Paradise Oskar | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Axel Ehnström |
Born |
Kirkkonummi, Finland |
23 October 1990
Genres | Folk, folk pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
Years active | 2011–present |
Website | paradiseoskarmusic.com |
Paradise Oskar was a stage name used by Axel Ehnström, a Finnish singer-songwriter (born on 23 October 1990 in Kirkkonummi, Finland) who represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf with the song "Da Da Dam".
Ehnström's family belongs to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. He lives in Evitskog, Kirkkonummi. He adopted the name Paradise Oskar from author Astrid Lindgren's children's book "Rasmus and the Vagabond", where Paradise Oskar is a vagabond who plays the accordion. Paradise Oskar is studying pop and jazz at the Helsinki Music Institute.
Oskar participated in the Finnish national selection Euroviisut 2011 with the song "Da Da Dam" to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 which was held in Düsseldorf, Germany in May 2011. The song tells a story of a boy who decides to make a stand to try to save the planet, gets universally ignored, but continues to persevere. Both lyrics and music are by the singer.
Oskar participated in the second semi-final of the national selection, and qualified for the final along with two other artists. In the final after the 10 artists performed their songs, Oskar along with Father McKenzie and Saara Aalto went through to the second round known as the "Super Final". Oskar was declared the winner, receiving the highest number of SMS and televotes with 46.7% of the votes.
Oskar won the Marcel Bezençon Press Award given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the 2011 Eurovision event.