Käärijä

Biography

Jere Mikael Pöyhönen ([ˈjere ˈmikɑel ˈpøy̯hønen]; born 21 October 1993), known professionally as Käärijä (Finnish: [ˈkæːrijæ]), is a Finnish rapper, singer and songwriter. He represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song "Cha Cha Cha×Cha Cha Cha17 January 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cha Cha Cha2:55", placing second with 526 points and finishing first in the public vote with 376. His entry topped the charts in Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania and reached the top ten in thirteen other countries, becoming the first song in Finnish to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.

Musical career

Pöyhönen grew up in the Ruskeasanta neighbourhood of Vantaa, Greater Helsinki, as the son of Mikko and Arja Pöyhönen. He discovered his passion for music while learning to play the drums, and started producing music in 2014. His stage name, owing to his gambling hobby, is derived from the phrase kääriä rahaa, "make a fast buck".
Pöyhönen released his music independently until 2017, when he was signed to the record label Monsp Records. He subsequently released the double single "Koppi tules×Koppi tules7 December 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Koppi tules4:012Nou Roblem3:34" / "Nou roblem". The following year, he released an extended play, titled Peliä. In 2020, his debut album Fantastista×Fantastista7 February 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Intro0:472Fantastista3:373ROCK ROCK2:494Yhtä vailla2:475Mic Mac3:176Aikuinen3:457Kiertävä sirkus3:178Online3:129Hirttää kiinni3:3410Viulunkieli3:0911Z3:37 was released.
On 11 January 2023, Pöyhönen was announced as one of seven participants in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023, the Finnish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. His entry "Cha Cha Cha×Cha Cha Cha17 January 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cha Cha Cha2:55" was co-written with Aleksi Nurmi and Johannes Naukkarinen, and was released on 18 January 2023. At the national selection competition he finished in first place with a total of 539 points (467 points from the televote and 72 points from the juries), thus becoming the Finnish representative for that year's Eurovision in Liverpool.

Performing in the first semi-final, held on 9 May 2023, Pöyhönen finished first with 177 points and thus qualified for the final. In the final, he topped the public vote with 376 points, but ultimately finished in second place with 526 points overall to Sweden's entrant Loreen.
Ahead of Eurovision, Finnish software company Zoan created an experience inside the popular online video game Fortnite, where players can visit a virtual rendering of Helsinki's Senate Square with Käärijä signs and stages. With the release, Finland became the first country in the world whose capital city has a photorealistic twin in Fortnite.
Käärijä was nominated at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards in the Best Nordic Act category, which he went on to win.
He released his second studio album, entitled People's Champion×People's Champion1 November 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Ready to Go2:572Cha Cha Cha2:573Takavoltti3:374Ruoska3:185Kot Kot2:326Skit1:237Autiomaa3:168Sex = Money2:559Bananas2:2010Huhhahhei3:0911It's Crazy It's Party3:1712People’s Champion3:08, on 1 November 2024. In 2026 he collaborated with Basshunter on "Ja eller nej". It debuted at number 12 on the Finnish singles chart.
On 23 May 2026, after his concert in Veikkaus Arena, he announced his third studio album, entitled Eurodisko , which will be released on 2 October 2026.

Other appearances in Eurovision

In Malmö 2024, Käärijä appeared during the voting session of the 2nd Semi-Final and made a playthrough of a small portion of the single "Cha Cha Cha×Cha Cha Cha17 January 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cha Cha Cha2:55" after a performance of Ievan polkka. He was also set to read the votes from the Finnish Jury, but withdrew on the day of the Grand Final without stating a reason; a few days later it was confirmed he withdrew due to the disqualification of Dutch entrant Joost Klein earlier that day.
In Basel 2025, Käärijä made an appearance during the interval session of the Grand Final, alongside 2024 runner-up Baby Lasagna, who had represented Croatia in Malmö. On stage, the two went head-to-head alongside various background dancers, with Käärijä performing "Cha Cha Cha" and Baby Lasagna performing "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" in a setup reminiscent of a fighting game with healthbars. After both songs completed in a mashup, the two performed their new single "#eurodab×#eurodab16 May 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1#eurodab2:38", which had been released after the 2nd Semi-Final two days prior. At the end of the performance, Käärijä briefly mentioned Joost Klein's "Europapa", which had represented the Netherlands in Malmö the previous year prior to disqualification. Additionally, Baby Lasagna wore a suit with the same color as Joost wore during his disqualified performance, and he styled his hair the same way as Joost did the previous year.

Artistic style and influences

Pöyhönen's image as Käärijä started off with a bowl cut and a yellow suit, but during performances he would get too warm, remove the suit and perform mostly shirtless, which became a part of his brand. On social media Pöyhönen uses the name "Paidaton Riehuja×Paidaton riehuja18 June 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Paidaton riehuja2:48", which translates to "shirtless rampager", and is a reference to his punk rap song of the same title. He has expressed his belief that going topless should be acceptable regardless of body shape or size.
Pöyhönen has described Rammstein as a major influence of his, and he has a Rammstein tattoo across his chest.
Sometimes, a yellow-clad doppelgänger on rollerblades called "Häärijä" (or Paidaton Kiehuja on social media), whose real name is Tomi Häppölä, has been observed in connection with Käärijä.
In promotion for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, the artist has used the phrase "it's crazy, it's party" to describe "Cha Cha Cha×Cha Cha Cha17 January 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cha Cha Cha2:55", which became an Internet meme and was adopted by his brand as a merchandise catchphrase. He went on to release a single with the same title on September 15, 2023, with Estonian rapper Tommy Cash as a feature.

Personal life

Pöyhönen has spoken about suffering from ulcerative colitis since his teenage years, culminating in emergency intestine removal surgery in 2014. The scar of the stoma he had to use for five months afterwards is still visible on his lower stomach. He has stated he wants to be open about his experience with the disease, to encourage others to get checked for it. Pöyhönen used to play ice hockey from 2009 to 2013, before he started his musical career.