Eurovision favourites KAJ were ‘really nervous’ before making final

Sweden’s Eurovision Song Contest act KAJ said they were “really nervous” before learning they had won a place in Saturday’s final.

Touted as the favourites to win, the comedy trio, made up of Kevin Holmstrom, Axel Ahman and Jakob Norrgard, aim to spread Nordic sauna culture to the rest of Europe with their Swedish language entry Bara Bada Bastu.

The group, formed more than a decade ago in Finland, qualified for the last stage of the contest in Basel, Switzerland, in Tuesday’s semi-final, along with Ukraine’s Ziferblat with the song Bird Of Pray, and Estonia’s Tommy Cash with Espresso Macchiato, among others.

At their hotel in Basel on Wednesday, Norrgard told the PA news agency he “got really nervous” when he saw a clip of them performing played back during the voting process.

He said he “felt like there were so many great acts”, and wondered whether they might be the first Swedish representatives in more than a decade to not reach the final.

Ahman said it is “very, very surreal” to be touted as the ones to watch, because the trio come from a small Swedish-speaking region of Finland.

He added that he did not care at first, but they have “stayed there (in the odds) and even risen a bit lately, so let’s see”.

“It’s exciting times, but anything can happen, we’ve seen that so many times (at Eurovision),” he said.

Sweden is joint record-holder for the most Eurovision wins, taking home seven trophies with mainly solo singers, including Loreen twice, and pop acts such as Abba, but this time Ahman said they have “dared to try something new” with KAJ.

Holmstrom said they also take being ambassadors for Nordic sauna culture “very seriously”.

“We are hoping that people around Europe will take it seriously and consider the health benefits of going to the sauna every now and then,” he said, adding that it can help people mentally and physically.

Their hotel in Basel does not have a sauna, but their hometown of Vora organised for someone to drive one to Switzerland for them to use.

British fans will have to wait for the second semi-final on Thursday, when the UK’s Remember Monday will perform What The Hell Just Happened?, to cast their votes for their favourite Eurovision act.

Norrgard said: “I think it’s going really well for Remember Monday, it’s so, so fun. We met them and talked to them a lot in Madrid, at the pre-parties, and we realised that we’re basically the same, we’re a trio, and we’ve been doing it for a long time.

“And we’re really, both groups, really into musical theatre, so they’re the female version of KAJ.”

Tuesday’s first semi-final also saw a pre-recorded message from Canadian singer Celine Dion, a former winner for Switzerland, saying the country has “always held a special place in my heart” as she spoke in French and English.

She said she would want “nothing more but to be with you” in Basel as discussions continue with the organisers for her to make a stage comeback during Saturday’s final amid her health issues.

Also through on Tuesday was Dutch act Claude Kiambe, Poland’s Justyna Steczkowska, and Icelandic electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson, who perform under the name VAEB.

The other qualifiers were San Marino’s Gabry Ponte, Albania’s Shkodra Elektronike, Portugal’s Napa, and Norway’s Kyle Alessandro.

Speaking to PA in Basel city centre on Wednesday, Cash was self-assured, saying “how can you perform in front of a couple of 100 million people”, and not have confidence.

He dismissed the odds on success, and appeared to suggest the controversy over his parody song Espresso Macchiato – where some have objected to the word “mafioso”, and highlights of stereotypes – had been overblown.

Cash said: “(I’ve been) really embraced, really blessed, (I’m) always making pictures on the street with people when I’m in Italy, and it’s even if I’m off in a little town. So it’s really cute.”

His act featured him in an oversized suit with a long red tie in a “winner’s cafe”, and included a segment where a fake fan rushed towards him and danced before the screen behind him changed to an image of a sign that read “Tommywood”.

The Grand Final on Saturday will see the 10 qualifiers from each semi-final perform alongside the “big five” – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – and reigning champion Switzerland, who as host are guaranteed a slot after their act, Nemo, was victorious last year.