In 2016, Aalto came runner-up in the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK, which gained her international recognition. Every fourth Finn watched The X Factor final. Aalto was the most googled person in Finland in 2016. Tabloid newspaper Iltalehti readers voted Saara Aalto as Finnish person of the year 2016. Following the show, she was signed to both Sony Music UK and Finland. In June 2017, Aalto announced via social media that she will be a judge on season two of X Factor Suomi. Four months later, Aalto announced she had left Sony Music for Warner Music Group, citing that her previous deal did not feel like the "right team".
On 7 November 2017, it was announced that Aalto would represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
Hope
Saara Aalto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you just closed the door
Tomorrow it might all be gone away
We conquered the world we saw playing by our law
Now you're ashamed and trying to withdraw
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
On playgrounds she laughed and played
Now she's grown into a girl who's so afraid
Where are the acts of love, the deeds we'd be proud of?
Now I'm sending all my prayers high above
There's only hope now, that will carry on
Ooh, we rely upon
We're only people and we have the faith
Ooh, it will be okay
If somebody told you how, how to make a change right now
Would you tell the world and spread out all you've heard?
Denying the truth is in vain
Like running from the rain
But if we run as one our stories never end
There's only hope now, that will carry on
Ooh, we rely upon
We're only people sharing needs of love
Ooh, why do we make it so hard?
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
There's only hope now, that will carry on
Ooh, we rely upon
We're only people and we have the faith
Ooh, it will be okay
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Saara Aalto's song "Hope" is a meditation on the power of hope in the face of adversity. The song begins by urging the listener to look back on the world before they "just closed the door," suggesting a sense of regret or missed opportunity. A sense of melancholy permeates the lyrics, as the singer laments how we "conquered the world we saw playing by our law" but are now "ashamed and trying to withdraw." The chorus offers a message of hope, however: "There's only hope now, that will carry on / We're only people and we have the faith / Ooh, it will be okay." The second verse shifts the focus to the experience of growing up and losing the sense of innocence and playfulness one had as a child. The singer wonders where the "acts of love" and "deeds we'd be proud of" have gone, and sends their prayers "high above." The chorus repeats, reinforcing the idea that hope is what we need to rely upon to keep moving forward.
The bridge of the song serves as a call to action: "If somebody told you how, how to make a change right now / Would you tell the world and spread out all you've heard?" The lyrics suggest that change is possible but only if we are willing to face the truth and work together. The final chorus ends with a repeated refrain of "Ooh, it will be okay," driving home the message that hope is what we need to hold on to in times of crisis.
Line by Line Meaning
Look back on the world before
Reflect on the past and remember how it used to be
Before you just closed the door
Before you gave up and stopped trying to make a difference
Tomorrow it might all be gone away
The future is unpredictable and anything can change
We conquered the world we saw playing by our law
We used to be in control of our lives and everything around us
Now you're ashamed and trying to withdraw
But now we feel embarrassed and want to retreat from the situation
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Don't worry, things will work out in the end
Look back on the child who played
Remember the innocence and joy we had as children
On playgrounds she laughed and played
We used to have fun and enjoy simple things in life
Now she's grown into a girl who's so afraid
But now we've grown up and feel scared and uncertain about the future
Where are the acts of love, the deeds we'd be proud of?
We have lost sight of kind actions and behaviors that make us proud of ourselves
Now I'm sending all my prayers high above
We are hoping for a miracle or divine intervention to change our situation
There's only hope now, that will carry on
The only thing keeping us going is hope
We're only people and we have the faith
We are all human beings and we still have a bit of hope left
If somebody told you how, how to make a change right now
If someone gave us the answer to solve our problems right now
Would you tell the world and spread out all you've heard?
Would we share the solution to help others in need?
Denying the truth is in vain
Ignoring the reality of the situation will not help us overcome it
Like running from the rain
Avoiding the problem is like running away from the inevitable
But if we run as one our stories never end
If we work together as a team, our story will never be over
We're only people sharing needs of love
We are all ordinary people who need love and support
Ooh, why do we make it so hard?
Why do we complicate things instead of seeking simplicity?
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
But despite it all, everything will be okay in the end
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Okay to express the main message of the song is that everything will be okay at the end.
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Okay for other instances where the main message of the song is repeated.
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Okay for other instances where the main message of the song is repeated.
Ooh, it will be okay, ooh
Okay for other instances where the main message of the song is repeated.
Contributed by Tristan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.