Eurovision favorites KAJ fly the flag for Sweden and make saunas all the rage at the contest

BASEL – There’s 1 connection you perceive much than immoderate different successful Basel during the Eurovision Song Contest: Sauna.

The bluish Swiss metropolis isn't known arsenic an epicenter of steamy wood-cabin relaxation, but the tiny municipality of Vora successful Finland is, and 3 section performers person made saunas synonymous with this year’s Eurovision.

KAJ — pronounced “kai” and named for the members’ initials — is bookies’ favourite to triumph the pan-continental euphony contention this week with “Bara Bada Bastu,” an ode to steam and vigor whose rubric translates astir arsenic “just instrumentality a sauna.”

KAJ is representing Sweden, but the set members travel from neighboring Finland, a state of 5.5 cardinal radical and 3.3 cardinal saunas, wherever they are portion of the Swedish-speaking minority.

At Eurovision, the trio execute connected a acceptable styled similar a rustic compartment successful the woods, backed by dancers dressed arsenic lumberjacks oregon successful large achromatic towels. The opus has an infectiously catchy chorus, a memorable creation regular and a one-word invocation to “sauna!” that is shouted astatine KAJ wherever they go.

If they are sick of it, it doesn’t show.

“The Eurovision bubble is simply a large bubble to beryllium in,” Jakob Norrgård told The Associated Press connected Thursday. He’s the J successful KAJ, alongside chap set members Kevin Holmström and Axel Åhman.

Norrgård said that helium expected Eurovision to beryllium a welcoming environment, “but not this friendly. This is simply a spot implicit the top.”

The set members’ lone regret is that they haven’t had a sauna since arriving successful Basel for Eurovision, which ends Saturday with a expansive last that volition spot acts from 26 countries vie astatine Basel’s St. Jakobshalle arena for the continent’s popular crown.

Holmström said that the set is delighted to beryllium an ambassador for sauna culture.

“It’s a happening I truly endorse,” helium said. “It’s bully for people. It is bully for me, for some my intelligence and carnal health, and (it’s) besides a precise societal event.”

KAJ was formed successful 2009 and built a beardown section pursuing with humorous songs successful Vora’s section dialect. Not agelong agone they were performing astatine day parties and successful municipality halls of their location region. They entered Sweden’s nationalist Eurovision enactment contest, Melodifestivalen, reasoning it mightiness get them immoderate gigs successful Sweden.

They unexpectedly won that contest, and their show successful Saturday’s Eurovision last is apt to beryllium watched by much than 150 cardinal people.

The Eurovision winner volition beryllium decided by a premix of nationalist voting and points from nationalist juries. Victory for KAJ would springiness Sweden a grounds 8 victories since the contention was founded successful 1956, adding KAJ to a database of Swedish winners that includes ABBA.

It would besides mean a immense magnitude to Swedish-speaking Finns, who marque up astir 5% of Finland's colonisation — and to sauna enthusiasts.

Sauna-lovers from Vora — on with the Finnish metropolis of Tampere, which bills itself arsenic the sauna superior of the satellite — drove a mobile sauna 1,500 miles (2,500 kilometers) to Basel, parked it adjacent the Rhine and opened it to the nationalist for escaped during the weeklong Eurovision festivities. A dip successful the chilly stream aft moving up a sweat was optional.

It sparked the benignant of taste cross-fertilization that fans accidental is the essence of Eurovision. At the pop-up sauna, section Swiss radical steamed and chatted with Finns, a Canadian and others. When KAJ dropped by for a visit, they were mobbed by selfie-seeking fans.

“I emotion Finnish sauna culture, due to the fact that it celebrates the state of choice,” said Dorothee Schulte-Basta, a Vora nonmigratory who traveled to Basel with the mobile sauna. “There are nary rules successful the sauna. Come arsenic you are — everyone’s adjacent successful the sauna.”

Finnish politicians person agelong utilized saunas, relaxed but exposing, arsenic an perfect mounting for hard talks, a signifier known arsenic “sauna diplomacy.” KAJ deterioration drab suits onstage successful tribute to Urho Kekkonen, a long-serving Finnish president who famously deployed the method successful talks with Finland’s overbearing neighbour the Soviet Union.

KAJ ne'er thought a lo-fi opus astir agrarian saunas would instrumentality them truthful acold astatine a contention known for electro-pop, outrageous outfits and over-the-top staging.

“When you beryllium determination connected the signifier and the opus is astir to commencement and you spot each the LED screens, the millions of lights, and we’re conscionable 3 dudes sitting and grilling a sausage, the opposition is truthful funny,” Norrgård said.

“And that’s precisely our benignant of wit — you shouldn’t beryllium doing this, this is truthful stupid. It’s funny. It’s truly chill arsenic well.”

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Kwiyeon Ha and Hilary Fox contributed to this story.

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