During the spring, Finland has been divided in two between KAJ and Erika Vikman .
Vikman was chosen to represent Finland at Eurovision in February after winning the New Music Competition with her song Ich komme . International Eurovision fans were excited about Vikman's UMK victory, and even betting statistics predicted Vikman's success.
Some Finns were not as excited about Vikman's entry to Eurovision, and harshly criticized the artist's sexually suggestive song, latex outfit, and performance. This has continued to this day.
In March, the Finnish-Swedish band KAJ was chosen to represent Sweden at Eurovision with the song Bara bada bastu . The band, from Vöyri, has achieved phenomenal popularity with their song about sauna bathing in both Sweden and Finland.
In Finland, the KAJ phenomenon has become so big that, for example, in April, even the vicar became enthusiastic about wearing a sauna jacket during a devotional . This week, the President of the Republic, Alexander Stubb, revealed during his visit to Vöyri that he would rather support KAJ in Eurovision than his own country's representative, Vikman.
It's great that the Finnish-Swedish band is also encouraged here in Finland, because it brings a sense of community. Their popularity is understandable, because the band members are charismatic and likeable. They also have a great performance and song.
However, amidst the KAJ hype, a thought comes to mind: have we Finns forgotten to also encourage our own visa representative?
Although KAJ is a Finnish band, it ultimately represents Sweden. Are we hoping that Sweden will win Eurovision just because a Finnish comedy band shares fewer opinions than the courageous Erika Vikman?
Yes, our Eurovision representative last year, Windows95man, also divided the opinions of Finns with his semi-nude appearance and 90s-style song No Rules , but he was still encouraged to win.
I don't think it's in the spirit of the visage to reject our own representative, even if we disagree with his song or performance style. Especially in a time when acceptance is also demanded for all kinds of people.
Many Finns may have turned their backs on Vikman. However, I believe that the opinion of many Finns will change if Vikman does better than KAJ at Eurovision.
Whatever people's opinion of KAJ and Vikman, I hope they would be encouraged at Eurovision without putting the other down. That's the true spirit of the Eurovision Song Contest.