“The Israeli song received too many points from the public,” claims Axel Åhman of KAJ, Sweden’s 2025 Eurovision band. He added, “Austria’s win was the best for everyone – and for the world.”
Eurovision 2025 concluded over a week ago, yet artists continue to question the public voting—particularly regarding Israel. Axel Åhman, accordionist for the band KAJ, which represented Sweden and finished fourth, expressed his satisfaction with Austria’s victory. “It was the best win for everyone—and for the world,” he said, referring to the results table, where Israel placed second despite a decisive win in the public vote.
In an interview with Finnish national broadcaster YLE, Åhman voiced doubts about Israel’s public vote victory. He claims: “The points Israel received were so numerous that it’s hard to believe everything was in order.” He also referenced media reports about “state-sponsored campaigns aimed at mobilizing votes.”
Calls for Investigation and Future Participation
“It’s a complicated situation… Those who support Israel vote for it, and those who don’t choose other countries,” Åhman stated, adding that he hopes the European Broadcasting Union will thoroughly investigate the matter. Åhman does not rule out a future Eurovision return, possibly representing his native Finland, but clarifies: “I’m not returning to the contest next year.”
Other Eurovision Representatives Also Question Israel’s Votes
The Swedish representative joins several others from this year’s Eurovision who, now free from the European Broadcasting Union’s code of conduct, are openly criticizing and questioning the public votes – only when it comes to Israel. Among the most notable reactions was that of Finland’s representative, Erika Vikman: “I read today in the Finnish media that Israel managed to mobilize a huge number of votes. I think it’s really unfair.” Croatia’s representative, Marko Bošnjak, also expressed frustration over the public votes for Israel and his own failure to reach the Grand Final, stating: “Israel should be removed from Eurovision—period.”
Sweden at Eurovision 2025:
“Bara bada bastu” (in English: “Just take a sauna”) is the title of the song which was performed by band KAJ, who represented Sweden in Eurovision 2025, in Basel, Switzerland – Placing 4th with 321 points. The song was written by the band members – Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård – along with Anderz Wrethov, Kristoffer Strandberg, and Robert Skowronski.
Wrethov is no stranger to the Eurovision world, having written numerous Eurovision songs, including “We Will Rave” by Kaleen, who represented Austria in Eurovision 2024, “Fuego” by Eleni Foureira, who represented Cyprus in Eurovision 2018 and finished in second place, and “Voices” by Tusse, Sweden’s representative in Eurovision 2021. The song is performed in Finnish and Swedish.
KAJ – Who Are You?
KAJ is a Swedish-Finnish music and comedy group from Vörå, Ostrobothnia, Finland, consisting of Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård. The group’s name is derived from the initials of its members’ first names. They are known for their humorous performances and songs primarily in Swedish, particularly in the Vörå dialect.
The group has released several albums, including “Professionella Pjasalappar” (2012), “Lokalproducerat Pjas” (2014), “Kom ti byin” (2016), “Gambämark” (2018), “Botnia Paradise” (2021), and “Karar i arbeit” (2024).
Eurovision 2025: This was Sweden’s 63rd participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Sweden joined the competition in 1958 and has won it seven times over the years. Sweden’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2023 with the song “Tattoo,” performed by the singer Loreen.
Source: YLE.
