San Francisco Frontiers - Sweden turns up Eurovision heat with wacky sauna song

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.

G.Collins--SFF