Image: Yle

Darude, whose real name is Ville Virtanen, 43, has been chosen by Yle to represent Finland in May in Tel Aviv Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest.

"This is a huge challenge for me in many ways, when I was asked to represent Finland I felt a bit scared at first, but there was no way I could say 'no' to my country," says Darude.

Based in Finland, Darude is best known for the trance instrumental hit "Sandstorm" which was released 20 years ago and is still being played around the world.

Before leaving for Tel Aviv, Darude will play three pieces in a live Yle TV broadcast on 2 March. The winning Darude track that represents Finland in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will be decided by a combination of public vote and an international jury’s points via live stream and TV broadcast.

The three pieces will be released by Yle on three Fridays in a row: 8, 15, and 22 February.

Record producer and DJ Darude will perform the tracks with featured vocalist Sebastian Rejman, from the band The Giant Leap.

Darude plays about 70 gigs around the world each year. He’s also released four studio albums, including "Moments," which came out in 2015.