How a Song About the Nordic Sauna Became the Lead Contender to Win the Eurovision Song Contest 2025
Who would have thought that a song dedicated to the sauna could become a leading contender to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2025? Yet that’s exactly what’s happening with “Bara Bada Bastu,” the song by KAJ, the trio that started from a small village of just 6,000 souls, won over Swedish audiences and now aims to make all of Europe dance.
KAJ are Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman and Jakob Norrgård, three childhood friends originally from Vörå, a small town in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The band’s name is nothing more than an acronym of the initials of their names.
Since 2009, the three have started a comedy-musical project that has conquered both Finland and Sweden over the years, with seven released albums, theatrical musicals, television sketches, and clever use of satirical humor. After more than 15 years in the business, KAJ have found their creative pinnacle with “Bara Bada Bastu,” an exuberant and tongue-in-cheek anthem to the Nordic sauna that mixes rock and dance, village choirs and towel choreography.
Although they are Finnish, they will represent Sweden: the three are part of the Finnish-Swedish minority, speak Swedish as their mother tongue and come from a region where Swedish culture is deeply rooted. Finland and Sweden share more than 600 kilometers of border and two official languages, and it is not surprising that KAJ chose to compete for Stockholm. But “Bara Bada Bastu” is also a cultural bridge between Sweden and Finland, a political and cultural gesture in defense of minority languages and local traditions.
With “Bara Bada Bastu,” KAJ surprisingly won Melodifestivalen 2025 with a historic record of 4.3 million votes. This is the first time since 1998 that Sweden has participated in Eurovision with a song in Swedish, breaking a long-established tradition of songs in English. And it didn’t end there: the song also set the record for the most listened to Swedish-language song in a single day on Spotify, with more than 1.39 million streams (according to Wikipedia).
The lyrics, partly in standard Swedish, partly in the Vörå dialect, are a joyful celebration of the sauna, described as “the best cure for body and soul,” an escape from stress, a return to simplicity, warmth, and community. Signing the song, in addition to the three band members, is Anderz Wrethov, a Eurovision veteran and author of many Scandinavian hits.
