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.
Eight countries file complaints about ESC 2025
Eight Countries File Complaints Eight countries file complaints about esc 2025. After the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, they asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to look again at the voting process. These countries are Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Norway. Their request came after Israel received 297 televote points, finishing in second place. Many juries gave Israel few or no points. In some countries, the public gave Israel the maximum 12 points while the jury gave none. This difference raised questions. Spain’s RTVE and Belgium’s VRT both asked for an independent audit. Iceland’s RÚV and Ireland’s RTÉ also asked for a review. Finland’s Yle said the rules should be changed to stop “vote stacking”. Slovenia’s RTVSLO questioned whether Israel should have been allowed to compete. EBU Responds The EBU said that the voting was fair and secure. Eurovision director Martin Green called it “the most advanced voting system in the world.” He explained that independent monitors check all the results. The EBU found no mistakes or fraud. Spain’s televote for Israel was reviewed and showed no signs of manipulation. The results, the EBU said, are valid and verified. Government Promotion Allowed The EBU also explained why Israel received so many votes. The Israeli government, through a public agency, created almost 90 YouTube videos to promote their entry. In these videos, singer Yuval Raphael asked people to vote for her. The EBU confirmed that such campaigns are allowed. Other governments have also supported their artists in similar ways. The rules do not ban national promotion. Next Steps The EBU stated that it takes the concerns seriously. Therefore, Eurovision director Martin Green announced that a full review will take place in cooperation with all participating broadcasters. The main goal of this process is to improve the contest ahead of Eurovision 2026. Meanwhile, the EBU has made it clear that the results of 2025 will remain unchanged. Nevertheless, the organization emphasized that it remains committed to maintaining public trust in both the contest and its voting system. Share
