Finland star Erika Vikman says she must "cover her butt" for Eurovision 2025

Finland's Eurovision star says she has been told to tone down her performance for Basel.

Erika Vikman fans world-wide are concerned after the Finnish diva revealed the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has asked her to tone down the sexual expression in her performance of Ich Komme.

Speaking with Swedish newspaper, EXPRESSN, Vikman said it was not just one thing about her performance, but it's overall sexual nature that had unsettled the EBU.

“It's not just one thing, it's everything. My clothes, what the song is about, how I move on stage. The EBU has said it's a bit too sexual. They want to cover my butt.”

However, since her comments the Finnish broadcaster YLE's Eurovision Song Contest Executive Producer Anssi Autio, said the EBU did not direct them to change the performance.

YLE went on to say "Anssi Autio says he cannot comment on Vikman's remarks. However, he confirms that discussions have taken place with the EBU, but no direct demands have been made."

More on Erika's comments

Breaking free of what she describes as being chained in her early music career as a tango singer, the Suomi songstress said she had more within herself to express.

“I'm wild, I have more to give. I'm sexual on stage – and after two years of tango, I wanted to be a pop diva.”

“In Finland, people are conservative and afraid to express themselves. I was difficult for them at first. It's still like that, although some are starting to get used to it. Half of Finland hates me, half loves me,” she said.

Ich Komme dials up the sex-positivity that has come to be a core part of her musical and artistic expression.

Meaning, “I’m coming” in German, which is undoubtedly sexually charged, commentators have pointed out how the verses also draw on Finnish mythology and history to make the song far more than about just climax.

This latest censorship move from the EBU comes closely following its decision to disallow Miriana Conte’s tongue-in-cheek double entendre Serving Kant from using the word that arguably propelled its enormous virality.

“We have to play by their rules and change my outfit,” Vikman concedes.

“But it feels a bit double-edged. They think the problem with my show is that it's ‘too much,’ but my whole thing is to be too much."

Positioning the potential set back as an opportunity, Vikman said she’s tightening up her staging and performance in response to EBU’s direction.

“We're making a different start,” she said.

“The very beginning of the song changes. It's good because I didn't like the static nature of UMK. Now I can make changes to the things that bothered me.”

“I can make it much better.”

She also stated that the colors and concept of the performance will remain similar to the UMK national final performances.

Ich Komme is one of the competition favourites leading up to Basel, Switzerland, sitting at number six in the odds.

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