, and jazz, as well as explore fields such as television, fashion, and theatre. Her stage presence and technical virtuosity have made her a widely recognized figure, further reinforced in recent years by renewed popularity in Finland.<\/p>\n
Pete Parkkonen, born in 1990, is one of the most well-known pop singers in his country. He rose to fame after participating in Idols, which launched his successful recording career. His debut album reached number one and was certified gold. Over the years, he has evolved his style, moving from English-language pop rock to Finnish-language projects with strong impact. He has also stood out on television, winning shows such as Dancing With The Stars and T\u00e4hdet, T\u00e4hdet, consolidating his popularity.<\/p>\n
The union of both artists represents a generational and stylistic encounter. With \u201cLiekinheitin\u201d, they combine Pete\u2019s vocal power with Linda\u2019s violin virtuosity, creating an emotional and contemporary proposal.<\/p>\n
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This is \u201cLiekinheitin,\u201d the entry by Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen to represent Finland at Eurovision 2026<\/p>\n
\u201cLiekinheitin\u201d (Flamethrower) is the entry by Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen with which they represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The song, entirely in Finnish, has been composed by the artists themselves together with Vilma Alina, Lauri Halavaara, and Antti Riihim\u00e4ki.<\/p>\n
It is a track that blends modern Nordic pop with touches of rock and the classical elegance of the violin. This entry stands out for its powerful production, combining Pete Parkkonen\u2019s soul and pop vocals with Linda Lampenius\u2019 intense strings.<\/p>\n
Under the metaphor of a \u201cflamethrower,\u201d the song tells the story of an intense, passionate, and at the same time dangerous and destructive romantic relationship. It is a love that \u201cburns,\u201d symbolizing an uncontrolled passion whose attraction is difficult to abandon, even though it causes pain. The protagonists continue \u201cplaying with fire,\u201d struggling between reason and desire. All of this unfolds within a whirlwind of extreme emotions: heat and attraction versus coldness and distance, creating an unstable and almost addictive relationship where opposing emotions interact.<\/p>\n
Lyrics<\/p>\n
Finnish<\/p>\n
Ois viisaampi h\u00e4ipyy t\u00e4\u00e4lt
Miten tunteet vois j\u00e4\u00e4dytt\u00e4\u00e4?
S\u00e4 oot, s\u00e4 oot liekinheitin<\/p>\n
Samas illas, savuu ilmas
Etin ihmisjoukost sua
Puhut muille, sun tutuille
Oot ku et ees tuntis mua
V\u00e4h\u00e4n outoo, ettet s\u00e4 kato mua silmiin
Ku viime y\u00f6n\u00e4 et saanut musta k\u00e4si\u00e4s irti
Vaik saan sult runtuu, niin se hyv\u00e4lt\u00e4 tuntuu<\/p>\n
Ois viisaampi h\u00e4ipyy t\u00e4\u00e4lt
Mut tulel vielkin leikin
Miten tunteet vois j\u00e4\u00e4dytt\u00e4\u00e4
Ku s\u00e4 oot liekinheitin? Ooh
Saat mut palamaan (A-aah, aah)
Saan sust palan vaan
Oot niin kuuma, mut j\u00e4\u00e4kylm\u00e4
S\u00e4 oot, s\u00e4 oot liekinheitin, liekinheitin<\/p>\n
Pariin iltaan en sua kii saa
Voiko ihminen kuolla kiimaan? Joo
Aina kun ollaan iho ihoa vasten
M\u00e4 saan sust palovammoja kolmannen asteen
Oh dear Lord, saanko viel yhen kasteen
Kun synti\u00e4 taas teen?
Oo-ooh<\/p>\n
Ois viisaampi h\u00e4ipyy t\u00e4\u00e4lt
Mut tulel vielkin leikin
Miten tunteet vois j\u00e4\u00e4dytt\u00e4\u00e4
Ku s\u00e4 oot liekinheitin? Ooh
Saat mut palamaan (A-aah, aah)
Saan sust palan vaan
Oot niin kuuma, mut j\u00e4\u00e4kylm\u00e4
S\u00e4 oot, s\u00e4 oot liekinheitin, liekinheitin
Liekinheitin<\/p>\n
English<\/p>\n
I should be wiser, I should leave
How could I freeze the way I feel?
You are
You are
A flamethrower<\/p>\n
Same old night, smoke in the air
I\u2019m looking for you in the crowd
You\u2019re talking sweet to your friends
Pretending you don\u2019t even know me<\/p>\n
Kinda strange you won\u2019t look me in the eye
When last night you couldn\u2019t keep your hands off me
You treat me bad but damn, it feels so good<\/p>\n
I should be wiser, I should leave
But I\u2019m still playing with fire
How could I freeze the way I feel?
When you\u2019re a flamethrower<\/p>\n
You set me on fire
But you\u2019re never fully mine
Oh so hot, yet cold as ice
You are
You are
A Flamethrower
Flamethrower<\/p>\n
Nights go by, can\u2019t reach you
Can a person die of heat?
Every time we\u2019re skin to skin
You give me burns of third-degree
Oh dear Lord, one more absolution
For I have sinned yet again<\/p>\n
I should be wiser, I should leave
But I\u2019m still playing with fire
How could I freeze the way I feel?
When you\u2019re a flamethrower<\/p>\n
You set me on fire
But you\u2019re never fully mine
Oh so hot, yet cold as ice
You are
You are
A Flamethrower
Flamethrower<\/p>\n
Flamethrower<\/p>\n
Finland at Eurovision: A Quick History<\/p>\n
Finland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1961 (the same debut year as Spain) and has only one victory: the one achieved by Lordi in 2006 with \u201cHard Rock Hallelujah\u201d. The following year it hosted the contest in Helsinki. Its record is modest among the Nordic countries, with only two Top 5 results: the 2006 victory and the second place of K\u00e4\u00e4rij\u00e4 in 2023 with \u201cCha Cha Cha\u201d. <\/p>\n
Also notable are two sixth places in 1973 and 2021 with the group Blind Channel. Traditionally, it has had irregular results, including several last-place finishes. In 2024 it reached the final with a 19th place for Windows95Man, and in 2025 Erika Vikman finished in 11th place despite being one of the favorites in the grand final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Eurovision Song Contest is heading toward its 70th edition, which will take place in Vienna (Austria) on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20858],"tags":[20859,20860],"class_list":{"0":"post-34299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eurovision","8":"tag-eurovision","9":"tag-eurovision-song-contest-2026"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}