From our special correspondent in Liverpool (UK)
He strikes his “cha cha cha” like uppercuts and could knock out the competition. Finnish Käärijä, 29, is one of the favorites to win Eurovision on May 13, in Liverpool. Certainly, he must first pass the stage of the semi-final on Tuesday but his qualification will be a formality.
With his fluorescent green domed camisole and his emo-Playmobil cut, he is sure not to go unnoticed. His song Cha Cha Cha is already one of the hits of this edition. In recent weeks, she has ranked first in the Top 50 in Finland and has earned a place in the Swedish (13th) and Icelandic (18th) charts.
“My musical inspiration is Rammstein”, slips the artist to 20 minutes. The sinister introduction, resonating with the particular musicality of the Finnish language, is indeed eyeing the famous German metal band. The melody came first. The text then arrived very quickly. “With my producer, we went to a bar to watch an ice hockey game. We ordered a few beers and cocktails. I told him that we should try to bring this piece to Eurovision. He took out his phone and, in half an hour, we wrote the lyrics,” says Käärijä.
Patrick Sebastien under LSD
The song is about a man who loses his inhibitions as he wolfs down piña coladas. He ends up giving in to the sirens of the dance floor where he sways without thinking about the gaze of others. This letting go is manifested by an unexpected bifurcation towards an ecstatic fairground atmosphere. As if Patrick Sébastien under LSD tumbled in the second half of the piece.
“This second part is freedom! My message is to say that we can be and do what we want, that we shouldn’t think too much or ask ourselves questions. Do you want to be the muscular guy or the loose guy? No problem, just do it! In my life, I don’t care what people say about me, I do what I want. » His look, combining the attitudes of bad boy to nails painted in various shades of green proves it. The serious and scowl of his clip contrasting with his almost constant smile in interviews too.
“It’s time for Finland to win again”
Käärijä would make a sympathetic and charismatic winner. “It’s time to win Eurovision again,” he ventures, recalling that Finland’s last triumph dates back to 2006 with Lordi, the monster rock band that gave commentator Michel Drucker a cold sweat. . The bookmakers strongly believe in his chances, Käärijä is gradually eating away at the lead taken by Sweden’s Loreen, the big favorite, who has already won the trophy in 2012.
“There has always historically been a competition between the two countries, but Loreen and I get on well. Of course I want to win, but we are a big family here at Eurovision, ”says the singer, diplomatic response out of the suitcase. He, who is called Jere Pöyhönen in the civil registry, chose Käärijä as his pseudonym in reference to his younger years when he played slot machines successfully. The pun is literally untranslatable in French but the equivalent could be: “le flambeur”. Relevant, because he has everything to ignite the Liverpool scene.