Finland brings out the big Playboy Guns!

Finland is getting tipped early as a Eurovision 2026 winner, and we wanted to know why.  We connect the dots between national mood and musical choices, because Eurovision songs don’t arrive out of nowhere.  All of that feeds the question we keep coming back to: when a country chooses a Eurovision act, are they reflecting how they feel, or choosing what they wish they felt? 

Then we get to the headline: led by the unstoppable Linda Lampenius with Pete on vocals. We unpack Linda’s jaw-dropping life story and why her star power alone makes Finland dangerous, before giving our unfiltered take on the staging choices that can either electrify a performance or trap it behind a concept. If you care about Eurovision 2026 odds, Finland’s entry, and how staging can make or break a contender, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a Eurovision mate, and leave a review with your prediction: will Finland win it all?

#eurovision #eurovisionsong contest #eurovisionpodcast #eurovisionaustralia #eurovisionfunny

Transcript

Welcome And Finland Preview

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Bonjour, good, hello, and welcome back to the Juice Power Podcast. At work to avoid that person that you just can't stand. This episode, we are going to have a look at Finland, Eurovision 2026. Quite a lot of bookmakers are already putting Finland at the top to be a real serious contender to win Eurovision 2026. But before we do that, let's take a bit of a cheeky look at Finland and see what has grown and shaped the country in the last 12 months, which has motivated its choices at Eurovision. What do you think? As we go along, we've been doing these little snapshots into the countries. We're going to be covering all of the countries involved. Do you think the events of the country ultimately shape the acts that they pick or are they unrelated? Do you think the acts that they pick would have happened regardless of the drama or the happiness that's happened in the 12 months prior? I find music can be a great insight to not just how people but a country feels. Sometimes, like we see with Ukraine, when they are in a country experiencing war and invasion, their songs are very meaningful and reflecting on family and mothers. But it's also fair to say that if a country has been experiencing sadness and turmoil, sometimes that reflects the decision that all the country wants is a little bit of happiness. Speaking of happiness, haha! We have to be talking about Finland. Finland, now they have been standing strong on the international stage for some time now. Let's not forget Finland took a significant action on the global front and pretty much from the get-go has stood up to Russia, closing joint borders, essentially ceasing fuel and energy imports. They effectively ended$12 billion in trade overnight. This bold move demonstrated Finland's commitment to doing what is right over economic considerations. Such actions may help explain why Finland continues to be recognized as the happiest country in the world. Social media is a buzz with memes highlighting Finland's high levels of happiness and social equality. Now, in contrast to many other nations, certainly the ones that we've covered so far, Finland's political landscape has remained fairly stable and free from scandals and snap elections. While other countries have faced issues such as social injustice, corruption, turmoil, and various crises, Finland appears to be navigating its political affairs smoothly, standing out as a model of stability and effective governments. However, Finland is not without its own set of problems. Like many other countries, it faces demographic challenges rooted in its aging population. We've touched on this before. The post-war baby boom led to a surge in the population, but subsequent generations benefiting from better education and healthcare are having fewer children. As a result, Finland, along with the rest of the world, is approaching a point where there will be more elderly people than young. This demographic shift is expected to put pressure on welfare systems and resources for caring for the elderly, particularly as the workforce shrinks. While this presents challenges, some argue given the extreme global overpopulation, a decline in population ultimately would be beneficial for the planet as well as other animals and plant species in the long run. I think it's pretty fair to say with all that's happening in the world, Mother Nature has had enough of our shit and is definitely pushing back. Finland is Finland is also grappling with rising defense spending, leading to a growing budget deficit. The economic situation has been further complicated by the decline of Nokia, once a major driver of the Finnish economy. Healthcare demand is increasing faster than the system can manage, largely due to the aging population. Additionally, financial growth in some regions is offset by the ongoing trend of people moving from rural areas to cities, a pattern which is seen in, to be honest, most countries around the world. Now, despite Finland's reputation for happiness, the country has not been immune to the fallout from the war in Ukraine, coupled with rising living costs, which again worldwide. And let's just say it, I'm looking at you, Airbnb housing shortage all over the world. But Finland isn't immune either. These factors have contributed to a decline in national happiness levels. Now, why I say it's declining, Finland is still doing better than the rest of us. Now, while in 