Käärijä

Finnish rapper, singer, and songwriter Käärijä crafts high-energy, beat-forward anthems that fuse hip-hop with melodic pop, rock, and electronic elements. His debut album Fantastista entered the Top 30 in 2020, yet worldwide attention arrived in 2023 when he represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest; there, the industrial-tinged track “Cha Cha Cha” captured the public vote while securing an overall second-place finish.

Born Jere Pöyhönen in Helsinki, he spent his formative years in Vantaa, where he cultivated a passion for music through drum studies and production work during adolescence. Following a string of independent singles in 2016, he joined Monsp Records in 2017 and released the double-sided single “Koppi tules” b/w “Nou roblem” that year. His debut EP, Peliä, appeared in 2018. Two years later, Pöyhönen delivered his first full-length studio album, Fantastista, which peaked at number 21 on the Swedish charts. Additional singles sustained his momentum until 2023, when he competed to become Finland’s Eurovision entrant with “Cha Cha Cha.” Penned alongside Aleksi Nurmi and Johannes Naukkarinen, the Rammstein-indebted industrial pop track won the national selection, earning him a trip to Liverpool that May. His playful demeanor and irreverent style quickly endeared him to viewers; although he ultimately placed second with more than 500 points, he claimed the televote with nearly 400 points. “Cha Cha Cha” subsequently appeared on charts throughout Europe.