Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The time has come. After all these years, 5,7 million visits, 12.000 articles I guess the time has come. As much as I love and care for Eurovision it just doesn't feel the same. The Corona years took their toll and the past two years and certain decisions have helped me to mature the idea that next year I will hear the songs for the first time in semi-final just like any so called local.  The bubble has burst. Add the toxicity in social medias and fandom. The arrogant teenagers who saw their first contest somewhere 2017 or even 2021 who think they know it all and only their opinion matters. Did I mention the toxic atmosphere on social medias? I'm too old for that sh*t. It's been a long ride that took me to various Eurovision on spot as a fan and tourist,  as a journalist, as a delegation member. I met some great people, made memories of lifetime. In stressful, sad periods of my life this blog has been my safe place, a place to escape and forget everything else for an hour o...

Käärijä's Eurovision runner up and televote winner Cha cha cha is dominating the Spotify viral charts in most every market including the USA, Japan (#2), UK, Germany, France and Sweden but something else is happening in Finland! On Monday 22.5 Cha cha cha was #1 in Spotify Viral in USA, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, UK, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Israel, Ukraine, Poland and Australia. #2 in New Zealand and Japan, #4 in Mexico, #7 in South Africa. Just to name a few :-) After being the only country not to give Sweden any televotes the Top-2 of Finland's viral Spotify chart is occupied by those songs that have inspired Loreen's Tattoo quite a lot. I find all this so amusing. No one needs to get offended or say Finns are bad losers. It just shows how we function. A bit differently. Lol. Listen to Mika Newton here and Pont Aeri here .

His success break another record. Käärijä's Cha cha cha, Eurovision 2023 runner up and televote winner enters UK official charts at number six! I guess it's safe to say it's the highest and probably only song in Finnish ever to enter the chart and mind you Top-10!  Loreen may be higher and rightly so but that's a generic pop song in English, when Cha cha cha is a song in Finnish. I repeat: FINNISH! And that's not all: #1 Finland #1 Sweden #2 Iceland #3 Norway #7 Ireland #8 Switzerland #8 Czechia #10 Lithuania #13 The Netherlands #16 Slovakia #17 Belgium #18 Germany #20 Global Spotify #46 Spain #56 Greece #85 Italy

This is only the beginning but Käätijä's Eurovision song contest 2023 runner up and televote winner Cha cha cha has already become the most streamed Finnish song in Finnish!  he has also broken the Finnish record of daily streams (469.600 on May 14) as well as weekly streams (2.566,241 accumulated on May 12-18)! The streaming numbers are over 32 million when writing this (pdate 21.5.: It's already 45 million) while the previous chart's Top-10 looks like this (On May 17, 2023), incl. UMK winner Aksel Kankaanranta as feat.: 1. Käärijä - Cha cha cha   32 297 751 2. JVG - Ikuinen vappu    31 441 712 3. Korpiklaani - Ievan polkka   30 432 149 4. JVG - Tarkenee   29 162 829 5.  Behm - Hei rakas   28 183 379 6. William - Penelope   27 053 714 7. JVG - Hehkuu   23 090 230 8. Pyhimys feat Aksel Kankaanranta - Jättiläinen    23 087 338 9. Reino Nordin - Antaudun    22 811 485 10. Behm - Frida ...

Käärijä is indeed Mr. Worldwide now that his Helsinki ice Hall arena gig will not only happen live, but is also broadcasted live on television and streamed live worldwide on Yle Areena ( here ) . Join in the fun wherever you are on May 20 7pm CET. It's crazy, it's party! He received a winner's welcome at the airport and City of Vantaa with Yle had already planned a winner's welcome party for Monday and considering his success and public demand they wanted to go ahead with the plans even if he didn't want but Käärijä himself cancelled the show as he thought he wasn't worth it. But I suppose something will happen sooner or later, only that he is booked to most every summer festival for the next few months.

The Eurovision song contest 2023 runner up and televote winner by a margin, Käärijä's Cha cha cha from Finland after having topped the Spotify Global Viral chart for a couple of days climbs to number 7 in the official Spotif Global charts! It entered the Top-200 at number 151, climbed to 68 and now 7. This is the fist time evr a song in Finnish enters the Top-200! The daily streams since Eurovision grand final on Saturday have been nearly 2 million. Number one in Finland, Sweden (!), Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuamia. Numer two in Austria. Belgium, Norway, Ukraine, United Kingdom (!) and Poland. Number 3 in Ireland, Israel and so on. All I can say is cha cha cha (and please someone take it out of my head, it's been days I just go cha cha cha in any situation!)

