Sweden SWEDEN 2025 - KAJ - Bara bada bastu

[ESC United Mod Team]

 

[b4ld3r]

"Bara Bada Bastu" was very entertaining.
A very catchy, memorable entry - a breath of fresh air!

Any chance international juries would be voting for it? - Mans' performance was good but I'm so sick and tired of getting the same English-"styled to perfection" kind of songs from Sweden (I'm not mad at Sweden for staging their songs professionally but it would be nice to get such an uplifting song in Swedish for a change).

I think SVT would be fine with KAJ winning, they has clearly thrown a lot of money at them, certainly looks like the most expensive staging apart from Måns.

According to QX (I think it was them that said it lol), Karin Gunnarsson wanted Hooja to participate, but then found KAJ when looking at suggested similar artists on Spotify, and then handpicked them and put them together with Anderz Wrethow, etc.

 

[Mainshow]

Ui, that's lovely! Thanks for sharing that piece of information with us!

I like Mans, Lundvik and Erik as well (all of them would make great Eurovision entries) but dunno, KAJ would be something new for Sweden and I think it would enrich the contest - + that "Sauna" part is very memorable (visually AND in audio!)

 

[Rocket man]

Yeah Måns is winning this year*. Sweden is my favourite.

It's incredible how the song itself isn't so incredible, but it has those dramatic moments, and Måns charisma and performance skills are soooooo good. And the staging is also so well done, Sweden just knows how to use everything on stage to the max and is clever with it.
Also I how the whole performance just radiates positive vibes, just like "Heroes" did when I first saw that. Love it. It's a revolution.


*based on the entries that have been picked so far.

 

[Ted Talks]

Having watched Mans’ performance, it is the first entry of any of this year to me that feels like it could win.

Would it be a great winner? Hard to say at this early stage, but he elevates a fairly average song - something winners have done for decades at the contest.

It does feel like the easy thing to knock Mans and Sweden for trying to win which frankly I always find odd. It’s a competition - some take it more seriously than others - but why have a go at them for that?

I’d rather have more countries take Eurovision as seriously as Sweden than those who throw out joke acts and harm the reputation of the competition and keep it firmly stuck in the past.

 

[Reinventor]

Revolution sounds like it's written by AI, but he does sell it, very well.

 

[Datura]

sweden rising in the odds to 19% ahead of finland with 9% - so it really seems people think this is the one that could / will win. not sure what to think of that. it would be so underwhelming to have this as THE song of the year

 

[harey]

If Revolution wins Eurovision, I would be flabbergasted. There are some winners l'm not the biggest fan of but this is the kind of songs you just hear playing at the supermarket without paying attention to it. I really don't understand the hype around it (outside of the "previous esc winner" aspect, but this is not enough to win a second time).

 

[gigi_copp3]

Ok, so Mans is winning the whole thing?

Josh's performance in Portugal has been underwhelming, so...

 

[b4ld3r]

Honestly I think plenty of Swedish people aren't too eager to have Eurovision here again so soon after the chaos of last year. I wonder if that could mobilize a potential anti-vote in the final for Scarlet or KAJ? I personally don't really think it would be very fun to win Eurovision again so soon in exactly the same way as last time.

 

[ViVillRejv]

Honestly I think plenty of Swedish people aren't too eager to have Eurovision here again so soon after the chaos of last year. I wonder if that could mobilize a potential anti-vote in the final for Scarlet or KAJ? I personally don't really think it would be very fun to win Eurovision again so soon in exactly the same way as last time.

Should we win again, our economy will get absolutely TANKED. We're already going through economic recession/hard times and a high unemployment rate...

 

[BorisBubbles]

Ok, so Mans is winning the whole thing?

Josh's performance in Portugal has been underwhelming, so...

Josh was never the dark horse winner in FdC to begin with.

the amount of people SLEEPING on medo is astounding to me.

 

[Mrm]

Honestly I think plenty of Swedish people aren't too eager to have Eurovision here again so soon after the chaos of last year. I wonder if that could mobilize a potential anti-vote in the final for Scarlet or KAJ? I personally don't really think it would be very fun to win Eurovision again so soon in exactly the same way as last time.

Sad approach..
But if that is, pick Scarlet, pls..

 

[gingerale]

Should we win again, our economy will get absolutely TANKED. We're already going through economic recession/hard times and a high unemployment rate...

As If hosting Eurovision could tank the economy of a rich European country.

 

[Yazy]

As much of a nothingburger both "Tattoo" and "Unforgettable" were for me, they did not really bore me as this Mans's song, I simply didn't care for them.

