All twelve entrants to the upcoming Finland national selection process, Euroviisut are preparing for the chance to win the prestigious right to represent their country on home soil. This is of course the first time such an opportunity has presented itself in Finland. Now you can see clips of all twelve artists.

Below, you can find (courtesy of escfinland.eu) biographies of the twelve participating acts. Click the 'play' icon below to see clips of the performers that will fight for the right to represent Finland at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYIbpVX8_pM

Semi final 1- January 20th

• Jani & The Jetsetters – The band claims to have coined a new musical genre, surf pop. They have the backing of Kalevi Puonti, who has experience in Eurovision selections in Finland. The band say their songs will follow up on the style of their debut album Uusi aalto. One of the songs is slower in tempo than the other, and their chosen language is said to be Finnish all the way.
• Hanna Pakarinen – Hanna is probably still the most popular of the 12 to take to the stage in Helsinki. She says to be happy to take part now, when she is not forced to conform to a typical Eurovision format, but can participate with her own type of “American pop rock” and her band. According to Hanna Lordi broke the mould and now her rock style is more welcome on Eurovision stage. She also thinks her songs are strong enough to take part. She has taken a year off touring so taking part marks a minor come back for her. Also she can commit herself to the project wholeheartedly. Backed by the label behind Lordi’s success, Sony BMG Finland who should know what it takes to win.
• Thunderstone- The band say the request to take part in Eurovision was so odd, that they could only say yes. The band, which has already released three albums of their well produced melodic heavy metal say that they look the same as Lordi on stage, but need less time for their make-up. Thunderstone is signed to a German record label, and are reasonably well known in heavy metal circles. Lead singer Pasi Rantanen, sometimes dubbed Finland’s answer to David Coverdale says a catchy chorus is what is needed of a good Eurovision song.

Semi final 2- January 27th

• Jukka Kuoppamaki– This schlager veteran does not think he is too old for the contest, and mentions bands like the Rolling Stones or Genesis getting back on tour being same age as him. This man, whose Sininen ja valkoinen (Blue and White) has almost the status of an unofficial national anthem in Finland says he could not even think about singing in English. He promises us pop and even rock in his two songs.
• Humane – The band leader, model Kim Herold says they only decided take part after much discussion within the band. As they already are somewhat known abroad, he does not think they really need the extra exposure of Eurovision. Their two songs will follow up on the very laid-back atmosphere of their English language pop.
• Katra – This classically trained singer used to sing with Lovex, who she now faces as competitors in the Finnish national finals. She says her two songs will have some oriental flavour and mystical energy. She says they are a bit harder than her first single Sahara and the inspiration for the lyrics comes from ancient Greece. Her two songs are written by the very productive team of Risto Asikainen and Ilkka Vainio. Even if she prefers to sing in Finnish, and will do so in the semi-final, she will swap the language to English if she gets to represent Finland in Helsinki. She also says she will go for a full show on stage.

Semi final 3- February 3rd

• Johanna Kurkela – Johanna was encouraged to take part by her record company. She will sing her typical ethereal ballads in Finnish. She hopes to reach peoples’ hearts with her fragile ballads.
• Kentals – The musician from Vaasa is happy to be allowed to sing his own material. He has recently released his first album Finally with his band Wee People.
• Lovex – The band say some of their fans might be shocked by the decision to take part, but don’t generally care what anybody thinks of them. Their album Divine Insanity has almost sold gold. “We were given a chance to do our own music and go on annoying people, so we said yes”.

Semi final 4- February 10th

• Beats and Styles – This duo will not sit quietly and say they are going to impress by their fresh approach. They hope the audience will join in the good time they have on stage. The band has collaborated before with several schlager artists like Danny and Jari Sillanpää, so guest artists are not impossible.
• Jann Wilde & Rose Avenue – Jann Wilde is already behaving like a proper rock star and is convinced he is what is needed for Eurovision. The band want to be noticed and surely will be so with their outspoken style and visuality on stage. Their first single is likely to chart in Finland this weekend.
• Laura Voutilainen – Laura says she is not going to repeat her performance from Tallinn 2002, even if at least one of her songs will be written by the same songwriter, Maki Kolehmainen. “I will bring a full show on stage this time!” she enthuses. She says one of her songs is a slow one and in Finnish, whereas the other one is faster and in English.