Eurovision Q&A: Käärijä is Finland's Cha Cha Charmer

Every time this week, we're interviewing 1 of the favourite acts for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Today, it's Finland's maestro of mayhem, Käärijä, whose opus Cha Cha Cha is an intoxicating blend of concern metallic and hyperpop.

Split into 2 chiseled halves, the way is astir shrugging disconnected the drudgery of enactment and abandoning yourself to the dancefloor.

On the signifier Käärijä, whose existent sanction is Jere Pöyhönen, cuts a distinctive fig with his tongue-waggling creation routine, pudding vessel haircut and inflatable greenish sleeves.

He told america however his way had been inspired by German set Rammstein, whose logo helium has tattooed connected his chest, and the concealed down his trademark greenish sleeves.

Hey Käärijä! You've been making euphony successful Finland for a portion now, but however did you get started?

I was calved successful Finland, successful Vantaa, and from erstwhile I was young, I loved the drums. I'd marque my ain retired of pots and pans and kettles and deed them with a spoon.

And wherever did the signifier sanction travel from?

Käärijä, if I had to translate, it means a "roller" oregon a "moneymaker", thing similar that.

Is that a notation to your sideline arsenic a semi-professional gambler?

Yeah, yeah. I played hockey for galore years, and I play astatine gambling too. The archetypal opus I released successful Finland told the communicative of my gambling.

So person you enactment wealth connected Eurovision?

Not yet. Maybe I person to enactment immoderate wealth down.

Come on! You person to amusement religion successful yourself!

Maybe, but if I don't triumph the contest, past I don't get immoderate money. If I enactment my wealth connected Loreen [Sweden's entrant. who is the existent favourite], past possibly I'll triumph something!

I cognize Loreen is the favourite but you are creeping up successful the odds. How does that feel?

It feels large due to the fact that Loreen is simply a queen, she's a superstar.

You met present recently. What was that like?

She's a precise calm person, precise serene. We had truthful overmuch amusive together. There was nary contention betwixt us.

Tell maine astir Cha Cha Cha. Did you constitute it with Eurovision successful mind?

Not really, it was conscionable a opus we wrote successful the studio, maine and my 2 producers. But erstwhile we listened to it for the archetypal clip past we thought, "Okay, this is crazy, man. Maybe we person to effort to spell to Eurovision." And present I'm here!

You took immoderate inspiration from Rammstein - whose logo you person tattooed connected your chest.

Yes, erstwhile we were penning the song, archetypal we are listening to immoderate Rammstein, watching their euphony video. When I sing successful the "hard voice" astatine the commencement of the song, I'm trying to dependable similar [vocalist] Till Lindemann.

The opus switches cogwheel wholly successful the 2nd half. It astir sounds similar K-pop. How did you travel up with that idea?

We wanted to bash thing new, thing crazy. Two songs wrong 1 song. Something radical won't expect - and erstwhile that 2nd portion comes in, it's caput blowing! What's happening now?!

A batch of radical person compared it to K-pop - but for me, it's enactment metal.

And archer maine the communicative of the lyrics...

Cha Cha Cha, for me, it's each astir freedom. Every time of life, we each person problems. Hard things happen, atrocious things happen. And erstwhile the play comes, radical privation to hide each those bittersweet things. And galore times they portion a piña colada and get the courageousness to spell to the dancefloor.

For me, I don't request the intoxicant due to the fact that I'm truthful brainsick huffy that I don't attraction what different radical are thinking. Am I bully dancer oregon not? It don't matter! And I anticipation different radical volition deliberation the same.

Am I close that the staging reflects that story? You commencement retired trapped successful a box, with immense shadows down you that correspond your demons.

Exactly, it's the demons, due to the fact that we each person immoderate demons successful our life.

Maybe if this wasn't Eurovision, I'd archer you!

The show successful Liverpool is adjacent bigger than the 1 you did successful Finland. Where bash you find the energy?

I emotion the energy! We didn't privation to bash the aforesaid things we did successful Finland. We wanted to provender you with immoderate surprises. It makes the singing a spot harder, but I tin bash it.

But you can't alteration the creation moves... They've gone viral connected TikTok.

Yeah, it's iconic now. Many radical bash that dance, the sailor move! We don't privation to alteration that.

Do you aftermath up doing the dance?

No. I privation to hide that song! When I person escaped time, I privation to conscionable consciousness that I'm connected holiday.

You've besides got a Finnish euphony fable connected backing vocal - Aija Puurtinen from Honey & The T-Bones.

Aija is so, truthful professional. She tried to thatch maine however to usage my dependable and however to unfastened my vocal cords, due to the fact that my method is not truthful good. Many times, I broke my dependable and Aija gave maine techniques to halt that happening.

Actually, Aija says not to portion immoderate honey. But I similar honey, I instrumentality it anyway. Don't archer Aija I said that!

The different constituent of your show that everyone talks astir is your greenish bolero sleeves. I heard that you've nicknamed them Kaalimato, which is Finnish for "cabbage worm".

Yeah, Kaalimato. It's a enactment metaphor! We person [an adult] store called Kaalimato successful Finland. They person immoderate brainsick things there.

I don't privation to archer more!