Background and career
Jere Mikael Pöyhönen ([ˈjere ˈmikɑel ˈpøy̯hønen]; born 21 October 1993), known professionally as Käärijä (Finnish: [ˈkæːrijæ]), is a Finnish rapper, singer and songwriter. He represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song "Cha Cha Cha", placing second with 526 points and finishing first in the public vote with 376. His entry topped the charts in Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania and reached the top ten in thirteen other countries, becoming the first song in Finnish to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.
Pöyhönen grew up in the Ruskeasanta neighbourhood of Vantaa, Greater Helsinki, as the son of Mikko and Arja Pöyhönen. He discovered his passion for music while learning to play the drums, and started producing music in 2014. His stage name, owing to his gambling hobby, is derived from the phrase kääriä rahaa, "make a fast buck". Pöyhönen released his music independently until 2017, when he was signed to the record label Monsp Records. He subsequently released the double single "Koppi tules" / "Nou roblem". The following year, he released an extended play, titled Peliä. In 2020, his debut album Fantastista was released. On 11 January 2023, Pöyhönen was announced as one of seven participants in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023, the Finnish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. His entry "Cha Cha Cha" was co-written with Aleksi Nurmi and Johannes Naukkarinen, and was released on 18 January 2023.
At the national selection competition he finished in first place with a total of 539 points (467 points from the televote and 72 points from the juries), thus becoming the Finnish representative for that year's Eurovision in Liverpool.
Performing in the first semi-final, held on 9 May 2023, Pöyhönen finished first with 177 points and thus qualified for the final. In the final, he topped the public vote with 376 points, but ultimately finished in second place with 526 points overall to Sweden's entrant Loreen. Ahead of Eurovision, Finnish software company Zoan created an experience inside the popular online video game Fortnite, where players can visit a virtual rendering of Helsinki's Senate Square with Käärijä signs and stages. With the release, Finland became the first country in the world whose capital city has a photorealistic twin in Fortnite. Käärijä was nominated at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards in the Best Nordic Act category, which he went on to win. He released his second studio album, entitled People's Champion, on 1 November 2024. In 2026 he collaborated with Basshunter on "Ja eller nej". It debuted at number 12 on the Finnish singles chart.
How Käärijä makes money
Pöyhönen released his music independently until 2017, when he was signed to the record label Monsp Records. Ahead of Eurovision, Finnish software company Zoan created an experience inside the popular online video game Fortnite, where players can visit a virtual rendering of Helsinki's Senate Square with Käärijä signs and stages.
