EURO ALFA Panel: Review โ€“ Sweden’s KAJ with โ€œBara Bada Bastuโ€ย ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช


30 April 2025 at 8:27 PM

By Reza Mafi



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Raul: SAUNA Timeeeee!!! I have to admit from the beginning that I was not a fan of the song at all (yes, yes, I liked Revolution, thrown in with tomatoes), BUT the more you listen to it, the more it grabs you because it has something special – don’t ask me exactly what because I don’t know how to tell you. Let’s move on to their voices that combine wonderfully, without it seeming forced (see other moments from ESC). Now about the staging, it is really something new for Eurovision from all points of view, it is effective, meaning it steals your eye and it seems like you want to see more and more. Winners? Possibly, it depends a lot on where they are positioned in the jury vote. A top 3 in the juries (theoretically being Sweden it shouldn’t be a problem) and a top 3 in the televoting could bring them their eighth victory.
Grade: 10/10

Reza: This is a fantastic entry, and no one can deny that. However, it didnโ€™t quite grab me on first listen, I wasnโ€™t instantly impressed. But of course, the infectious energy of the song eventually won me over as well. I had other favorites at Melodifestivalen, but Iโ€™m glad Sweden chose something fun, different, and unlike anything we’ve seen before. Itโ€™s clearly a strong favorite to win Eurovision and potentially make Sweden the country with the most wins. That said, there are other songs I personally enjoy more this year, which is why my rating isnโ€™t a perfect 10.
Grade: 9/10

Laurentiu: This is absolutely fantastic. Iโ€™m genuinely thrilled that Sweden is sending something so fun, fresh, and culturally grounded. โ€œBara bada bastuโ€ is insanely addictive; one listen and itโ€™s already stuck in your head for days. Itโ€™s bold without being try-hard, funny without losing musicality, and charming from start to finish. I honestly think it could fight for the trophy, especially if the staging elevates the humor and charisma even more. That said, Iโ€™m not sure it will win, simply because novelty acts donโ€™t always go all the way at Eurovision. But qualification is a given, obviously, and this is the kind of entry people will remember! I love it!
Grade: 10/10

Stefania: This is like eating an entire cotton candy at a theme park, you know you shouldn’t love it this much, but here we are. Totally addictive, absolutely chaotic, and 100% Eurovision spirit.
Grade: 10/10

Florin:ย THIS is just what I’ve been waiting for Sweden to send ever since I started watching ESC. They went out of their comfort zone and with one of their best songs they had in the NF. It stands out, it’s an instant earworm, it catches your attention and basically form my POV it’s just the perfect way to have an “unserious” entry in ESC. For the first time in so long it feels like Sweden is not trying to win, but the funny thing is that they might.
Grade:ย 10/10

Antonio: I’m just glad the runner-up stayed the runner-up. This year’s Melodifestivalen was a rollercoaster of emotions for meโ€”Iโ€™ve been watching the entire National Final from start to finish since 2015. KAJ completely turned the tables overnight, going from least favorites to actually winning Melfest. Their performance was charming, funny, and full of joyโ€”and the best part is, we finally have a song in Swedish! Will they win Eurovision? Maybe… but honestly, I wouldnโ€™t mind another season hosted in Sweden.
Grade: 10/10

Overal grade: 9.83/10

Scoreboard:

  1. Malta ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡น – 10.00
  2. Sweden ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช – 9.83
  3. France ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท โ€“ 9.66
  4. Norway ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด – 9.33
  5. Albania ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑ โ€“ 9.33
  6. Denmark ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ โ€“ 9.16
  7. Germany ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช โ€“ 8.67
  8. Austria ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น โ€“ 8.58
  9. Finland ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ โ€“ 8.50 (4x 10โ€™s)
  10. Greece ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท โ€“ 8.50 (2x 10โ€™s)
  11. Australia ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ โ€“ 8.50 (1x 10โ€™s)
  12. Czechia ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ โ€“ 8.33 (1x 9’s)
  13. Poland ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ – 8.33 (0x 9’s)
  14. Netherlands ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ – 8.16
  15. Luxembourg ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บ – 7.50
  16. Belgium ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช โ€“ 7.33 (2x 9’s)
  17. Latvia ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ป – 7.33 (0x 9’s)
  18. Cyprus ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡พ โ€“ 7.16 (1x 10’s)
  19. San Marino ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฒ – 7.16 (0x 10’s)
  20. Montenegro ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ช – 6.83
  21. Iceland ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ – 6.80
  22. Israel ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ – 6.66
  23. Estonia ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช โ€“ 6.50 (1x 7’s)
  24. Ireland ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช – 6.50 (0x 7’s)
  25. Spain ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ – 6.33
  26. Croatia ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท โ€“ 6.16
  27. Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น – 5.83
  28. Azerbaijan ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ โ€“ 5.33
  29. Portugal ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น – 5.17
  30. Armenia ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฒ โ€“ 5.00
  31. Lithuania ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น – 4.00
  32. Serbia ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ – 3.83 (2x 4’s)
  33. Slovenia ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ – 3.83 (1x 4’s)
  34. Georgia ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช โ€“ 2.00

Here you can listen to Sweden’s entry “Bara Bada Bastu” by KAJ:


Category: ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ Basel 2025


Reza Mafi

Writers Coordinator