The wrapper intends to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
A wrapper, in fact Jere Pöyhönen, was in middle school when he and two of his classmates got an idea: Käärijä should have pot hair cut. Scissors were grabbed from the teacher.
The trio locked themselves in the school bathroom and did nothing but cut.
– There is a picture of it somewhere. I’m grimacing and I have a potty that is sloshing in every direction, the potty-haired Käärijä laughs in the conference room of a hotel in Turku.
He won the New Music competition the night before. The victory celebration lasted “only five”.
– It’s not that late when you think that I won UMK.
The wrapper really won and Liverpool’s Eurovision is ahead in May.
– Of course I’m going to win the fives, that’s quite clear. I already had that in mind when I applied to UMK.
Käärijä beat UMK overwhelmingly. Elle Laitila
Käärijä’s speeches have the same determination as modern athletes. You no longer go to the World Cup or Eurovision “to do your best and see how far it goes”. The goal is to win, and not to doubt one’s own possibilities.
– I strongly believe in this work and it’s not just about music. This character also has entertainment value and social media content. The combination is pretty strong.
Blind Channel used to train wildly, Käärijä plans to do the same.
– This is a once in a lifetime thing. I’ll do my best. Then, after the Games, I can look in the mirror and say that I gave it my all.
The wrapper’s winning song Cha Cha Cha was released on Wednesday, January 18. The old saying “become a star overnight” holds true for Käärijä. Cha Cha cha became an instant hit.
– I followed how many comments came to YouTube and how the song gathered listeners on Spotify. The artistic career really took a new turn, and little by little Finns and the world discovered Käärij.
– But I didn’t go out to buy any Rolexes.
Käärijä has had potty hair continuously since 2015. Even as a child, he had pot hair for a while. Elle Laitila
The wrapper knows he is now known. The latest UMK final, watched by more than a million Finns, means that many people recognize Käärijä.
– You have to be a little more precise about what is said in the villages.
Right after the UMK win, screenshots from the Instagram accounts that Käärijä follows started circulating on social media. The Power belongs to the people party stood out from the crowd, on the other hand, Jyväskylä’s Seta also stood out.
On Sunday morning, Käärijä no longer followed VKK.
– I don’t want to take a stand on political matters, and it’s a shame if someone criticizes what someone follows. Those are completely irrelevant things. I follow a lot of different things, and there is not necessarily any reason for them.
A big challenge
The wrapper talks a lot, and in his own style. At UMK, he also gave interviews in English. Käärijä’s sympathetically clumsy English has attracted admiring comments abroad. On the other hand, Käärijä’s style of speaking English suits his style.
– My English is what it sounds like. My next big thing is that I start speaking English. Yes, I can speak English if I practice speaking a little.
The wrapper has previously been a kitchen salesman at Giganti, and sometimes had to speak English. It went well. The sale didn’t go so well.
– I was not a good salesman. I liked chatting with customers, but my morals didn’t allow me to sell a product that I didn’t believe in myself.
The wrapper’s show was exceptionally spectacular. Elle Laitila
The 29-year-old Käärijja has also worked in a furniture store, wallpapered, painted and worked at raksa.
– I wasn’t interested in raksha work at all, it wasn’t my thing.
Käärijä released his first song in 2016, his debut album came out in 2020. Käärijä was supposed to play gigs, but the corona pandemic prevented this.
The wrapper was completely out of work, so his own brother came to the rescue. He got into his brother’s company to do image processing for apartment sale photos.
– Broidi hired me out of pity.
Käärijä is now ending his music career at his brother’s company, and Käärijä’s friend is being trained for the same job.
– I will not leave my dear brother in trouble. Hurry or not, I’ll take care of those around me.
The wrapper talks a lot about his family and relatives. Käärijä describes his family as “his own kind” and one with strong personalities.
– We are really close. I made my grandma proud with the win. He is a person of his own.
The personality of one’s own seems to be inherited.