Bara bada bastu
| "Bara bada bastu" | |
|---|---|
| Single by KAJ | |
| Language | Swedish, Finnish |
| Released | 21 February 2025 (2025年02月21日) |
| Genre | Epadunk [citation needed ] |
| Length | 2:46 |
| Label | Warner |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
| KAJ singles chronology | |
|
"Dansgolv" (2024) "Bara bada bastu" (2025) | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2025 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Unforgettable" (2024) | |
"Bara bada bastu" (transl. "Let's just sauna"[1] ) is a song by Swedish-speaking Finnish comedy group KAJ, released as a single on 21 February 2025.[2] An epadunk [citation needed ] song that pays homage to Finnish sauna culture with lyrics in the Vörå dialect, an Ostrobothnian variety of Finland Swedish,[3] [4] [5] it is set to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 after winning Melodifestivalen 2025.[6]
It will be the first song to be sung entirely in Swedish to represent the country since 1998 ("Kärleken är" performed by Jill Johnson).[7] It will also be Sweden's first Swedish-language entry in an edition without a language restriction since 1963. The last time a Eurovision Song Contest entry was performed in Swedish was in 2012 with Finland-Swedish Pernilla Karlsson's "När jag blundar", competing for Finland.[8] It reached number one on the Swedish Singles Chart and Finnish Singles Chart.
Background and composition
[edit ]In preparation for the 2025 competition, Melodifestivalen producer Karin Gunnarsson [sv] contacted KAJ in 2024 to see if they would participate; at the time, the trio had just released an album, which meant they had to write a new song to compete.[9] [10] "Bara bada bastu" was written by KAJ members Kevin Holmström [sv], Axel Åhman [sv] and Jakob Norrgård [sv], alongside Anderz Wrethov, Kristoffer Strandberg [sv] and Robert Skowronski [sv].[11] Members of the songwriting team worked on the song remotely and all met in-person for the first time at Melodifestivalen.[12] According to competition rules, at least one of the songwriters must be Swedish, so KAJ decided to work with Wrethov since they were fans of "Guld och gröna skogar ".[10] Norrgård, who provides lead vocals, said the group wanted to write a song showcasing Finnish culture and that they were inspired by the "weirdness aura" of previous Finnish Eurovision entries, referring to Käärijä and Windows95man.[10]
The lyrics of "Bara bada bastu" are in the Vörå dialect, an Ostrobothinan variety of Finland Swedish, but the song also contains words in Finnish, including the expletive perkele .[13] [14] KAJ sent an "exaggerated" version of the song to Wrethov so that he could adapt it for a Swedish audience.[15] The song mentions Finnish singer Arja Saijonmaa, who reacted positively to being included.[16] [17] KAJ expressed a desire for Saijonmaa to be featured in their performance for the Melodifestivalen final, and she ultimately appeared in a pre-recorded segment alongside competition hosts Edvin Törnblom and Keyyo.[3] [17]
Charts
[edit ]| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] | 1 |
References
[edit ]- ^ "Finnish band KAJ advances to final of Sweden's Eurovision qualifier". Yle. 23 February 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "KAJ går till final i Mello: "Helt magiskt"". Svenska Yle. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ a b Jägerhorn, Jenny; Henriksson, Atte (26 February 2025). "Vi badar bastu och dansar med KAJ: "Aldrig vågat drömma om det här"" (in Swedish). Yle . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ Mallén, Ingrid; Anttila, Sandra (25 February 2025). "KAJ toppar Spotifylistan också i Finland" (in Swedish). Yle . Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ Broborn, Sandra (26 November 2024). "Experter om KAJ:s Mellomedverkan: Vörådialekt deras främsta vapen". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ "KAJ has won 'Melodifestivalen' and will represent Sweden in Basel". Eurovision Song Contest. 8 March 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Rätzer, Sarah (8 March 2025). "Skrällen: Kaj vinner Melodifestivalen 2025". Expressen . Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "När jag blundar – Pernilla Karlsson laulaa äidistään veljensä sanoin ja sävelin". Yle Luovat sisällöt ja media (in Finnish). 16 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Häggman Grindgärds, Fredrik (26 November 2024). "KAJ klara för Melodifestivalen – "De satte oss i dödens grupp"". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ a b c Larsson, Ronny (22 February 2025). "Mello 2025: Favoriterna KAJ tar finsk bastu-weirdness till Melodifestivalen". QX (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "Melodifestivalen 2025 final – startordning och artister". Expressen (in Swedish). 7 March 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Wikström, Håkan (7 March 2025). "Kristofers bidrag utmanar om Mellosegern: "Tänker bara njuta"" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television . Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Swanljung, Magnus (26 November 2024). "Nu är det klart! KAJ tävlar i svenska Melodifestivalen – på dialekt". Yle . Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Slobodnik, Maja; Saari, Ellinor (22 February 2025). "Därför tävlar finska KAJ i svenska Melodifestivalen". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Broborn, Sandra (18 February 2025). "Svenska låtskrivaren Anderz Wrethov om KAJ: "De kommer sticka ut mest av alla"". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ Beijar, Alexander (7 March 2025). "KAJ sprider bastufeber i Sverige – men hur ser svenskarna på oss i Finland?" (in Swedish). Yle . Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b Slobodnik, Maja; Bratell, Johan (8 March 2025). "Bluffen med Arja i Melodifestivalen – så luras tittarna". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "KAJ: Bara bada bastu" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 9, 2025". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
