Finland in Eurovision 2025: Erika Vikman vents frustration-criticizing the public vote for Israel, the media, and addressing whether she plans to return to Eurovision.
In an interview stirring both Finnish and international media, Erika Vikman, Finland’s representative for Eurovision 2025 with the song “Ich Komme,” who finished 11th in the grand final with 196 points, publicly addressed the results of the grand final held in Basel, Switzerland-particularly the significant number of votes received by Israel’s representative. In an interview conducted upon her return to Helsinki, Vikman did not hold back, expressing clear frustration with the outcome, including personal criticism toward the media and the Israeli audience.
Vikman landed at Helsinki airport late Sunday night, where journalists and local media representatives awaited her. According to her, the feelings were mixed: “I feel grateful and relieved,” Vikman described her mood. She added that she had hoped for a higher placement in the final: “Of course, it was disappointing that we didn’t even make it into the top ten,” she said.
“It’s Really Unfair”: Direct Criticism of Israeli Support
At the center of Vikman’s remarks was her reaction to the standout result of Israel’s representative, Yuval Raphael, who received the most public votes in the competition’s final. “Today, I read in the Finnish media that Israel managed to mobilize an enormous number of votes. I think it’s really unfair,” Vikman declared.
This statement, made directly and without reservation, joins a wave of reactions across the Finnish internet, where an active debate is taking place about the influence of external campaigns on voting results, especially from organized audiences such as Israel’s.
Internal Tensions: Comparisons to Sweden’s Representatives
Beyond her criticism of the voting, Vikman also did not hide her discontent with how she was portrayed during the Eurovision season by the local media. She referred to the repeated comparisons between her performance and that of Sweden’s representatives, the band KAJ, who are originally from Finland. “The fact that the media kept pitting us head-to-head was really bullshit. It really made us angry that they kept putting us in direct competition with each other,” she said.
Will Not Return to the Competition: “Tired”
Despite journalists’ questions about the possibility of returning to compete in the future, Vikman was unequivocal. “Absolutely not,” Vikman answered with a smile when asked if she would consider competing in the contest again. She added that she feels exhausted after the entire process: “I feel tired after this experience.”
In the meantime, Vikman is focusing on her upcoming projects. She has begun preparations for her upcoming summer tour and is working on a new album in collaboration with Christel and Jori Roosberg. Additionally, she hints that she would not oppose advancing to an international career if the opportunity arises.
Sore Losers?
At the end of one of the most turbulent Eurovision seasons, it seems the masks have truly fallen. When the result does not meet expectations, suddenly principles are forgotten. Two years of calls to abolish the judges’ influence and give the stage to the public (following the results for Finland in 2023 and, a year later, Croatia) evaporated the moment the public chose Israel. What was once considered “popular justice” has now become “a blatant injustice.” This is not just hypocrisy-it is a painful testament that in Eurovision, sometimes what really matters is not how people vote, but for whom.
Finland at Eurovision 2025
“Ich Komme” is the title of the song that will be performed by singer Erika Vikman, who represented Finland and finished 11th in the grand final with 196 points at Eurovision 2025, taking place on May 17th in Basel, Switzerland. The song was written by Christel Roosberg and Jori Roosberg. This is the first song by these writers to compete in Eurovision. The song is performed in Finnish, with the title in German.
Erika Vikman – Who Are You?
Erika Vikman, born on February 20th, 1993, is a Finnish singer-songwriter. Erika is one of Finland’s biggest pop stars and is known to Eurovision fans for her participation in the 2020 national selection, where she finished second with the song “Cicciolina“, which became a sensation in Finland and subsequently led to her rise to fame and status. Erika is known for her provocative performances and catchy yet clever pop songs. She described her song “Ich Komme” as a “crazy” creation, an unusual pop song with a lot of thought behind it, which also achieved great success in Finland.Eurovision 2025: This will be Finland’s 58th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Finland joined the competition in 1961 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2006, winning the contest with Lordi and their song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.
