Käärijä is the stage name of Finnish rapper and singer Jere Pöyhönen, born 21 October 1993 in Helsinki and raised in Vantaa. He represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with "Cha Cha Cha", winning the public vote and finishing second overall with 526 points. The song topped charts in Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania, and reached the top ten in thirteen countries - including the UK, where it became the first Finnish-language song ever to do so. His music fuses rap, eurodance and punk-metal energy with a theatrical stage persona built around his signature green bolero jacket.
Käärijä released the single "Yes or No" on April 24, 2026 in collaboration with Swedish eurodance legend Basshunter via Warner Music Finland.
Käärijä is undertaking a European tour in 2026 that spans 20 cities and runs through November.
Käärijä and Croatian Eurovision participant Baby Lasagna released the collaboration single "#eurodab" on May 16, 2025 and performed it live at the Eurovision final in Basel.
Käärijä performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 final in Basel on May 17, 2025 in a mash-up with Baby Lasagna during the vote count.
Käärijä withdrew as Finland's spokesperson at the Eurovision 2024 final in Malmö after Dutch participant Joost Klein was disqualified - an event he himself justified by saying it did not feel right to award points.
