WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

The controversial exclusion of One Morning Left’s hard rock novelty song Puppy from Finland’s Eurovision selection show UMK on 8 February leaves this sticky and sexually explicit joy the clear favourite to triumph.

• Read on for reasons including how Vikman popped her Eurovision cherry with Cicciolina

Vikman writhes like a young Madonna in the video in a paddling pool filled with a jelly-like substance while singing in Finnish lyrics including: ‘I am Erika, you’re full of stamina, hit me once again, grab my ass, and when you want more love, just shout: ‘Encore!’ and baby I’m coming.’

Subtle it isn’t but the music is euphoric, 80s-inspired pop with handclaps and even a shout of ‘Wunderbar!’ thrown in to ensure points from German speakers.

Eurovision is a Saturday night family show with an 8pm start time if you’re watching in the west and critics have pointed to last year’s failure by Olly Alexander to score in the public vote attributing it to its sexy gay male aesthetic.

2 years earlier Chanel won Spain its best result for 27 years with a routine that saw her repeatedly flash her buttocks in a suggestive heterosexual sense so perhaps Vikman is onto something.

For us it’s important she has agency and is not exploited and that feels the case here. She’s also no stranger to controversy in Eurovision after winning the public vote but eventually finishing 2nd in UMK in 2020 with a song called Cicciolina, inspired by the Hungarian-Italian pornographic actress-turned-politician Ilona Staller, also known by her stage name Cicciolina.

While her ability to perform has never been in doubt, it will be her vocal that will determine whether Vikman comes to Basle for Eurovision 2025 and how well she climaxes there.

Her biggest competition in UMK (Saturday 8 February 2025) is now, we think, Goldielocks and the catchy Made Of.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Erika Vikman Tickets
• Have you heard an Erika Vikman song before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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