Berliner Boersenzeitung - Sweden turns up Eurovision heat with wacky sauna song

EUR -
AED 4.156558
AFN 80.913812
ALL 97.778875
AMD 440.735175
ANG 2.039573
AOA 1035.465816
ARS 1360.257311
AUD 1.754493
AWG 2.039811
AZN 1.924429
BAM 1.949094
BBD 2.282746
BDT 137.367392
BGN 1.955808
BHD 0.426557
BIF 3315.753754
BMD 1.131657
BND 1.457187
BOB 7.829064
BRL 6.438914
BSD 1.13061
BTN 95.370879
BWP 15.351185
BYN 3.69997
BYR 22180.468796
BZD 2.270987
CAD 1.5646
CDF 3251.249056
CHF 0.931393
CLF 0.027715
CLP 1063.528181
CNY 8.228558
CNH 8.168614
COP 4862.445372
CRC 571.832628
CUC 1.131657
CUP 29.988899
CVE 110.845943
CZK 24.925875
DJF 201.118099
DKK 7.461657
DOP 66.48487
DZD 149.879599
EGP 57.341945
ERN 16.974849
ETB 148.281979
FJD 2.556355
FKP 0.852473
GBP 0.851702
GEL 3.100658
GGP 0.852473
GHS 15.559931
GIP 0.852473
GMD 80.90732
GNF 9795.048603
GTQ 8.707044
GYD 236.536205
HKD 8.7707
HNL 29.253788
HRK 7.534233
HTG 147.711802
HUF 403.540245
IDR 18628.198819
ILS 4.093332
IMP 0.852473
INR 95.682705
IQD 1482.470108
IRR 47656.886759
ISK 146.821422
JEP 0.852473
JMD 179.323045
JOD 0.802687
JPY 162.823313
KES 146.130389
KGS 98.963569
KHR 4533.40297
KMF 491.72137
KPW 1018.490914
KRW 1566.246456
KWD 0.347102
KYD 0.942159
KZT 584.798021
LAK 24454.863811
LBP 101301.575121
LKR 338.6748
LRD 226.122034
LSL 20.862128
LTL 3.341488
LVL 0.684528
LYD 6.172763
MAD 10.430414
MDL 19.469017
MGA 5041.530187
MKD 61.522095
MMK 2375.98608
MNT 4043.39787
MOP 9.025448
MRU 44.875829
MUR 51.478758
MVR 17.424031
MWK 1965.687693
MXN 22.308121
MYR 4.789194
MZN 72.369166
NAD 20.862073
NGN 1816.964407
NIO 41.599404
NOK 11.76228
NPR 152.593009
NZD 1.895717
OMR 0.435689
PAB 1.13061
PEN 4.144694
PGK 4.596838
PHP 62.956386
PKR 318.164973
PLN 4.267331
PYG 9036.9088
QAR 4.120314
RON 4.978162
RSD 117.355828
RUB 91.095604
RWF 1605.820675
SAR 4.244512
SBD 9.470095
SCR 16.582217
SDG 679.54969
SEK 10.939232
SGD 1.465145
SHP 0.889304
SLE 25.745147
SLL 23730.254094
SOS 646.74483
SRD 41.701235
STD 23423.006218
SVC 9.892964
SYP 14713.647864
SZL 20.862083
THB 37.140887
TJS 11.758246
TMT 3.960798
TND 3.392724
TOP 2.650454
TRY 43.687945
TTD 7.679579
TWD 34.237162
TZS 3052.641721
UAH 47.01096
UGX 4134.774439
USD 1.131657
UYU 47.446761
UZS 14643.636255
VES 100.27782
VND 29394.779437
VUV 137.035041
WST 3.144335
XAF 653.707938
XAG 0.034264
XAU 0.000337
XCD 3.058358
XDR 0.816671
XOF 651.834397
XPF 119.331742
YER 276.746662
ZAR 20.687644
ZMK 10186.267566
ZMW 31.175741
ZWL 364.392954
  • RBGPF