Every year a certain part of Italian fandom is complaining and lamenting and suggesting Italy should have a selection separately from Sanremo, or select internally or something, anything but send the Sanremo winner automatically.  Which in my opinion is like the silliest idea ever - unless they want to do bad or at least not so good. Because why? Italy is the first country in three decades to have a consecutive six  top-6 streak! (Correct me if I am wrong but it's Germany from 1978 to 1983). And on top of that it would surely be a seven year one if 2020 Euroviison wasn't cancelled. Since Italy's return Italy has sent a non Sanremo winner in 2011 (2nd), 2012 (9th), 2014 (21st) and 2016 (16th). In 2013 it was Marco Mengoni with L'essenziale, Sanremo winner and placed 7th. And then only winners... 2017 Francesco Gabbani - Occidentali's Karma (6th) 2018 Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro - Non mi avete fatto niente (5th) 2019 Mahmood - Soldi (2nd) 2021 Måneskin - Zitti e b...

"The rules are the rules and they are what they are and are to respected", said Käärijä in his homecoming interview at Helsinki airport today. But he continued that maybe they should be changed to be more fair. "Loreen deserved to win. Of course I wanted to win and I am disappointed. You enter a competition to win. Not for our performance, I wouldn't change a thing. We had a chance to beat her, did well but it wasn't enough. Loreen is amazing person and I love her. But I would have loved to beat her!"  He didn't know Finland didn't give Sweden any televote points. "Wow, I didn't know that! But it only proves Finns supported me also that way and I am grateful." Mayor of Vantaa, his hometown, and CEO of Yle were also there to welcome him home. Käärijä tells he has been in the Eurovision bubble for two weeks and has only a tiny idea of what's been going in Finland with this green hype and now it will take some time to let it sink. City...

Eurovision 2023 runner up and televote winner Käärijä and #teamFinland returned home this afternoon and there were hundreds of people waiting for him chanting WINNER! WINNER! and non stop singing Cha cha cha.  This morning he published on social medias he's sorry he didn't win, which made Finns appreciate and love him even more. Therefor many fans interviewed on spot said they wanted to come and welcome him back as in their books he's a winner. He may have not won the contest thanks to juries but he won the televote and people's hearts. You can say he was surprised! All this was broadcast live by Yle, as they also did a Käärijä special this morning. I think they were ready for an eventual victory and with the on going Käärijä hype the second place is worth broadcasting everything anyways.  You can watch it here

The hype was in the air for Käärijä's chances to win Eurovision song contest 2023. And it shows also in viewing figures: 1.264.000 (78%) for the first semi-final, all time record. Taking account the grand final that usually gathers a lot more viewers it's the 7th most watched Eurovision final or semi-final since 1999. The record is obviously Helsinki 2007 Eurovision final with 1.905.000 (83%). I have a feeling we will break that next Saturday. Ladies and gentlemen: 2,8 million Finns reached out and tuned in to watch the show on television or various Yle's platforms. The average was 1,7 million while over 800.000 views were started online in Yle Areena. (And how many we will get still today for those few who didn't stay yp and watch last night? Or re-watch it today?). Last year the average was 1,07 million with total reach of 2,1 million.   The fever was high also in 2006 when Lordi won. 1.479.000 (75%) gathered in front of their tv-screens. But in spring 2006 there was ...

