UMK returnees Cyan Kicks started to think about a second tilt at winning the competition straight after the final of the show two years ago. 

The band made their debut in UMK in 2022, but were beaten to the win by The Rasmus. 

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• Cyan Kicks, after narrowly missing out on victory in UMK 2022, are making a comeback in this year’s competition with their song Dancing With Demons
• Frontwoman Susanna Alexandra began planning their return immediately after their first attempt, waiting for the right song to come along
• The band collaborated with friends and favourite songwriters, including Elize Ryd, Sara Ryan (known as SaRaha), and British producer Dan Lancaster, known for his work with bands like Blink-182 and Muse, to create their entry for UMK 2024

They are returning for another try this year, and frontwoman Susanna Alexandra started planning a return soon after their first effort. 

Speaking to The Euro Trip, Alexandra said: “After the UMK final in 2022 I was thinking I wanted to reapply and get us back. 

“It has been a dream to make it happen and I have been waiting for the right song to come along. 

“I wanted to have the feeling – I didn’t want to look for it or make a song [specifically for UMK] because it never works for us. 

“With this song, the feeling came pretty early. 

“We had the chorus almost ready when I had the feeling. It just felt so right.” 

Cyan Kicks’ contribution to UMK this year is called Dancing With Demons, and was written by Alexandra and fellow band member Niila Perkkiö. 

Songwriting input came from friends of the band, Elize Ryd and Sara Ryan. 

“We had already planned a writing session with Elize Ryd and Sara Ryan – they are our favourite songwriters,” Alexandra said. 

“They are the group we like together a lot with because we’re really good friends.” 

Sara Ryan will be familiar to fans of Melodifestivalen under the stage name SaRaha. She placed ninth in Sweden’s national selection in 2016, and has written Fröken Snusk’s debut entry in the competition this year. 

British songwriter and producer Dan Lancaster – famous for collaborating with bands Blink-182, Muse and Bring Me The Horizon – also worked with Cyan Kicks on Dancing With Demons, but isn’t a stranger to the band. 

“Dan has mixed a couple of singles for our latest album,” Alexandra said. 

“He understands so well what we are doing – our style and everything. 

“We were thinking while doing this song, ‘Should we ask Dan to join as a songwriter?’ and he said yes. 

“We went to London to work with him and that was amazing. He did a really good job and had awesome ideas for the song.” 

Cyan Kicks will perform Dancing With Demons in UMK on February 10.