Finland singer, Käärijä, performs Cha Cha Cha during Eurovision 2023.
Finnish rapper, singer, songwriter Käärijä is among the frontrunners to take home the 2023 Eurovision trophy this year.
Sporting a fashion-forward bowl cut, the experimental artist is one of 26 musical acts descending upon Liverpool on Saturday (13 May) for the song contest’s grand final.
Today, it’s Finland’s maestro of mayhem, Käärijä, whose song Cha Cha Cha is an intoxicating blend of industrial metal and hyperpop.
Split into two distinct halves, the track is about shrugging off the drudgery of work and abandoning yourself to the dancefloor.
On the stage Käärijä, whose real name is Jere Pöyhönen, cuts a distinctive figure with his tongue-waggling dance routine, pudding bowl haircut and inflatable green sleeves.
Hey Käärijä! You’ve been making music in Finland for a while now, but how did you get started?
I was born in Finland, in Vantaa, and from when I was young, I loved the drums. I’d make my own out of pots and pans and kettles and hit them with a spoon.
And where did the stage name come from?
Käärijä, if I had to translate, it means a “roller” or a “moneymaker”, something like that.
Is that a reference to your sideline as a semi-professional gambler?
Yeah, yeah. I played hockey for many years, and I play at gambling too. The first song I released in Finland told the story of my gambling.
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