Sweden’s Eurovision song ‘Bara Bada Batsu’ is favourite to win – but what does it mean?
KAJ will perform Sweden’s Eurovision song (KAJ SVT/Magnus Liam Karlsson)
KAJ will perform Sweden's Eurovision song (KAJ SVT/Magnus Liam Karlsson)
Sweden’s Eurovision Song Contest entry is called “Bara Badu Batsu” and will be performed by Finnish-Swedish band KAJ.
Band members Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman and Jakob Norrgård are from the town of Vörå in the Swedish-speaking region of Ostrobothnia, in Finland, and are all known for being light-hearted. They’ve enjoyed international success, performing sold-out tours.
“Bara Badu Batsu” is catchy and upbeat – great for Eurovision. Their performance at Melodifestivalen, where the Swedish entry is decided, was certainly fun. It featured the band members in suits, with Axel playing the accordion, while lumberjacks danced behind them.
Halfway through the song, the lumberjacks stripped off, leaving them wearing just hats, with a towel round their waists.
But what is the song about? Quite simply, it’s about going to the sauna: batsu is a celebration of the Nordic sauna culture.
It’s estimated that there are 3.3 million saunas in Finland and more 300,000 in Sweden. Both countries have national sauna days.
The song begins with the lyrics: “The clock is ticking, now it’s time/All worries will soon be gone/Best remedy for body and soul/Four walls in wooden panels.”
Then in the chorus, KAJ sing: “We’re gonna sauna, sauna/Steam it up and let go of all stress today/Sauna brothers, we’re the ones who glow 100 degrees, oh yes/Just sauna, sauna/Steam it up, till the sweat just sprays/ Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh/Sauna, yeah.”
The song was written by KAJ with the help of Anderz Wrethov, Kristofer Strandberg and Robert Skowronski.
Wrethov has had 44 songs performed at Melodifestivalen, with six going on to feature at Eurovision, including John Lundvik’s “Too Late For Love”, which came fifth in 2019.
The first of the live semi-finals, which includes Sweden, takes place in Basel, Switzerland on Tuesday 13 May from 8pm. The second will take place at the same time on Thursday 15 May.
The grand final begins at 8pm on Saturday 17 May.
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