San Francisco Frontiers - Favourite KAJ hopes for fun and steamy Eurovision

With war raging in Gaza and Ukraine and economic and political uncertainty sweeping the world, people "need to have some fun", the trio, who hail from Finland but are representing Sweden in Eurovision, told AFP in an interview.

Kevin Holmstrom, Axel Ahman and Jakob Norrgard -- whose first initials spell KAJ -- met as children growing up in Vora, a small mostly Swedish-speaking town in western Finland.

They formed KAJ back in 2009 and have since produced seven albums but readily admit that describing them as obscure until recently is "accurate".

Now, their song "Bara Bada Bastu" (Just Have a Sauna) is the bookies' favourite to win the 69th edition of the contest in Basel, Switzerland, on May 17.

Their breakthrough has surprised the group.

"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," Holmstrom told AFP.

They describe "Bara Bada Bastu" as a "fun pop song".

"It's about relaxing with your friends, going into the sauna and having a nice time and coming out on the other side feeling great," Norrgard said.

- 'Sauna pop' -

Their number features the three singers in brown suits, surrounded by dancers in lumberjack shirts first grilling sausages over a bonfire before appearing in a mock sauna with towels around their waists, slapping their backs with birch branches.

"We have called it sauna pop because there's nothing really like it," Ahman explained, adding that the song blends genres.

The group said they even used the sound of water splashing against the hot sauna stove to create one of the song's sound effects.

Sauna culture is deeply embedded in both Swedish and Finnish culture and, as Swedish speakers growing up in Finland, they strongly identify with both countries, they said.

Their song was one of 30 selected by Swedish broadcaster SVT -- out of almost 2,800 entries -- to compete in Melodifestivalen, the contest to select Sweden's Eurovision contestant.

They ultimately won with 4.3 million votes, in a country of 10 million people.

"Since we are from Finland and we were competing in Sweden's national final for Eurovision, we wanted to bring something different to the table and something that represented where we come from," Ahman says.

This will be the first time since 1998 that Sweden will be represented at the glitzy glamfest by a song sung in Swedish.

The Nordic country -- which is tied with Ireland for the most Eurovision wins, with seven -- last won the competition with Loreen's "Tattoo" in 2023.

But KAJ's wacky style stands in stark contrast to the slick pop acts that Sweden has sent to Eurovision in recent years.

"Hopefully it's going to be well received. We have got a lot of good comments from all over Europe and also from Sweden. I think the Swedish people were ready to send something new this year," Norrgard said.

- Steam and lasers -

Asked if they thought they could win Eurovision, Ahman said he thought they had a "36-percent" chance, smiling as he referenced the latest odds on bookmaker sites.

"It's crazy to me because we were at the bottom of the list when (the Swedish competition) Melodifestivalen started," he added.

A Eurovision victory would be a win for both Sweden and their native Finland, the trio said.

"We're representing Sweden, so it's Sweden's win, but I think the Finnish people would be equally happy," Norrgard said.

With controversy over Israel's participation looming over Eurovision for the second year in a row, KAJ hopes their contribution can bring some joy in troubled times.

"I think this is a song that fits greatly in these times, where people need to have some fun," Ahman said.

They want to turn the "whole stadium into a sauna", Norrgard added.

"We have requested more steam and more lasers. So that's what we look forward to."

Y.Harris--SFF