Liekinheitin

Finnish media and personalities

"Liekinheitin" was met with generally positive reviews from Finnish music critics and personalities. Juuso Määttänen of Helsingin Sanomat characterised the song as "safe erotic pop", praising Parkkonen's vocals and Lampenius' violin melodies while noting that its progression toward an "explosive climax" was reminiscent of previous Eurovision entries, specifically JJ's "Wasted Love" and Erika Vikman's "Ich komme".^[19] Writing for Ilta-Sanomat, Iiro Myllymäki gave the song a generally positive review, praising the chemistry between Parkkonen and Lampenius, and considered the entry having the best chance of success at Eurovision, despite offering a minor criticism regarding the song's "weak hook" and the lack of connection between the title and the chorus. He also called the entry "so Eurovision that it is almost a parody", though he noted that in the context of the contest, "too much is rarely enough".^[20] In a review for the magazine Seiska, Toni Keränen described the track as "strong" with a compelling dramatic pulse. While he suggested the song might be "better without the solo violin" due to a personal preference for orchestral arrangements, he acknowledged Lampenius as an "impressive" and "must-have" part of the entry. He concluded that the song would "certainly be a success" if it reached the final.^[21]

The song has also been received positively by Finnish artists, including UMK winners Erika Vikman and Krista Siegfrids, former UMK participants Sara Siipola, Bess, and Tiina Forsby [fi] of Portion Boys, and Finnish personalities, including Maria Veitola and Johannes Holopainen [fi], among others.^[22] Lead vocalist Tomi Putaansuu of the Eurovision 2006 winning band Lordi also provided a generally positive assessment of the song, describing it as "quite good" with a "cool vibe", but he noted difficulty in identifying a definitive "hook". While he admitted the arrangement was somewhat confusing to him, to which he attributed to his own preference for simpler heavy metal, he concluded that the entry "looks and sounds good" overall.^[23]

On the radio show Herman & Toivonen: Very Important Content, musicians Mitja Toivonen and Olli Herman gave the song a polarising review, despite giving it a rating of 7.5 and 8.5, respectively. Toivonen praised its potential for a "grandiose" stage performance, while Herman specifically commended Lampenius's violin performance and Parkkonen's vocal ability. However, the latter heavily criticised the song's lyrical content, describing it as "toxic" and "repulsive". Using a metaphor based on Snow White, he compared the narrative to a protagonist knowingly consuming a poisoned apple and returning for more, which he argued portrayed a highly unhealthy relationship.^[24]

Swedish media and personalities

Hanna Fahl from the newspaper Dagens Nyheter identified the song as one of the "standouts" of the 2026 contest, describing it as a "strangely schlager-nostalgic kitsch party" and comparing its elaborate drama to the parody songs from the film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. She characterised the performance as an "archaic saga about fire, heroes and love", and noted that the "fiery retro duet" between Lampenius and Parkkonen was "exactly what the contest needed".^[25] Journalist Tobbe Ek [sv] praised the entry for meeting the "three criteria" he deemed essential for Eurovision success: a good song, a strong vocal delivery, and an amazing stage performance. He praised Parkkonen’s vocals and complimented Lampenius's "strong presence" on stage, likening her to an Amazon.^[26]

Writing for Expressen, Maria Brander rated the entry a five out of five, calling their performance as having an "operatic bombastic staging heading towards a climax and its own dimension of ESC divinity".^[27] Eva Frantz of the Swedish-language department of Yle gave the song a rating of nine out of 10, calling the duo "calm, experienced and incredibly skilled". She also noted that the entry being performed in Finnish is a "good choice", since she described the song's lyrics as "a bit buggy in places".^[28]

Eurovision-related and international media

Glen Weldon of the National Public Radio ranked the entry first in his list of the 10 best songs competing at Eurovision 2026, calling it "iconic", "powerful", "Eurovision distilled to its glitterbomb essence", and "will get the crowd on its feet". While noting that the lyrics offered little innovation, relying on "the go-to ESC imagery of love as flames", he praised the track's structure and progression.^[29] Writing for the Serbian newspaper Danas, Pero Jovović dubbed the entry a "carefully balanced blend of pop, rock and film music" and noted that the violin element of the song gives it an "extra dimension, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of film scores, but with the energy of a contemporary performance". He also praised Parkkonen's vocals by calling it "powerful and emotional", which results to the song "leaving a strong first impression and is easy to remember".^[30]

