Paradise Oskar
Paradise Oskar is a mask, behind which we find the 20-year-old singer/songwriter Axel Ehnström from Helsinki.Axel couldn’t sing before he learned to walk and he wasn’t a five-year old Mozart
reciter, but he has always been willing to learn things. This characteristic landed him
to study music at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki last autumn.
Axel already took an interest to music when he entered school and soon his own melodies
were ringing in his head. Songwriting was more and more prominent in Axel’s life
and he wanted to bring his songs for others to hear. But first he had to get a stage name.
He found that in Astrid Lindgren’s fairytale – an old vagabond, who made his living
playing the accordion.
Last summer during improvisation, he quickly came up with a melody and wrote the partly
sarcastic lyrics about people’s indifference. He decided to send his shoebox budgeted demo
to the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. His only wish was to get feedback from his music.
A few weeks later the Finnish Broadcasting Company contacted him, but the e-mail was
a total surprise to Axel. The jury had picked Da Da Dam straight to the
Finnish final!
After his initial bewilderment, Alex started to put the finishing touch to the song.
The well-known composer/arranger/producer guru Leri Leskinen came to his assistance.
Da Da Dam was first performed publicly at the end of November and started to conquer
the masses.
Paradise Oskar’s first performance on a live TV broadcast in January paved the way; he won
his qualification round and got more and more fans.
Before the final qualification, even the status of a favourite didn’t make this young man nervous.
Paradise Oskar sang his way irresistibly and irrevocably to the hearts of the Finns. In the final of
the Finnish national final, Da Da Dam scored almost fifty per cent of all the phone
and text message votes.