    66.2400

    66.24

    +100%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    21.39

    -0.28%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.05

    -0.15%

  • CMSC

    -0.0800

    22.02

    -0.36%

  • CMSD

    -0.0600

    22.26

    -0.27%

  • SCS

    -0.1700

    9.97

    -1.71%

  • NGG

    0.1600

    71.84

    +0.22%

  • RELX

    0.0200

    55.04

    +0.04%

  • BCC

    -3.6800

    92.47

    -3.98%

  • RIO

    -0.1300

    59.57

    -0.22%

  • GSK

    -0.2200

    38.85

    -0.57%

  • AZN

    -0.3500

    72.09

    -0.49%

  • VOD

    -0.0100

    9.6

    -0.1%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    10.4

    -0.19%

  • BTI

    0.5800

    43.75

    +1.33%

  • BP

    1.0600

    29.18

    +3.63%

Sweden turns up Eurovision heat with wacky sauna song
Sweden turns up Eurovision heat with wacky sauna song / Photo: Anders WIKLUND - TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP

Sweden turns up Eurovision heat with wacky sauna song

Sweden is getting up a head of steam for what could be a record number of Eurovision wins this year with a humorous sauna act.

Text size:

KAJ, a comedy group more accustomed to playing birthday parties than large arena shows, is already the bookies' favourite to triumph at the extravaganza in Basel, Switzerland on May 17.

With their song "Bara Bada Bastu" (Just Have a Sauna), the Finnish trio pay homage to sauna culture, clad in brown suits and accompanied by an accordion in a wink to Finland's other big cultural phenomenon, the tango.

Dancers in lumberjack shirts grill sausages over a bonfire before appearing in a sauna with towels around their waists, slapping their backs with birch branches.

"We're gonna have a sauna, sauna, steam up and let go of the stress of the day," they sing repeatedly in Swedish, in a catchy chorus that sticks to the brain like chewing gum to the sole of a shoe.

"The melody works internationally. Even I am able to hum the chorus, and I absolutely do not speak the language," laughed Fabien Randanne, a French Eurovision expert and journalist.

- Shock selection -

The Swedish public chose the song at its annual Melodifestivalen contest -- a national institution broadcast five Saturday evenings in a row that attracts millions of viewers.

KAJ's victory stunned the nation that brought us Abba and two-times winner Loreen, beating out 2015 Eurovision victor and pop heartthrob Mans Zelmerlow, who was broadly seen as the favourite.

"Sweden has usually competed with very slick numbers. Now I have the feeling that the public is a little more open to originality, to something unique," Randanne said.

Melodifestivalen producer Karin Gunnarsson approached KAJ and asked them to send in a demo for the Swedish contest, Swedish songwriter Anderz Wrethov, a Eurovision veteran who co-wrote and co-produced KAJ's song, told AFP.

Founded in 2009, KAJ is made up of Kevin Holmstrom, Axel Ahman and Jakob Norrgard, its name formed by their first initials.

Until now they had a niche but steady following in Finland, primarily in the small Swedish-speaking community to which they belong.

Their song was one of 30 selected by Swedish broadcaster SVT -- out of almost 2,800 entries -- to compete in Melodifestivalen, ultimately winning the contest with 4.3 million votes.

"We've seen all these very polished artists but underneath it all, the kind of music KAJ makes is very typical of Swedish 'schlager' (popular hits)", said Andreas Onnerfors, professor of intellectual history at Linnaeus University in Sweden.

- Eurovision 'doesn't have to be serious' -

Randanne said that while it was hard to explain KAJ's success, Swedes' "voted with their hearts".

"In the current context, we all need to de-stress... but the vote also just shows what people find entertaining," Onnerfors added.

He said it was also important to understand the song's popularity in the broader context of Eurovision, a contest created to unite Europeans across borders.

"Eurovision is like a bonfire around which we gather... It doesn't have to be very serious, it can also be eccentric," he said.

Onnerfors said countries reveal their true selves through their cultural stereotypes -- in the case of KAJ, poking fun at the way Swedes view Finns and their sauna culture.

But does KAJ have what it takes to claim Sweden's eighth Eurovision victory in Basel? Onnerfors doesn't dare make any predictions.

Randanne said he expects them to place well thanks to the tune's catchy melody.

"Eurovision is usually a little more open-minded than Sweden," agreed Wrethov.

In this year's Eurovision, around 20 of the 37 contestants will sing in a language other than English, which is "unprecedented", Randanne said.

Wrethov said KAJ's number could even shake things up in pop-loving Sweden.

"Maybe more artists who don't do mainstream pop will say, 'Wow, there's a new place for me!'" he said.

(T.Burkhard--BBZ)