Käärijä's Cha cha cha, the runner up and televote winner from Finland at Euroviison song contest has hit the Spotify Global viral chart's Number One spot today. In The official Spotify Global chart it is the biggest climber up 83 places to #68 today from #151 yesterday. This is the first ever song in Finnish on top and apparently only the second one in Top-200.  (the other being Sanni's Että mitähän vittua back in 2016) The winning entry Tattoo by Loreen is in the Viral chart at #39, behind Austria (#14), Switzerland (#25) and Czechia (#28)

How did it go in the semi-finals? First of all Finland took an easy win in the first one, 42 points ahead of Sweden followed by Israel so the Grand Final's Top-3 was already Top-3 here. Serbia was last to qualify, 3 points of Latvia and then there's a huge cap for the bottom four. Finland was in Top-5 in each and every country with seven 12 points (Norway, Latvia, Ireland, Croatia, Israel, Sweden and Germany). We got 10 points from Serbia, Portugal, Switzerland, Netherlands and Rest of the World. Eight points from Azerbaijan and Czech Republic, 7 from Malta and France and finally only 6 from Moldova. Sweden got only twice 12 (Malta and Netherlands), four times 10, three times 8, twice 7, twice 6, twice 5, twice 4 and 3 from Italy. Australia won the the Second semi-final ahead of Austria and Poland with minor differences. Estonia was the last to qualify with a huge cap to those bottom six that didn't qualify. Romania and San Marino even scored a big flat zero. I guess Romani...

Sweden with Loreen may have won Eurovision song contest 2023 thanks to juries but Finland stormed the televote. Finland won the televote in 18 countries, was second in nine, third in four. The worst score was six points, meaning Finland was 5th. Top-5 in every country! That means Finland scored the second highest televote ever, second only to last year's Kalush Orchestra fro Ukraine - a deserved winner but televote highly powered by the war. So how did countries vote for Finland: 12: Latvia, Netherlands, Ireland, San Marino, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Iceland, Serbia,                  Norway, Australia, Denmark, Spain, Israel, Sweden, Lithuania, United Kingdom 10: Ukraine,Portugal, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Rest of the World 8: Malta, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Georgia, Czechia, Slovenia, Greece,  7: Moldova, Cyprus 6: Italy, France, Armenia, Albania A total of 376 In comparison Sweden didn't score one single 12 points, let's see ...

F*ck, so close in the end. Finland's Käärijä hoovered the televotes but the juries showed so much love for Loreen pitch perfect, sterile and soulles performance of perfection there was no room for real creativity, fun and joy of Cha cha cha as they left it 4th with a huge margin. A difference of 190 points was cut down to 57. So close. But how amazing it was to hear the audience in arena chatting Käärijä! Käärijä! each time Finland got 12 points and Cha cha cha! several times just out of pure joy! But let's not forget this was also Finland's second best placing ever. And even in Finnish! Finland scored 12 points from Norway and Sweden, 10 from Netherlands, Austria, Estonia and Iceland. 8 from Malta, Ireland, France, Armenia, Denmark and Israel. 7 from Croatia and Serbia, 5 from Belgium, Australia and Czechia. 3 from Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Lithuania and finally 1 from Spain and Georgia. A total of 14 juries left Finland without points. And I said all along Italy will end up ...

Tonight's the night. Will Sweden's Loreen become the very first female (and only second) Eurovision winner to take the trophy again? And bring Sweden its 7th victory that equals Ireland's record. Or will Finland manage to win against all odds after all and take its second victory? Finland's Käärijä with Cha cha cha stormed to top all polls and odds once it was published late January and only Sweden managed to pass it when it was released over a month later. Sweden tops the odds while Finland tops the Eurovision scoreboard app. It is commonly believed Finland wins the televote but Sweden the jury vote. How will it be? It's been all so much about these two countries that other countries have been completely over shadowed by the whole duel. Could we have a surprise winner and in that case who? Here are the song, with the odds top-10 (when writing this) videos displayed, for the other click the title. In brackets the odds placement 24 hrs before the final. 1. AUSTRIA - ...

I have posted about the Käärijä mania and hype in Finland here , here , here  and here . As the final gets closer the hype is hyperventilating  and one simply can't not notice something green is happening. Here are some latest examples.  The church of Finland joins in and supports Käärijä. Yet another Käärijä pastry on sale only this weekend. City of Nurmijärvi changed their coat of arms and Helsinki railway station's stonemen dressed in green boleros. Finland's finest department store joins in the fun by giving 12% discount on all green items for sale with several green focus point display around the store.  12 points to Finland! Helsinki tourist boards usually white Helsinki signs turned green. As several buildings in Helsinki. Also Helsinki's metro stations have a green light. Yet another Käärijä inspired delicacy for Saturday evening snacks. It's crazy it's party, it's tasty! Helsinki has a Cha cha cha tram! One of many Käärijä support ads. National gall...