Eurovision Q&A: Käärijä is Finland's Cha Cha Charmer

Every day this week, we're interviewing one of the favourite acts for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Today, it's Finland's maestro of mayhem, Käärijä, whose song Cha Cha Cha is an intoxicating blend of industrial metal and hyperpop.

Split into two distinct halves, the track is about shrugging off the drudgery of work and abandoning yourself to the dancefloor.

On the stage Käärijä, whose real name is Jere Pöyhönen, cuts a distinctive figure with his tongue-waggling dance routine, pudding bowl haircut and inflatable green sleeves.

He told us how his track had been inspired by German band Rammstein, whose logo he has tattooed on his chest, and the secret behind his trademark green sleeves.

Hey Käärijä! You've been making music in Finland for a while now, but how did you get started?

I was born in Finland, in Vantaa, and from when I was young, I loved the drums. I'd make my own out of pots and pans and kettles and hit them with a spoon.

And where did the stage name come from?

Käärijä, if I had to translate, it means a "roller" or a "moneymaker", something like that.

Is that a reference to your sideline as a semi-professional gambler?

Yeah, yeah. I played hockey for many years, and I play at gambling too. The first song I released in Finland told the story of my gambling.

So have you put money on Eurovision?

Not yet. Maybe I have to put some money down.

Come on! You have to show faith in yourself!

Maybe, but if I don't win the contest, then I don't get any money. If I put my money on Loreen [Sweden's entrant. who is the current favourite], then maybe I'll win something!

I know Loreen is the favourite but you are creeping up in the odds. How does that feel?

It feels great because Loreen is a queen, she's a superstar.

You met here recently. What was that like?

She's a very calm person, very serene. We had so much fun together. There was no competition between us.

Tell me about Cha Cha Cha. Did you write it with Eurovision in mind?

Not really, it was just a song we wrote in the studio, me and my two producers. But when we listened to it for the first time then we thought, "Okay, this is crazy, man. Maybe we have to try to go to Eurovision." And now I'm here!

You took some inspiration from Rammstein - whose logo you have tattooed on your chest.

Yes, when we were writing the song, first we are listening to some Rammstein, watching their music video. When I sing in the "hard voice" at the start of the song, I'm trying to sound like [vocalist] Till Lindemann.

The song switches gear completely in the second half. It almost sounds like K-pop. How did you come up with that idea?

We wanted to do something new, something crazy. Two songs inside one song. Something people won't expect - and when that second part comes in, it's mind blowing! What's happening now?!

A lot of people have compared it to K-pop - but for me, it's party metal.

And tell me the story of the lyrics...

Cha Cha Cha, for me, it's all about freedom. Every day of life, we all have problems. Hard things happen, bad things happen. And when the weekend comes, people want to forget all those sad things. And many times they drink a piña colada and get the courage to go to the dancefloor.

For me, I don't need the alcohol because I'm so crazy mad that I don't care what other people are thinking. Am I good dancer or not? It don't matter! And I hope other people will think the same.

Am I right that the staging reflects that story? You start out trapped in a box, with huge shadows behind you that represent your demons.

Exactly, it's the demons, because we all have some demons in our life.

Maybe if this wasn't Eurovision, I'd tell you!

The performance in Liverpool is even bigger than the one you did in Finland. Where do you find the energy?

I love the energy! We didn't want to do the same things we did in Finland. We wanted to feed you with some surprises. It makes the singing a bit harder, but I can do it.

But you can't change the dance moves... They've gone viral on TikTok.

Yeah, it's iconic now. Many people do that dance, the sailor move! We don't want to change that.

Do you wake up doing the dance?

No. I want to forget that song! When I have free time, I want to just feel that I'm on holiday.

You've also got a Finnish music legend on backing vocal - Aija Puurtinen from Honey & The T-Bones.

Aija is so, so professional. She tried to teach me how to use my voice and how to open my vocal cords, because my technique is not so good. Many times, I broke my voice and Aija gave me techniques to stop that happening.

Actually, Aija says not to drink any honey. But I like honey, I take it anyway. Don't tell Aija I said that!

The other element of your performance that everyone talks about is your green bolero sleeves. I heard that you've nicknamed them Kaalimato, which is Finnish for "cabbage worm".

Yeah, Kaalimato. It's a sex metaphor! We have [an adult] store called Kaalimato in Finland. They have some crazy things there.

I don't want to tell more!