With the first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final airing on BBC One tonight (13 May), things are really starting to heat up for KAJ – the Swedish band set to steal the show (and the nation’s hearts) at the world’s biggest music competition.
Originating from Finland, the singing group representing Sweden are one of the 15 nations to go head-to-head in the first round of semi-finals, with hopes to make it to the final on Saturday (17 May).
They’re also the first-ever Finnish group to represent Sweden at Eurovision, and their song, Bara Bada Bastu, is the first Swedish-language song to be submitted by the country since 1998!
If you’re curious about the music and comedy trio tipped to take the glass trophy, here’s everything you need to know about KAJ.
Who are KAJ?
KAJ are a singing group made up of three friends – Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård, whose collective first name initials make up the band name.
All three members come from Vörå, a town on the west coast of Finland. Although they originate there, the band sing their quirky and often satirical songs in Swedish.
The three musicians met as children, all growing up in the mostly Swedish-speaking Vörå, attended school together and eventually formed KAJ in 2009.
After years of performing, the band has produced seven albums and even two musicals. They’ve described their music as ‘witty and catchy’ – the perfect ingredients for a winning Eurovision song!
How did KAJ get to Eurovision?
The Finnish-Swedish band released their song, Bara Bada Bastu, back in February, and after winning the most votes (164 points) at the Melodifestivalen (Sweden’s national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest), they’re set to steam ahead in the rankings.
With Eurovision legends such as ABBA and two-time winner Loreen having represented Sweden and won before, KAJ have some big shoes to fill. It’s a good job their song is so catchy – we can’t get it out of our heads already!
What’s their song?
Chart-topping Bara Bada Bastu translates to ‘[Let’s] just sauna’, and is a nod to their iconic Finnish sauna culture.
The tune, dubbed as ‘sauna pop’, already has more than 39m streams on Spotify and has reached number one on the Swedish radio chart.
How do they feel about the success of their new song? ‘You’re doing this for 15 years, doing the same thing, trying to evolve, and now suddenly it’s like this big breakthrough. It’s quite hard to understand,’ Kevin told French media agency AFP.
He also told The Independent: ‘We didn’t expect this to happen, and to be one of the favourites for the whole competition? Surreal, but so much fun.’
If they were to win, KAJ said: ‘We would celebrate with the people of Sweden – and Finland… And of course, when our duties are done for the day. The sauna calls upon us.’
How can I watch KAJ at Eurovision?
Catch KAJ perform Bara Bada Bastu live at St Jakobshalle in Basel on BBC One from 8pm tonight (13 May), as well as on BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds. The second semi-final takes place on Thursday (15 May) and the final is on Saturday (17 May).
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