Today, the sad news came to us that Finnish singer Laila Halme passed away. Laila Halme, born Laila Soppi in the Finnish town of Jääski, was a Finnish singer and actress. She began her career in the 1950, singing in several orchestras. Her first single “Kaunis rakkaus” was released in 1959. In 1960, she released several singles and EP’s at the Philips label. In 1961 she debuted as an actress in two films: “Penkki” and “Tähtisumua”.
In 1963, she participated in Euroviisut, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Olen mikä olen”. She became 3rd, while the song “Muistojeni laulu” won and Irmeli Mäkelä was chosen to sing it in the Eurovision Song Contest. However, Finnish broadcaster YLE decided to let Laila Halme sing it in the international final. She did not receive any point at all. A year later, Laila Halme represented Finland in the festival of Sopot in Poland. She released a couple of singles but left showbusiness in 1967. We only saw her back in 1987, when she hosted Euroviisut. Her son Jussi Halme is also a singer, he took part in Euroviisut in 1990.
Laila Halme was 87 years old.
🇨🇾 2026: Antigoni sings “Jalla” for Cyprus
Cyprus has officially released its Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry, unveiling the song “Jalla” by Antigoni. Her track debuted tonight via a music video premiere on national TV, followed by an online release shortly. This marks the first public reveal of the song that will represent Cyprus in Vienna this May. Video Premiere on RIK1 and Online CyBC’s RIK1 channel aired “Jalla” for the first time at 20:00 CET during the Sunday evening news. Immediately after the TV broadcast, at 21:00 local time, the full song and video went live on the Eurovision YouTube channel and CyBC’s official site. At the same time, “Jalla” also became available on all major streaming and digital music platforms. This coordinated release strategy ensured fans could experience Cyprus’s song “Jalla” as soon as it debuted. About “Jalla” and Antigoni Antigoni’s Eurovision song “Jalla” is an atmospheric pop track that celebrates her Greek-Cypriot roots. In the Cypriot dialect, “Jalla” means “more”. It’s a local word that adds a strong cultural character to the song. Additionally, a teaser shot from the music video showed the singer reclining in a pickup truck surrounded by oranges. The full video even features Antigoni’s own grandparents in cameo roles, underlining the personal touch in the presentation. These vivid visuals underscore the song’s connection to Cyprus’s traditions and scenery. Antigoni (full name Antigoni Buxton) is a British-Cypriot singer-songwriter. Cyprus’s broadcaster CyBC internally selected her to represent the country at Eurovision 2026. Notably, Antigoni co-wrote “Jalla” with a team of international songwriters and producers. This team includes Connor Mullally-Knight, Claydee, Trey Qua, Paris Kalpos, Charalambos Kallona, and Dimitris Nikolaou. With its polished production and cultural flair, “Jalla” aims to give Cyprus a strong chance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