2016, 82%, that's 82% of Finns reported being happy and content with life. By early 2023, this figure had dropped by a whopping 25% points, with only about 57% of the population now reporting high levels of happiness. Again, this is due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Although it doesn't directly involve Finland, it continues to weigh heavily on the nation due to its geographical proximity, economic repercussions, and to be honest, I think we are all worn down by the relentless attack on Ukraine. But we will not waver in our support. Slava Ukraine, we stand with you. So even though Finland still has had this dramatic drop in its happiness, in 2026, Finland still, for the ninth consecutive year, topped the list for the happiest country on the world with high life satisfaction, strong social support, and a cultural emphasis on balance and resilience. So, how is this gonna affect Finland at Eurovision 2026? They're happier than anybody, but they're still not as happy as they used to be. It reminds me the time that I dated. Actually, there were two times. Oh, Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, you should have seen the red flags. I went out with a boy who dumped me on our one-year anniversary, citing the reason was because I was too happy. We got back together when he declared he was miserable without me, but said, you know what, it would be good if now and then I could share with him when you know I thought life was a bit tough. So I did that. So he dumped me the second time for not always being happy. Sometimes, some battles just not gonna win. Identify those red flags, pack your ass up and move to Finland. So who has Finland selected for Eurovision 2026? Let's have a look. But first of all, let's take a look at who Finland has selected to represent them. They have chosen Linda Lampinius and Pete Parkonen. They will be performing Likin Chin sung in Finnish. After being so close to the podium and being denied their rightly prize, Finland has just said, quick, let's send in the Playboy Bunny and bring a violin. Because, you know, it's Eurovision. Always bring a violin. Linda Lampinas. Let's be honest. She is a modern Renaissance woman. This woman's career is astounding. There is, we're gonna go through the list. I don't think there's much in life that she hasn't done. We always talk about overachievers. Linda makes all of our overachievers look like a lazy bunch of assholes. Linda was born as Linda Brava on the 26th of February 1970. Aquarius! We are just fantastic. Born in Finland to a Swedish-speaking Finnish family. She is a dual citizen of Finland and Sweden. Her father was a theater director, actor, singer, composer. Her mother was an actor and singer. So, surprise, surprise, by age three, Linda was performing on stage in musicals. She began to learn musical instruments at a young age, and it wasn't long before she was playing the violin on stage, accompanied by her father on the piano and her mother providing vocals. She has had an amazing career, and there's not much that you can do with a violin that she hasn't done. She's played her violin on stage for NATO troops in Kosovo. She has performed with legendary iconic actor, who, as we also know, is a jazz musician, Jeff Goldbloom. She has appeared on stage performing live in his shows in Los Angeles, New York, and Stockholm. She's also worked as a session musician, playing the violin on, amongst others, Celine Dion albums. So next time you're listening to Celine Dion's Taking Chances, you are also listening to Linda Lampinas. She's also performed violin work for Sami singer Yana Mangi. Oh, and another small performer. I don't know if you've heard of her. A classical solo album made her the best-selling Finnish classical artist of her time. In the middle of all this, she decided to attend a modelling school and came second in a major modeling competition in Finland in 1988. This led to work in fashion shows, a televised coffee commercial. She was also asked on several different occasions to represent in Universal Beauty pageants. They wanted her to be Miss Finland, but she turned them down every time because she wanted to concentrate on her violin work. Doesn't mean for any stretch of the imagination, she has limited herself just to the violin. At one stage, she was living in Los Angeles, and whilst there, she was offered roles in hit TV shows such as Fame LA, Melrose Place. These were two extremely large American TV shows. She was also asked and given the opportunity to star in a recurring role, in a TV show. I don't know, people may have heard of it. It might have been slightly big in its day. Baywatch, they wanted her to be a Baywatch babe. Linda turned these offers down, refusing to sign any long-term contracts, fearing this would take too much time away from the violin. However, she did give in and agree to star in one episode of Baywatch where she appeared as a violinist in trouble. That was pretty much the premise of every Baywatch episode. Pick a career, oh, they're in trouble, running in beach. It is amazing, apparently, how many drug deals, assassinations, bullying, workplace injuries apparently all happen on Los Angeles beaches. So being a musical performer, being a model, being an actress, well, what's left? I know, why don't you get into politics? If you're Linda, you jump at the chance. Actually representing the Swedish People's Party, she was elected to the Helsinki City Council for a four-year term in 1996. Take that, Baywatch, she would not sign on to you, but she would sign on to the