Käärijä

Käärijä is the stage name of Jere Pöyhönen, a Finnish rapper, singer and songwriter from Helsinki. He is born in 1993 and grows up in Ruskeasanta, a suburb of Vantaa near Helsinki. His work combines rap with pop, electronic, punk and metal influences, and he is associated with alternative rap and Eurovision 2023 artists.

Early life and name

As a child, Pöyhönen plays drums and hockey, and he begins experimenting with music in his teens. In 2014 he undergoes emergency surgery for ulcerative colitis, an event he later discusses publicly. The name Käärijä comes from a nickname used by a friend during gambling nights, based on the Finnish phrase “kääriä rahaa,” meaning to roll in money.

Recording career

Käärijä begins releasing music around 2016 and 2017. His first double single, Koppi tules / Nou roblem, appears in 2017 on Monsp Records. He follows it with the EP Peliä in 2018 and releases his debut album Fantastista in 2020. His songs often move across genre boundaries, using humour, energy and a raw approach.

Eurovision and wider recognition

In 2023 he is selected for Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, Finland’s national Eurovision selection, with “Cha Cha Cha.” At the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, he finishes second overall with 526 points and wins the public vote across Europe. The song becomes a viral hit, reaches number one in Finland and enters the UK Top 10, becoming the first Finnish-language song to do so.

Image, performances and later work

Käärijä is known for his green bolero jacket, bowl-cut hair and high-energy stage presence. He often performs shirtless, combining theatrical absurdity with sincerity, and his public image blends punk energy, self-irony and Finnish eccentricity. After Eurovision, he becomes a major figure in Finland and builds a large international following. He wins Best Nordic Act at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards. He later releases People's Champion, a title that refers to the public vote success of his Eurovision performance.

Members

Toivon kärki.