Last weekend, the Finnish audiences as well as the seven international juries made their vote on this year's Finnish Eurovision Song Contest representative: National pop star Erika Vikman will go to Basel, Switzerland in May with her song "ICH KOMME".

On Saturday’s UMK25 (Contest for New Music) grande finale, Erika Vikman's song "ICH KOMME" garnered 75 percent of all the votes. Vikman's vote count was 430 points, while runner-up Goldielocks gathered a total of 303 votes. Goldielocks was also the international juries' favorite, amassing 74 points, with Vikman being a close second with 68 jury points.

Erika Vikman will now follow the footsteps of Blind Channel, Käärijä and Windows95Man as Finland's newest Eurovision contestant – and the first woman to represent the country in the contest since Saara Aalto in 2018.

The UMK24 winner was chosen by the votes from the Finnish people (75%) and points given by the international juries (25%).

All the votes in UMK25:

1. Erika Vikman: ICH KOMME 430 votes (68 jury / 362 public)
2. Goldielocks: Made Of 303 votes (74 jury / 229 public)
3. VIIVI: Aina 138 votes (38 jury / 100 public)
4. Nelli Matula: Hitaammin hautaan 138 votes (50 jury / 88 public)
5. Neea River: Nightmares 84 votes (24 jury / 60 public)
6. Costee: Sekaisin 83 votes (40 jury / 43 public)

Erika who?

Erika Vikman, 31, is a pop star with a huge following in her home country. Her first claim to fame was winning the Tangomarkkinat singing competition in 2016, hence becoming Finland's "Tango Queen" that year.

But Vikman's real breakthrough came with the song "Cicciolina", which competed at UMK in 2020, landing at 2nd place, but ultimately becoming a big national hit and her signature track. The song received the most votes from the Finnish public, but the professional jury ranked her only third.

"Cicciolina" marked a new beginning and a change of style for Vikman: the former 'Tango Queen' with a conservative look was suddenly a dancefloor diva oozing with sex and confidence. The song was written about the Hungarian-Italian politician and adult film star Ilona Staller, better known by her stage name Cicciolina, and has been called a feminist anthem. Vikman's self-titled debut album was released in 2021 (and also made the Music Finland staff picks list that year), and topped the charts in Finland, with further hit singles such as "Syntisten pöytä" and "Häpeä". The album also made Erika Vikman an in-demand live performer, filling steamy nightclubs and festival stages alike.

Vikman's 2025 song "Ich komme" (stylized in all caps) again underlines the artist's bold and colorful image. It was written and produced by Christel Roosberg and Jori Roosberg and combines Finnish disco and electronic music. According to the artist, the lyrics reflect "the joyous message of pleasure, ecstasy and a state of trance", sexual pleasure and reaching the climax.

"I will speak German in Switzerland, and the performance will be a blast. I'm going there as a woman, and with a rock-and-roll attitude. I'm going to charm Europe by being a fabulous Finn, just a little bit sinful," Vikman told YLE in an interview after her victorious UMK25 performance.

Vikman's UMK performance put the main focus on the artist, with the only prominent prop being a giant microphone stand raised in the air and spitting fire – on which the singer stood during the song's climax.

So the question is, will this be a winning ticket for Finland? Well, at the time of writing, February 10th, Vikman's odds seem pretty good – Unibet, for example, gives the song a multiplier of 5. But anything can happen, starting from who the Swedes decide to send to Basel.

Watch "ICH KOMME" live at UMK25:

Watch the official music video for "ICH KOMME"