For Finland with “Cha Cha Cha” at the ESC

Finland sends the rapper and singer Käärijä to the ESC. Here you can find out why this song in particular sounds strangely familiar to many German ESC fans.

Finland has caused a sensation again: In the current edition of the Finnish preliminary round “Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu” (UMK) on February 25, a total of seven acts competed against each other in the national final. In the end, both the audience and the jury decided on the favorite Käärja, who can thus buy the Finnish ticket for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

Käärijä at the ESC: allegations of plagiarism even before winning the preliminary round

Käärijä, whose real name is Jere Pöyhönen, comes from a place near Helsinki and is not unknown, especially in the Finnish rap scene. His music is a mixture of rap, electro and metal. His song “Cha Cha Cha” was featured on January 18 as part of the Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) Song Presentations.

It didn’t take long for rumors to start circulating that the song was a great resemblance to the title “We Got the Moves” by the German band Electric Callboy who applied with this song and “PUMP IT” for the German preliminary round for the ESC 2022. ESC fans know the story. Electric Callboy could not qualify for the German preliminary round with either song. Finally, Malik Harris won, who got 6 points from the televoting and again the last place for Germany at the ESC 2022. Käärija was asked about the resemblance shortly after the release of his song, but denied any intent, to have used the German contribution musically and explained that both he and Electric Callboy serve a similar musical genre. After his victory in the Finnish preliminary round, the singer no longer commented on the allegations of plagiarism. You can compare the two songs here:

All about Käärijä’s song “Cha Cha Cha”

Käärijä wrote the song “Cha Cha Cha” together with Aleksi Nurmi and Johannes Naukkarinen. The song is notable for its two opposing parts out of. The first part of the song begins with rapped verses, which are accompanied by a hard, continuous electro beat, and in the second part changes to a catchy melody that encourages people to clap along with the beat. Both parts of the song are sung and rapped in Finnish. In terms of content, it’s about a man who wants to forget his worries and problems in the club in order to celebrate exuberantly. This is also reflected in Käärijä’s favorite phrase “It’s crazy, it’s party”, which he often quotes in interviews. The ESC fans can look forward to a great performance, because Käärija believes in “more is more” and even that is not enough for him.

Would you like to get a taste of the stage performance? Then watch the live performance in the Finnish preliminary round.

Käärija – profile

• Name: Käärijä
• Real name: Jere Pöyhönen
• Birthday: October 21, 1993
• Place of Birth: Helsinki, Finland
• Age: 29 years
• Zodiac sign: Libra
• Profession: singer and rapper
• Partner: unknown
• Residence: Helsinki, Finland
• Social Media: Instagram (@paidatonriehuja), TikTok (@paidatonriehuja)facebook (@kaarijaofficial)

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?

The Eurovision Song Contest is an international music competition organized every year by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Participating countries from Europe and some other countries compete against each other with songs they have composed and produced themselves. The winner will be determined by a combined voting system from the votes of the audience and a jury of experts. Venue this year is Liverpool. Ukraine may have won the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, but due to the ongoing war Great Britain has agreed to step in as host country. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about ESC 2023.

To help you pass the time until Eurovision, Netflix has a Eurovision movie starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. You can find it with our colleagues at Kino.de Trailer and more information about “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.

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