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They started as a Melodifestivalen punchline. Now KAJ might actually win the whole thing.
If you’d said in January that Sweden’s best shot at an eighth Eurovision title would come from a Finland-Swedish comedy trio singing about saunas, you’d have been laughed out of the fan forums. But here we are.
KAJ—Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård—have lit a fire under Eurovision 2025 with their ludicrously lovable banger “Bara bada bastu” (“Just bathe in the sauna”). It’s weird. It’s warm. It’s catchy as hell. And it has, somehow, made them one of the bookies’ favourites.
From steam room to spotlight
KAJ won Melodifestivalen 2025 in one of the biggest upsets in Swedish Eurovision history—beating out past champion Måns Zelmerlöw with a song in Swedish. That alone would’ve been headline-worthy. But it gets better: they’re the first Finland-Swedish group to ever represent Sweden. And they’re doing it with a song about sweaty naked relaxation.
At first glance, “Bara bada bastu” looks like novelty fluff. But dig deeper and there’s smart songwriting, impeccable comic timing, and a production that’s sharper than most chart pop. Their stage show? A run-down sauna cabin, fire effects galore, and enough charm to defrost Malmö.
Odds-on favourite. Really.
This isn’t just a gimmick entry gone viral. KAJ have started to lead the Eurovision odds—at one point with a 29% chance of victory. Their first rehearsal in Basel caused literal safety concerns due to the pyros. “There was a serious fire briefing,” they joked. “But hey, that’s sauna life.”
Inside the arena? Cheering. Outside? Meme-making, TikToks, and real fan momentum.
“We’re just happy to be here”
Despite the hype, KAJ remain absurdly humble. “We were the underdogs in Sweden,” says Åhman. “Now we’re suddenly frontrunners. It could change in a heartbeat.”
They’re aware of the competition—Austria’s JJ is a jury darling, and Estonia’s Tommy Cash is turning heads (and stomachs) for all the wrong reasons—but KAJ’s brand of good-natured chaos has cut through the noise.
“We’d honestly be fine if someone else wins,” says Holmström. “We just want to make people smile.”
Bigger than just a song
At its heart, “Bara bada bastu” isn’t just about sweating with strangers. It’s about culture, comfort, and community. It’s Eurovision doing what it does best: turning something hyper-local into a Europe-wide shared joke—only this time, the joke might win.
And yes, the return of the Swedish language to the contest stage has been hailed across both Sweden and Finland as a small but meaningful win for linguistic diversity.
Final warning
KAJ perform in the first semi-final on May 13, and again in the Grand Final on May 17 (barring a Eurovision apocalypse). If the sauna doesn’t overheat, if the pyros don’t set off sprinklers, and if Europe’s in the mood for something joyful—this could really happen.
A Eurovision win. For a song about sauna. From a group that once made sketch comedy about dairy farms.
As they might say in Finland-Swedish: “Det här är helt sjukt.”