Finland - Monsters - Saara Aalto

Digital release image

25 - 46 pts, 10 - 108 pts in semi 2

Monsters is the Finnish Eurovision song for Saara Aalto. It won the UMK final on March 3.
Monsters is written by Saara herself with Joy Deb, Linnea Deb en Ki Fitzgerald (yep! Son Of Scott).

Finland had planned a new edition of their Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) contest to select an entry for Lisbon but later they announced Saara Aalto as the entrant for the 2018 contest.
Saara Aalto had her own UMK pre-selection with three songs: Monsters, Domino and Queens.

The songs were revealed (and released in digital shops) one by one on 9, 16 and 23 February.
Watch and listen here at Saara's Youtube.
The final (still named UMK) was on March 3.

WWW
Saara Aalto has released her new CD album Wild Wild Wonderland on April 27.
The album will also include Domino, Queens and No Fear,
The tracklist is at the end of this page.
Four remixes of Monsters are released on April 20. (see versions below).
The Twilight version was released on April 26 (digital).
There will be no physical single release but a few cd-r's have been dispatched by Warner Music Finland.

A counterfeit, fake, illegal cdsingle has been spotted, don't buy it. No official physical release or promo was made.

Twilight version DRI

Versions
Monsters - single version
- digital release
Monsters - karaoke
- digital on the official karaoke album

Monsters - Initial talk remix
Monsters - Cutmore remix
Monsters - Extended original
Monsters - Cutmore radio edit
- remixes are digital releases
Monsters - Twilight version
- digital release
The Cutmore Radio mix can also be found on the DMC DJ CD DMC Essential Hits 158.
The full Cutmore remix is on the DMC DJ CD DMC Dance Mixes 206.

Charts
After release Monsters initially spent a week at #14 in the Finnish top 20 (IFPI) but it fell out the next week. After the National Final it entered at #15 but fell out again the next week. Domino and Queens failed to chart.
Finnish top 20 (Ifpi): 14, -, 15, -, re:(10 weeks later): 13, -

爱的祝福 (2013)

Runner Up
Some of you may have spotted Saara Aalto in the U.K. X-Factor where she ended 2nd in 2016.
She achieved the same result when she entered the 2012 edition of The Voice Of Finland.
She also entered the Finnish Eurovision selection twice and, you guessed it, ended 2nd on both occasions.
Saara's UMK hits:
2011: Blessed with love (2nd)
2016: No Fear (2nd)
Saara Aalto released five albums.
Check out her 2013 album Ai De Zhu Fu (爱的祝福) for which she recorded songs from her previous CD's in Chinese (Mandarin)! The title track is a version of her 2011 preselection song Blessed With Love. Will Saara be the first Eurovision singer to record her entry in Chinese?

Links and Sources:
Thanks to Nora at Leikki promotion, Thanks to Marek
Saara Aalto: Website, Facebook, Instagram
The NoFear store has Saara Aalto merchandise incl CDs, T-Shirts and even earplugs.
YLE UMK pages
Finlands recent entries: 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

Out now! The new Saara Aalto album

Wild Wild Wonderland
Tracklist

1. Monsters
2. Hän
3. Dance!!!
4. Queens
5. Half A Heart
6. Dance Like Nobody’s Watching
7. Sirens
8. Don’t Deny Our Love
9. My Touch
10. Walking On Nails
11. Domino
12. Wild Wild Wonderland
13. No Fear (Bonus Track)

(Warner Music Finland 5054197007347)