Photo credit: Nelli Kentta
With a stage name translating as ‘The Rapper’, Käärijä is an act not short of personality. He stormed both the jury and televotes of UMK and now he is hoping to secure Finland‘s second Eurovision victory in Liverpool. Read on to learn more about him and his journey to Eurovision.
Who is Käärijä?
29-year-old Käärijä (real name Jere Pöyhönen) was born in Helsinki and first discovered his love of music whilst learning to play the drums as a small child. He went on to produce his own music until 2017, when he signed with Finnish record label Monsp Records. Subsequently, his debut EP ‘Peliä‘ was released in 2018 followed by his debut LP ‘Fantastista’ in 2020.
He has described the German metal band Rammstein as one of his greatest musical influences and even has a tattoo of the band’s logo on his chest. This is usually visible to audiences as Käärijä is known for wearing a distinctive lime green bolero jacket onstage. He initially wore a bright yellow suit but, due to his highly energetic performance style, would often end up getting too warm and performing shirtless. A costume change was facilitated and a star was born!
However, his musical journey has not always been smooth-sailing and in January 2023, Käärijä publically revealed that he had been living with a life-threatening case of ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager. Eventually, after dramatic weight loss, periods of being totally bed-ridden and a dangerously low haemoglobin count, Käärijä was rushed to hospital where he had his entire large intestine removed and had a stoma fitted. According to a feature by ESC Insight, he decided to go public with his condition to be an inspiration to others suffering with it:
When I first got sick I was alone with it in a way. But when I was searching online I came across a story about hockey player Teemu Ramstedt, who also had the same disease. That brought me hope, like ‘God damn, that guy is out there playing hockey while having this thing!’ It was such a big thing for me to have a well-known person open up about something like that. It made me feel easier and I felt no longer alone. That’s why I wanted to bring this up, in case there is someone out there with these kinds of things I want them to know any of us could have that. And I hope people get themselves treated quickly because it can end up very bad.
ESC Insight – Käärijä’s Journey From Illness And Unemployment To Eurovision Legend
The Journey To Eurovision
On 11th January 2023, Käärijä was announced as one of the participants of Finnish national final UMK. His song ‘Cha Cha Cha’ immediately caught the attention of fans of the contest. Described by Käärijä simply as “it’s crazy, it’s party”, it is a seamless amalgamation of genres, marrying together to form one of this year’s biggest earworms. The song divides into two sections, rap-metal and pop, with the ‘Cha Cha Cha’ motif consistently carried through both sections. Lyrically, the song initially describes the feelings of wanting to get rid of the “exhausting week and many long days” through drinking, with Käärijä using the rap-metal portion to reflect his melancholy mood. However, a few pina coladas in and he heads towards the dancefloor, feeling jubilant with the transition to a more poppy sound reflecting this: “this world ain’t making me scared no more.”
On 25th February 2023, Käärijä performed at UMK. Replicating the wrestling ring of his music video using wooden pallets, he was also joined by four backing dancers, dancing a violent version of the cha cha cha and wearing fuschia costumes. The performance was a delightful assault on the eyes and ears and viewers could not get enough of it. Käärijä won the 25% international jury vote but it was his result with the 75% televote that truly blew people away: he received 467 points from audiences overall, earning him 52.9% of the overall vote and easily dominating second place act Portion Boys, who secured 14.1%! With such an impressive score under his belt, Käärijä was off to Liverpool!
How will Käärijä fare in Liverpool?
Käärijä has been a contest favourite since the very start of UMK, with many viewing him as a strong contender to take not just the UMK crown but also the Eurovision trophy too. Due to this, bookmakers have been consistently placing Käärijä highly in the odds on who may take this year’s win. However, as noted every year, both fan favour and bookmakers odds should always be taken with a pinch of salt, as with every competition there is the risk that a song that resonates with fans in the months prior to the competition may not resonate with the voting public on the night.
Despite this, the uniqueness of Käärijä‘s song definitely makes him stand out from the rest of this year’s line-up. This was reflected in the semi-final one evening preview where he received rapturous applause from the crowd and also scored highest with Eurovision podcast The Euro Trip’s audience poll upon leaving the show. You can see the results below:
In a year where semi-finals are televote only, this certainly bodes well for Käärijä! Should he make it to the Grand Final on Saturday 13th May, we will have to wait and see if the juries love ‘Cha Cha Cha’ as well. Regardless of the result, we certainly wish Käärijä the best of luck!
You can follow Käärijä on Instagram here.
