Eurovision favourites KAJ were 'really nervous' before making final
Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest act KAJ said they were "really nervous" before learning they had won a place in Saturday's final.
Touted as the favourites to win, the comedy trio, made up of Kevin Holmstrom, Axel Ahman and Jakob Norrgard, aim to spread Nordic sauna culture to the rest of Europe with their Swedish language entry Bara Bada Bastu.
The group, formed more than a decade ago in Finland, q ualified for the last stage of the contest in Basel, Switzerland, in Tuesday's semi-final, along with Ukraine's Ziferblat with the song Bird Of Pray, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with Espresso Macchiato, among others.
At their hotel in Basel on Wednesday, Norrgard told the PA news agency he "got really nervous" when he saw a clip of them performing played back during the voting process.
He said he "felt like there were so many great acts", and wondered whether they might be the first Swedish representatives in more than a decade to not reach the final.
Ahman said it is "very, very surreal" to be touted as the ones to watch, because the trio come from a small Swedish-speaking region of Finland.
He added that he did not care at first, but they have "stayed there (in the odds) and even risen a bit lately, so let's see".
"It's exciting times, but anything can happen, we've seen that so many times (at Eurovision)," he said.
Sweden is joint record-holder for the most Eurovision wins, taking home seven trophies with mainly solo singers, including Loreen twice, and pop acts such as Abba, but this time Ahman said they have "dared to try something new" with KAJ.
Holmstrom said they also take being ambassadors for Nordic sauna culture "very seriously".
"We are hoping that people around Europe will take it seriously and consider the health benefits of going to the sauna every now and then," he said, adding that it can help people mentally and physically.
Their hotel in Basel does not have a sauna, but their hometown of Vora organised for someone to drive one to Switzerland for them to use.
Ireland's entry, EMMY, is set to perform her catchy electropop track Laika Party as the third act of the night during the second semi-final at St Jakobshalle on Thursday.
The second Eurovision semi-final takes place on 15 May and will be shown live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 8pm.
The Grand Final airs on Saturday, 17 May, live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player from 8pm.
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