Finland was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 by Geir Rönning and the song "Why". The song was written by Mika Toivanen and Steven Stewart. Singer-songwriter Geir Rønning was born in Norway but has been living in Finland for about ten years now. His international musical career has lasted for over 15 years of which over the years, he has performed with many internationally known artists and musicians. Geir has performed at music clubs and festivals, in charity concerts as well as on TV and radio shows both in Finland and abroad. Geir released his debut album, “Første gang”, in Norway in 1996. Geir has participated in the national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest both in Finland and in Norway. In the Norwegian finals, Geir’s best achievement was second position in 1996 with the song “Uten dé”.
Before Eurovision
Euroviisut 2005
Euroviisut 2005 consisted of five shows that commenced with the first of four semi-finals on 14 January 2005 and concluded with a final on 19 February 2005. The four semi-finals were held at Lahti, Jyväskylä, Turku and Imatra respectively, with the final being held at Tampere. All shows were hosted by Heikki Paasonen and Jaana Pelkonen.
Competing entries
A new record was set when 503 songs were submitted to broadcaster Yle for the 2005 national selection as compared to the 476 songs received in 2002. In addition, Yle invited eight composers to submit songs directly to the competition.
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 14 January 2005 and six of the competing acts performed. The top three entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 21 January 2005 and six of the competing acts performed. The top three entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
Semi-final 3
The third semi-final took place on 4 February 2005 and six of the competing acts performed. The top three entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
Semi-final 4
The fourth semi-final took place on 11 February 2005 and six of the competing acts performed. The top three entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
Final
The final was held at Tampere Hall on 19February 2005. The winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the votes of six regional juries determined the top six entries to proceed to the second round. In the second round, a public vote exclusively selected Geir Rönning with the song "Why?" as the winner.
At Eurovision
Because Finland failed to qualify in 2004 Geir was forced to compete in the Eurovision semi-final, Finland started in 16th position after Hungary and before Macedonia. He came 18th with 50 points failing to qualify to the Grand Final. Therefore, Finland will have to compete in the semi-final again in ESC 2006. The spokesperson who revealed Finland's votes for other countries was Finland's 2004 entrant Jari Sillanpää.
