Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen on the ‘sad’ meaning behind their Eurovision 2026 song

Roisin O'ConnorMon, May 11, 2026 at 8:53 AM UTC

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Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius (R) and singer Pete Parkkonen are representing Finland at Eurovision 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)

Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen are the musical duo hoping to bring Eurovision glory to Finland this year.

Lampenius is known around the world as a classical violinist who has been performing with orchestras since she was eight years old. She is also the subject of an award-winning documentary series and her autobiography, My Untamed Life.

Parkkonen, meanwhile, rose to fame through Finland’s TV series Idols, where he placed third in 2008. He has released a number of solo albums, gone on headline tours and, in 2014, won Dancing with the Stars Finland with his professional dance partner Katri Mäkinen.

They are competing at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Liekinheitin", which means “flamethrower”.

Read our Q&A with Lampenius and Parkkonen below. They are competing in the first semi-final in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday May.

Hi Linda and Pete, what should our readers know about you?

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Pete: ”Something that is interesting and funny is that we didn’t know each other before the Liekinheitin project started.”

Linda: ”We knew of each other and when I was in the studio making the song, I told the producer that my dream collab would be Pete Parkkonen. The producer turned out to know Pete. One phone call and 24 hours later we were in the studio and the rest is history.”

Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius will be representing Finland (Getty Images)

Can you tell us about the inspiration and meaning behind your song "Liekinheitin"?

The story behind this song is actually quite deep and sad. It’s about when you get involved with someone and let them fall in love with you, but when they get too close, you turn ice cold. The protagonist in “Liekinheitin” can either be seen as the victim of someone’s behaviour, or as a person who becomes addicted to other people, even when they know that the relationship will never evolve. It symbolises the passion these two people are experiencing, but it’s also the desperation that could kill you.

What would it mean to you to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Finland?

It’s such an honour for us to have the opportunity to represent Finland – the chance of winning is something we haven’t been able to quite fathom yet! We are so excited to get to perform and the rest is up to the juries and the audience.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”