In the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant, Robert van Gijssel and Els de Grefte dubbed the song as one of the 10 best Eurovision songs of 2026, noting that the track relies on the interplay between "Lampenius' triumphant violin playing" and Parkkonen's "somewhat overly passionate rock voice". They also observed that the two elements engage in a dialogue over a "basic dance beat and the distorted and quite adventurous electronics", resulting in a unique sound defined by "unmistakable Eurovision glitter".^[31] Maria Sherman from the Associated Press also included the entry in her list of the 10 best performances of the 2026 contest, calling it "electrified" and the duo a "winning combination".^[32]

Writing for the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, Ralf Lofstad gave the song a five out of six, praising Lampenius' live violin playing and Parkkonen's vocals, describing the entry as having a "dance rhythm with a very Eastern European expression", and mentioned that the track is the best of the semi-final. However, he commented that the song is "quite generic" that is "dragged up by all the other elements".^[33] Jon O'Brien from Vulture ranked the entry ninth out of the 35 entries, describing it as a "fiery duet" that combined classical violin with Parkkonen's "gruff vocals". Although he noted a lack of a strong melodic hook, he felt the entry's "sheer ridiculousness" could be sufficient to win the contest.^[34] In a live review for The Guardian, Heidi Stephens wrote that the "absolutely scorching staging" and Lampenius' violin playing elevated the song despite describing the entry as "a bit dated".^[35]

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026 was the national final format organised by Yle to select the Finnish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The competition saw seven entries competing in a final on 28 February 2026. Results during the final were determined based on votes from the public and an international jury, with the final result being 75% of the public vote and 25% of the jury vote.^[36] Lampenius and Parkkonen were officially announced to compete in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026 on 14 January 2026,^[37] with their song released the following day.^[38] "Liekinheitin" was drawn to perform seventh at the final, and won the contest with 570 points, scoring 492 points from public vote and 78 points from the jury vote.^[39][40]

For its UMK performance, the creative team were composed of Ari Levelä, Reija Wäre, Juha-Matti Valtonen, Sergio Jaén, and Matti Myllyaho.^[41] It also utilised black-clad stagehands called "ninjas" to aid the duo in their performance.^[42] The staging featured a dilapidated orchestra stand with chairs and benches both upright and upside down. Lampenius stood on a chair at the beginning of the performance, and Parkkonen was at the front of the stage.^[43] The performance also featured flames and other pyrotechnics. Lampenius and Parkkonen remained apart for the most part during the performance which reflects the themes of the song, with them being separated by a burning confessional.^[44][45] The performance ends with Lampenius and Parkkonen meeting in front of the chairs, with the chairs rising into the air.^[46]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026.^[47] During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Finland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.^[48] Lampenius and Parkkonen were later drawn to perform seventh, after Italy's Sal Da Vinci and before Montenegro's Tamara Živković.^[49]

For their Eurovision performance, the staging was similar to the one performed at the Finnish national selection.^[50][51] The duo wore stage costumes designed by Finnish fashion designer Teemu Muurimäki [fi]. Lampenius' outfit, sewn by Jaana Björklund, consisted of a silver strapless outfit with layered fabric, decorated with rhinestones and tulle paired with silver high boots. Parkkonen wore a slightly transparent black silk chiffon shirt sewn by Elviira Medel.^[52][53]

During the rehearsals, Lampenius was permitted by the EBU to play parts of her violin solos live after seeking permission months prior;^[54][55][56] the latter subsequently releasing a statement that the decision is in accordance with the rules of this year's contest stating that "live audio capture of instruments may exceptionally be permitted where artistically justified".^[57][58] With this, Lampenius performed using a 1781 Gagliano violin.^[59] "Liekinheitin" finished third in the semi-final, scoring 227 points and securing a position for the grand final.^[60][61]

Lampenius and Parkkonen performed a repeat of their performance in the grand final on 16 May. The song performed 17th, after Moldova's Satoshi and before Poland's Alicja.^[62] The duo finished sixth with 279 points, with a split score of 141 points from the juries and 138 points from public televoting. Regarding the former, the song received two sets of 12 points from Estonia and Sweden. The song also received two sets of 12 points from the public televote given by the same two countries.^[63]