The trio enchanted the Eurovision audience in the arena when they performed "Bara bada bastu" in the semifinal. KAJ was met with great jubilation both before, during, and after the performance. They are also one of the ten contributions that move on to the final after the audience votes were counted.
In the final on Saturday, the jury groups' votes will be a factor.
According to all betting sites, the group is best positioned to take home the entire competition. They have increased their chances of winning to 42 percent after the semifinal.
Norway's Kyle Alessandro also moved on – despite the voting problems he had been struggling with in recent days. In the semifinal, however, he had improved enough to reach the high notes in "Lighter" with some effort. Iceland's brother duo Vaeb also moved on, despite being at risk of being eliminated according to the odds.
Petra Mede makes a guest appearance
The semifinal began with a modern dance and song number in national romantic overtones. It was alphorn, traditional dirndl dresses, and some kind of song mix of yodeling and herding calls.
The hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer welcomed millions of European TV viewers when Switzerland, for the first time in 36 years, hosted the Eurovision Song Contest.
We have big shoes to fill this year after last year's fantastic edition of Eurovision in Malmö, says Sandra Studer.
Petra Mede then made a surprising appearance in the interval act "Made in Switzerland", as the Swiss national hero Wilhelm Tell. The Swedish host is extremely popular in Eurovision circles and her participation was greeted with great jubilation and dropped jaws.
During the evening, they also paid tribute to domestic music by playing big Swiss hits: DJ Bobo's "Chihuahua" from 2003 and the classic "bird dance" created in Switzerland in the 1950s by accordionist Werner Thomas.
The last time Switzerland hosted the competition was in 1989, the year after Celine Dion won with "Ne partez pas sans moi". And the Canadian singer participated via a video greeting at the end of the evening.
I'm so glad that Switzerland is hosting the competition again and is with you in thought, she said.
Dion, who has been afflicted with the disease "stiff person syndrome", was then honored with an interpretation of her Eurovision ballad by singers from last year's Eurovision.
Norway: Kyle Alessandro – "Lighter"
Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – "Zjerm"
Sweden: Kaj – "Bara bada bastu"
Iceland: Væb – "Róa"
The Netherlands: Claude – "C'est la vie"
