Sweden has crowned its new Eurovision representative! The Finnish-Swedish trio KAJ clinched victory at Melodifestivalen 2025 with their catchy tune ‘Bara Bada Bastu’, earning the honor to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
About KAJ
Formed in 2009 in Vörå, Finland, KAJ comprises three talented artists:
•Kevin Holmström: Vocals and instrumentation
•Axel Åhman: Vocals and lyrics
•Jakob Norrgård: Vocals and composition
Known for blending humor with music, KAJ has made a significant impact in the Swedish-speaking regions of Finland. Their discography includes seven albums, and they’ve showcased their versatility by writing and performing two musicals at the Wasa Teater.
‘Bara Bada Bastu’ – The Winning Entry
Translating to ‘Just Bathe in the Sauna’, ‘Bara Bada Bastu’ is a playful homage to the cherished Nordic tradition of sauna bathing. The song’s infectious melody and humorous lyrics resonated with both the public and international juries, leading to KAJ’s triumph at Melodifestivalen.
Melodifestivalen 2025 – A Glimpse
This year’s Melodifestivalen featured a diverse lineup of 30 songs, culminating in a grand finale on 8 March 2025. The competition was fierce, with KAJ emerging victorious among 12 finalists.
Sweden’s Eurovision Legacy
Sweden boasts a remarkable Eurovision history, sharing the record for the most victories (seven) with Ireland. Notable wins include ABBA’s ‘Waterloo’ in 1974 and Loreen’s ‘Tattoo’ in 2023. With KAJ’s unique blend of humor and music, expectations are high for another stellar performance in Basel.
What are your thoughts on KAJ’s ‘Bara Bada Bastu’? Do you think this playful entry will resonate with the Eurovision audience? Share your opinions in the comments below!
Sources: eurovision.tv
One Response
Bara bada bastu shows so exactly the feeling before,during and after a sauna. It tells about the saunaculture of Europe. But deeper also about the healthaspect and to remember to take care of yourself and yourself. Indirectly also about aging. A bounus is that the men singing in KAJ are such nice people. Quite happy childhoods and teenager time. Grounded people.
This entry makes me happy. Learnt the dance and the lyrics. Their fans are in all ages. They represent Sweden but also an often forgotten minority in the North of Europa their homevillages in Vörå. They are the first generation that has taken their dialect to the rest of swedish speaking Finland, and succeded in getting popular and getting us other to learn to understand their dialect. And now also more to Sweden and even to Norweig and to the rest of Finland and Europe. But they do speak ordinary swedich and english,Finnish and maybe other lanhuages.
My grandmothersmother was not allowed to speak her Vörådialect in the nearby city. Now with this group I have learnd a lot of the dialect she spoke. Likewise a lot of other people.
I think Eurovision now is a lot of making content together with artists from different countries. To get the people in Europe and around the globe to find them. The once participating now and artists that have been part of the eurovision before get contacts. A way of making contacts with one another for the future and now in the present.
Thanks to these hardworking men in KAJ I have listened and read about all the other participants. It is not just songs,interviews, in languages I already understand like german,english, swedish, finnish, french, estonian, norweigan, danish, some nederlandic and spanish and italian ,but also other languages and cultures that open up through Eurovision. Enriches life!
Bara bada bastu has already opend up cultures except from Europe also from Asia, America,Africa through reacting videos and interviews.
I found a eurovisioncontent journalist from Swizerland that spoke so easilyunderstandable german, that I got every word.
Bara bada bastu is co-work with people from Sweden, Poland, Finland. It is a goodfeeling anttheme,just take a sauna, or just be outside in nature with some friends and enjoy life.
We are all affected by the wars and the polarisation between groups in the world. It is always in our minds. But an entry like the one of KAJ
takes the fokus from that for a while. And togheter we can enjoy the music,performans, shows of KAJ and to be able to get together and meet from so many countries for three evnings and a long time before. And also to get common memories outside our countries. KAJ give money/ or conserts and the money go to children with cronic illnesses. Maybe other do the same.
Bara bada bastu is a joyful song. Easy to dance to and to do training to for young and old people.
And the men in KAJ are kind,their humor is kind. They are not beeing stept on. They are such different people also within that group KAJ. But what they do is to respect and listen to one another, lift one another.
KAJ have so many layers so they are so independent also in that group. Well educated within journalism,television, musicproduction. People that do not relay on others, but try to do themself to make things happen with help from friends and family. And they enjoy entertaining. They have their whole community Vörå supporting them altough they now live in Vasa and Helsinki.
They are happy people, they have long relationships with their girls/ wifes since 10-16 years I think and they are 32. They can sing, act, talk entertaining talk between songs, composed more than hundred songs & videos,two Musicals.
They found out that now they have use for the compulsory military service they once did , that is sleep and eat when you can.
Like most of us in Finland they go to sauna at least once a week.
Yes I think this entry is good. Something that unite people and put a smile on sing a long listeners.