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Simon Duke

Who are The Ramus? Finland's Eurovision entrants go for win two decades on from worldwide smash

The Rasmus might be new to Eurovision, but the very mention of their name as one of this year's entries jogged memories all the world.

The rock group were one of the qualifiers from Thursday's Eurovision semi final 2, with them having the job of kicking off the second heat with their track Jezebel which has crept into contention in the odds, although Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra are still the red hot favourites to win, especially after they made it through Tuesday's first semi alongside Norway's Subwoolfer, another fan favourite from this year.

Stiff competition in Thursday's second semi will come from Sweden's Cornelia Jakobs who performed second to last in the second semi and has bee a frontrunner in the eyes of Eurovision experts and bookies since the moment she won Melodifestivalen. Other ones who made it through on Thursday evening were the likes of Czech Republic and well fancied Serbia, while there was heartache for Ireland's Brooke Scullion.

READ MORE: How many countries are in Eurovision? Acts and songs for this year's contest

Eurovision hosts this year include Grace Kelly star Mika and they will once again be fronting proceedings from Turin's Pala Olimpico arena for Satuday's final, while Graham Norton will be at the helm of the BBC coverage.

Who are The Rasmus in Eurovision?

The Rasmus actually formed nearly 30 years ago, with the original members getting together in Helsinki in 1994. But it was almost a decade later that they were heard on radio airwaves across the world when they landed a massive global chart smash with early 00s rock anthem In The Shadows.

The Rasmus in Eurovision two decades on from worldwide smash (Instagram)

The hit single , which reached number 3 in the UK in summer 2003, helped The Rasmus win Best Nordic Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The follow ups to In The Shadows, taken from The Rasmus' fifth studio album Dead Letters. didn't make anywhere near as big a dent on the world music charts but the band continued to release more music, bringing out a best of compilation in 2009.

They are back in a big way in 2002 after winning the Finnish national contest to find a Eurovision entry with Jezebel, written by noted songwriter Desmond Child. Asked why they went for Eurovision, the current line-up said their decision to participate was due to the coronavirus pandemic cancelling all of their tours and performances, try something new and 'bond as a band,' even more.

READ NEXT:

*Why is Mika hosting Eurovision?

*Who are Subwoolfer? Mystery surrounds Norway's Eurovision act

* Who is Sam Ryder? UK Eurovision act tipped to do well in Italy

*Sam Ryder's UK Eurovision victory hopes boosted further as performance clip goes viral

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