We had the opportunity to speak with the 2020 Finnish representative who kindly granted us some of his time to get to know him better and talk about his upcoming participation in Eurovision, this is what he told us:

Hi Aksel, first of all congratulations on winning the UMK and having been selected as a representative of Finland with “Looking Back” in Rotterdam, it is a pleasure for us to speak with you, thank you for your time.

OGAERLA: What emotions define you as a musician and person?
AKSEL: Sadness, grief, and how things can turn right if you handle your feelings

OGAERLA: You come from a family of musicians and as a child you took violin, bass and guitar lessons, do you see yourself in the future doing something different from music?
AKSEL: Hmm, maybe 3D-modelling and animation

OGAERLA: What do you think that Aksel represent in the music industry?
AKSEL: The honesty of being who you are and not artificially boosting yourself

OGAERLA: What musical genres are you identify with?
AKSEL: Classical, indie, pop and electro

OGAERLA: Which artists inspire you?
AKSEL: Freddie Mercury & Coldplay

OGAERLA: You get known in 2017 thanks to the second position in The Voice How was that experience? tell us what you remember of the show.
AKSEL: I remember the whole journey, fantastic people and crew. It was very fun and a teaching experience

OGAERLA: The following year, you collaborated with rapper Pyhimys and it turned out to be a great success, winning prizes for “Song of the year” and “Most transmitted song” in the Emma-gaala, what does “Jättiläinen” mean to you?

AKSEL: What it means to me is that you should praise the moments you have with your family, my father had a heart attack and the song really helped me through and gain a deeper understanding in to it, as it is a song for Pyhimys’s father.

OGAERLA: It was announced last year that you would participate in the UMK to represent Finland in Eurovision 2020, how this idea came to you?
AKSEL: I got a email from the A&R asking if I was interested, and then we went to record the song and here we are

OGAERLA: After get the first place of the international jury and second of the televoting, you won the UMK and therefore you will represent Finland in Eurovision. How do you take this new challenge?
AKSEL: Like any other challenge, one step at the time.

OGAERLA: It seemed that you could not believe your victory, what did your competition colleagues tell you?
AKSEL: They were very happy for me and cheered me from the start, I am very grateful for all of them and think that any one of us should have deserved to win, an impossible situation though.

OGAERLA: What story is behind the “Looking Back” lyrics?
AKSEL: It’s a combination of world weariness and love song, how we race through life and not stopping by to look what we already have

OGAERLA: Was Eurovision in your mind before or it just came since the moment you decide to participate in the UMK?
AKSEL: some kind of dream maybe, when I chose to participate in the UMK I didn’t think winning was an option but sometimes things just happen.

OGAERLA: Do you already have ideas on how your staging will be?
AKSEL: We’ll have to scale it up a bit for Rotterdam, but I don’t think we have to change it drastically

OGAERLA: Tell us which Finland proposal for ESC has been your favorite so far
AKSEL: I have to say, Paradise Oskar’s Da Da Dam was a great entry, a bit ahead of its time in 2011, but it’s a song that goes on in my head time to time.

OGAERLA: Eurovision have many fans in Latin America, have you visited any of our countries?
AKSEL: Not yet, but I’ve had a dream of visiting Peru

OGAERLA: Would you like to bring your music to this continent?
AKSEL: Absolutely!

OGAERLA: Any Latin artists that you would like to collaborate with?
AKSEL: Hmm, I can’t think of any now, but I’m open for anything

OGAERLA: Finally, a message to our readers
AKSEL: Thanks for your support, and I’m looking forward to you seeing me in Rotterdam!

Entrevista realizada por: Christopher Estrada

Traducciones: Alberto Delgado