KAJ
The moment I understood the line “Jåo nåo e ja jåo YOLO ja nåo” I realised that if there was an Ostrobothnian passport, I would be issued one!
The participation of KAJ in Melodifestivalen was not a surprise for me. It is a smart marketing move! The band deserves a bigger audience. The victory and representation of Sweden in Eurovision is a surprise for me, but a good one!
12 years ago I moved to Finland. I could not speak Finnish, nor Swedish - the language spoken in Ostrobothnia where I live, and a second official language in Finland. I could not understand the songs of KAJ when I heard them first 10 years ago (or 12). I could groove to the beat but the stories of the songs were too much of a dialect for me to understand and too much of a local culture for me to relate.
Until now… Listening to KAJ (it is on repeat at home and in the car due to my 9 year old son) now), I had the feeling of belonging to the Finnswede community. The moment I understood the line “Jåo nåo e ja jåo YOLO ja nåo” I realised that if there was an Ostrobothnian passport, I would be issued one!
There is this immigrant limbo that I often experience: not fully fitting in the culture I have moved into, and the impossibility to be an old-self in my culture of birth. It is a frustrating feeling, trust me. So when I catch the glimpse of a new me (a person who embraces the old and treasures the best parts of it, while adapting to the new ways and learning how differences can be beneficial) it feels warm and cosy. Like home.
I am happy to witness how these three men dare to have fun and conquer the world in the best possible way - by uniting it! In the times of constant uncertainty, devision into them and us, outsiders and bullies, I appreciate every given opportunity to not take life for granted and appreciate all the good in it.
I could write a deeper psychological analysis about the impact of KAJ phenomenon on the people of Finland, jåo nåo kan ja jåo hede ja nåo, but I have an essay about Singapore to finish, it is long overdue!