Helsinki City Council. While she was there, she also served as a board member for the Helsinki Harmony Orchestra. In 1997, Linda was titled as Finland's tourist envoy in Sweden, as she had single-handedly increased Sweden's interest in Finland. Yes, we know which interest was increased. This would have definitely been helped in 1998 when Linda became a Playboy bunny. That's right, she became the cover of Playboy. And if you go looking through your grandfather's historical Playboys, you will find her April 1998, volume 45, number four. We'll put a cover up on our socials. So she is a musical performer, she is a model, she is an actor, she is a member of Parliament. What is there left to do? Well, if you're Linda, you start a cider company. That's right. Linda started her own cider company called, would you believe, Linda Cider. That's it, my girl. Cut out the middle man. Linda Cider was sold between 1997 and 2000. In this period, it sold over 12 million bottles. To support these cider sales, she released, hey, a calendar in 1998. And every now and then she would travel all around the country by helicopter. She visited several major supermarkets in one day in her helicopter. That's right, Playboy Bunny flying in via helicopter to supermarket to supermarket to supermarket to sign her calendars. So what do you do when you're a musical performer, model, actress, member of parliament, entrepreneur? Well, you also become a sofa designer. In 2016, Linda designed her own sofa called Nordic Symphony, which is being sold through COE Homes in Sweden. Okay, so we are a musical performer, model, actress, member of parliament, entrepreneur, furniture designer. Surely it's time to no, we start getting into sports. Linda got her rally license in the 1990s and has been racing sports cars and worked as a co-driver in rally competitions in Finland. Not only did she also have her own kart racing team, she worked as a commentator for Nordic TV channels during ice hockey and Formula One meets in Europe. So, to recap, we are now a musical performer, model, actor, member of Parliament, entrepreneur, furniture designer, sports commentator. You learn how to ballroom dance. That's right. Linda participated in Let's Dance, which is basically the Swedish version of Dancing with the Stars in 2008. Linda and her dance partner won several rounds of the competition, but then fell to injury and ended up coming sixth out of the 12 people. Oh my lord, I am exhausted just from relaying this life. Why are they not making movies of a life? Shouldn't she have written a Hemingway style book of her life adventures? Is there any career that Linda has not been performing? And Linda will be taking Finland to the stage. Some say directly to the winners platform with her song. No, sorry, that's right. She's also performing with Pete. Apparently, she was the one who decided, let's get Pete in to do the vocals. Born 8th of February 1990. He's a Finnish singer. I have never cared less about the other person who just happens to be on the stage at the same time. I have never cared less about another performer in my life. I think it's fair to say, move out of the way. Pete, the Linda Love Train, has arrived. Toot. Let's check this out. Look, I don't want to be mean. I guess I should say something about Pete. And for those who are wondering, gee, I wonder which talent music show he was on. He was on the fourth season of The Finnish Idol. And he came third. Who knows? Perhaps that is a sign of things to come for Finland this year. I am looking at the official music video, seeing what was the stage production of this performance. Look, I can certainly see why people would put this song up. It has fire, it has passion. I have to say though, the staging for this I am absolutely not a fan of at all. For a start, can we talk about the fact? Ooh, he is sitting down for a minute and a half. How many times have we said it? It's the Eurovision stage. Don't sit on the Eurovision stage. It drives me crazy. He sits for a minute and a half. I was gonna say an hour and a half. It kind of feels like an hour and a half. It's a minute and a half of him sitting on a box by a window while she is at the very back of the stage playing the. And then we finally get a good, decent shot of Linda being her splendidness wearing all of the Alfoil in Finland. And then she comes up to the window. The window catches fire while the camera sort of twirls around the window. It's very weird. It's this stupid bloody window. It creates this weird disconnect. You can't connect with the performers and feel the energy. It's quite very okay. We're in this box over here for the first minute and a half. And then at the very end, there the camera looks away while the two of them have to very awkwardly jet run. And I know they have to jet run because I have seen the rehearsal footage. The two of them have to run in those moments to the very back of the staff. They put her up on a stepladder while he laments the last 20 seconds directly into her crutch as she furiously bangs it out on the violin. Look, I think this one is definitely gonna be in the top three just because of the power of Linda. But I have to be honest, I hate this staging. I hate your window. I want to connect with the audience. I don't want to be stuck at the window box looking in. But Finland, ooh, you are happy going in, and I guarantee you're gonna be happy coming out. And look, let's be honest, I'm fairly safe in saying that will be more than one person coming out to Linda at Eurovision 2026. God, I love you, Finland.