How did Käärijä win the public vote? (What Really Happened at Eurovision, Episode 4)

Producers behind Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu always knew that “Cha
Cha Cha” singer Käärijä would be different. 


 


"He had no filter in a very charming sort of way," says Matti
Myllyaho, the show’s producer, when asked about their first
meeting. "He walked in basically shirtless underneath his jacket.
It was a chilly September day, and it was like 9 a.m., and, you
know, a corporate broadcaster office in Helsinki, and we're like,
oh, this guy is interesting."


In this episode of "What Really Happened at Eurovision?" We delve
into the story of how Finland, a nation that thinks of itself as
an underdog in the contest, almost snatched the prize from under
Sweden’s nose at Eurovision 2024. Kiro, co-writer of “Cha Cha
Cha”, tells us about its origins as “Mr Cha Cha”. And Matti
describes the immense pressure that fell on Käärijä.  He
also shares some of the plans for UMK 2024.