Meanwhile, I played "Revolution" in my car last night as I drove home from work. I kid you not, if I was not woozy from work shift, I definitely became in that moment. Devoid of any energy. I don't find anything anthemic here. There is only an attempt that was made (I listened to the live thing and while his experience as a seasoned performer was obvious, you can't really make a pie out of nothing).

You know what the whole thing sounded like to me? Like some royalty free stock music that plays in a 2 min unskippable ad on Youtube during which some clothing brand/shoe brand is being advertised.

Staging and visuals didn't buy me either. Yes, obviously there is an ambition behind it, but it does not even beat Marcus and Martinus staging IMO, let alone Loreen's.

Those are my two cents.

Peace.

 

[kengaIME]

Måns Zelmerlöw’s charisma is truly out of this world. From the very first moment, he commanded the stage with an effortless presence that’s rare to see.

The production was absolutely breathtaking — The visuals, lighting, and staging blended so seamlessly that it felt like watching a high-budget music video brought to life. It created an immersive, cinematic experience that kept me captivated from start to finish.
Måns poured his heart and soul into it, delivering the song with incredible passion and intensity. His energy was contagious, making the performance feel even more epic.

And those last 10 seconds? Simply extraordinary. The climax was executed flawlessly, building to a breathtaking finish that left an unforgettable impact.

There’s no doubt that Måns is an exceptionally talented artist, and he’s definitely a serious contender!

 

[SirPeterGriffin]

We're reaching a new nadir for Eurovision standards if that mid Mans wankfest is considered a winner candidate. Boring, contrived, just a name-checked pick.

I'd be hilarious if Sweden actually sent KAJ. I'm rooting for that.

 

[Seregil Korit]

Yeah, with all the hate Revolution is getting, I'm more and more convinced that the average ESC fan is more influenced by narrative then the actual song.

It's not my thing, it's pretty vanilla, but damn, if any other country other then Sweden had this in the running and it wasn't a returning winner who isn't that well liked for some reason - this package would have been praised to high heavens.

 

[RainyWoods]

All style over substance again from Mans which is super frustrating as I loved his earlier Melodifestivalen entries. You could say "Get over it, man! Time has moved on since the days of those catchy schlagers you still yearn for each year from Sweden", but obviously time hasn't moved on much if you can reheat and serve up again this mid 2010's microwave ready meal. Outstanding staging, yes. Looked fantastic, was extremely nice on the eyes. The song itself though is so bland. I wasn't into Heroes either but at least that felt more of the moment, I guess. Revolution is more like a counter-revolution at this point.

It's a shame this victory at Melodifestivalen (and then probably Eurovision itself) is so locked in as this is a rare occasion I'm really into a song that's actively trying to be funny. Bara Bada Bastu is fantastically catchy and infectious. This is how you do a novelty entry. The song comes first and foremost still. Takes me back to the days when I pretty much would love every song that competed at Melodifestivalen. Even if I think Kaj have a chance to win the televote, they can never advance to Eurovision as the international jury will be right there to bury their fun song... having said that, they seem quite intoxicated this year after what happened in Estonia and Iceland so maybe we'll get lucky.

 

[Seregil Korit]

But, yeah

Bara badu bastu is super fun - melfest winner for me but it ain't happening.

 

[Ted Talks]

Yeah, with all the hate Revolution is getting, I'm more and more convinced that the average ESC fan is more influenced by narrative then the actual song.

It's not my thing, it's pretty vanilla, but damn, if any other country other then Sweden had this in the running and it wasn't a returning winner who isn't that well liked for some reason - this package would have been praised to high heavens.

Indeed. Feels very much like a section of the fandom in recent times just wants to fit in by parroting the 'popular' view which is condemn Sweden for trying to win (a bizarre thing to criticise) and hating Mans for winning and then having the gall to still be happily associated with the contest in various forms (even more stupid if you ask me). The fact that a former winner doesn't think the contest is beneath him and quite happily takes part in discussions etc should be applauded to me.

As I've said earlier in the thread, thank goodness there is a country like Sweden taking it seriously to me. You need that to counter act the countries that want to send joke acts etc.

We know a vocal section of the fandom despises Revolution and Mans, but the general public in May is the key really. The majority will only hear it the once on the Saturday final (should it make it to there of course) and that to me is what Sweden is good at understanding. Even with a fairly average song - which Revolution is to me - they can make it come alive on stage for 3 minutes and wow the public. That is Eurovision to me, the quality of the song itself is kind of immaterial (as some of the previous winners show), it's the whole package.