You don't need to be a hardcore Eurovision Song Contest fan to know that Finland is the daddy of amazing alternative music.
With their most famous winner to date kitted out in horns and gnarly face masks — better known as Lordi's Hard Rock Hallelujah — it's finally time for a new face to get the notoriety that the country deserves.
29-year-old rapper Käärijä has quickly become one of the favourites to win on 13th May, with his hypnotic techno-rock entry Cha Cha Cha already amassing over 17 million streams.
Speaking at April's London Eurovision Party, he revealed that the song is about more than meets the eye.
“For me, the song means freedom — and of course a party! People have their sad things that they have to deal with every day. When the weekend comes, people want to forget, have a beer, and dance. Cha Cha Cha is a chance to say that you don't need to drink alcohol when you go out and dance. A party is for everybody.”
As an act with some of the bolder visuals out of this year's entries, it's not surprising that Käärijä knows his Eurovision stuff.
“When I was 10, I watched Eurovision for the first time and I loved it so much. I remember when Lordi won in 2006] — perhaps that was the day that I knew I wanted to enter myself!”
Aside from his cha cha dancers, domineering shadows, and a giant wooden box making up most of his staging, Käärijä is possibly best known for his green and PVC — yet shirtless — costume.
“I like crazy things. When we were thinking about what we wanted to do for Eurovision, I said that I wanted something new and something crazy. My team made this and now I am “green man.” This isn't my normal dress! It's only for the stage.”
“I'm going to wear the same thing [for Eurovision]. Why not? In fact — there might be a second version of this outfit ready for the live shows.”
With the live shows only a few days away, Käärijä has his mind set firmly on the task at hand, meaning the excitement of his family and friends has to take a step back.
“My family and friends are coming to Liverpool — none of them have tickets, but they want to be here anyway! No two days are the same at the moment… there's training for the live shows, interviews, and other things that need to be done before the live shows. So many things.”
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 begins on 9th May.
