Paradise Oskar, real name Axel Ehnström is 20 years old and hails from Kirkonummi. He took his stage name from the children’s novel Rasmus & The Vagabond by Astrid Lindgren, where one of the characters, a tramp, made his living from playing the accordion. Why Astrid Lindgren as his inspiration? Well, Axel and his family belong to the Swedish speaking minority in Finland.
Axel has been deeply interested in music since starting school, and began composing his own songs at a young age. He constantly craved the opportunity to please others with his music. His love for music took him on to study at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory in Helsinki, where he began studying full time last autumn.
He was initially contacted by YLE to participate in Suomen Karsinta, the jury that YLE had appointed had actually chosen him to perform in the preliminary heats. Before he took to the stage, help was drafted in in the form of music svengali Leri Leskinen to tweak and improve the entry.
