She captured the hearts of the British public by finishing second on X Factor UK in 2016, months after missing out on representing Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Now, as Saara Aalto finally gets her chance to shine in Lisbon, she has revealed that former Spice Girls singer Melanie C will be the first guest performer at UMK 2018 on March 3.

It’s the latest sign that Saara is well and truly cementing her place in the music industry. On the X Factor she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger. She’s subsequently landed record deals, joined the judging panel of X Factor Suomi and become a national icon. And now she’ll have the chance to sing with one of her long-time idols. This is what you call momentum…and it’s well-deserved.

Prior to her announcement, Saara teased us with these cryptic clues of her special UMK guest, alongside a shadowy female silhouette.

12 UK number 1 hits

4 Billboard Top 10 hits

105 million records sold

3 American music awards

5 Brit awards

4 worldwide multi-platinum albums

3 MTV Europe music awards

4 Billboard music awards

And she also expressed her excitement at the prospect of performing with her childhood hero.

My childhood dream has always been to perform at Eurovision. Now I am so excited to say I will also perform alongside one of my childhood heroes.

However, this isn’t the first time Saara and Mel C will be on the same stage, as they first met each other at last year’s Manchester Pride event.

As for her three potential Eurovision songs, Saara has confirmed that she will reveal them over three weeks in February — on Friday the 9th, 16th and 23rd.

And it’ll be up the Finnish public alongside an international jury panel to decide which song Saara will sing in Lisbon. Following the semi-final allocation draw, Finland is confirmed to perform in the second half of the First Semi-Final.

You can still buy tickets for UMK 2018 here.

Are you excited to see Mel C at UMK 2018? Are you hoping Saara goes uptempo or slows it down? Share your thoughts in the comments box below!

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Photo: Lux Music