Chachi, whose real name is Chachi Hildén, describes herself as a Mexican-American family person and performer who has lived her entire life surrounded by music and dance.
She was born in Houston, Texas, the youngest of five children. A difficult childhood was saved by dance, which she started at the age of four.
– I grew up in a place where, most of the time, I was scared and lost. But dance kept me sane. It allowed me to say everything without words, Chachi says.
At nine, ballet was replaced by hip-hop. Michael Jackson on MTV and R&B music made a deep impression on young Chachi.
– I told my mom I didn’t want to dance ballet anymore and started hip-hop. In my first class I cried because it felt so far from who I was. But something always pulled me back.
Chachi says openly that hip-hop and dance saved her life.
A childhood scrutinized by the internet
Chachi’s career exploded in her teens. At 15, she ended up in the dance competition show America’s Best Dance Crew. It was the first season to allow underage contestants. The team won the entire competition, making Chachi its youngest-ever champion.
– Everything happened at once and so fast that it felt like someone hit fast-forward: huge popularity, while at the same time I was still that scared girl hiding in a closet. It was hard to process.
Fame also brought unwanted side effects. Chachi says she grew up under the gaze of the internet and social media from the age of twelve.
– People quickly noticed I had family issues and that I left home. Many thought I abandoned my family as my popularity grew. I let people insult me and spread lies because I simply wasn’t ready to tell my story. If someone has time to vent their pain online, it says more about them than about me.
Chachi began teaching dance herself already at age 12. Her mentor asked her to substitute for a class, which became the starting point for a long international teaching and performing career.
– I was in classes every day after school. I did my homework in the car and danced until I fell asleep.
In the mid-2010s, her career expanded into TV and acting. She had her own reality show, Chachi’s World, and various roles in different productions.
Music has been with Chachi all along – from childhood piano lessons to learning music programming at seven and experimenting as a teen artist.
Still, becoming an artist herself frightened her for years. She describes her early music experiments as inauthentic because there were too many expectations imposed by others.
– I was micromanaged: what I said, what I wore, what I ate.
Finding love on a mountain
In 2017, Chachi’s life changed suddenly. She was in Peru filming the series Ultimate Expedition and climbing the over-5,000-meter-high Mount Ishinca.
Reaching the summit meant much more than a physical achievement. Chachi says the mountain gave her courage and a new kind of confidence.
– I started climbing over my own mental mountains as well.
At the top, she also found love. Among the cast was the Finnish stunt performer known from the Finnish TV-show Dudesons, Jukka Hildén.
Chachi says Jukka’s exceptional gentleness and bright energy drew her in.
– Jukka made me believe again that there are good people in the world.
Love led her to move across the world. For the first time, she felt she had found a place she could honestly call home.
– In Finland I feel the most at home. Safety, kids walking alone to school, nature, clean air, all the things people here take for granted felt like a miracle to me.
Chachi says she has embraced Finnish everyday life so deeply that she considers herself Finnish.
– I’m a Finnish-Mexican American. I wasn’t born here and my Finnish isn’t perfect, but in every other way I’ve fully integrated into Finnish culture. I have Finnish children, a Finnish husband, and on top of everything, I eat cinnamon buns on Fridays.
A recipe for a new beginning
Chachi put family and motherhood first for several years. In 2020, she decided to participate in Masked Singer Finland.
– Behind the mask I could perfectly test what it feels like to sing and how people respond to my voice.
The show led to a record deal signed in 2023, but family life still took most of her time.
UMK has been on the singer-dancer’s mind for years.
– Now the pieces are finally in place: I’m no longer scared. I’m excited. This is the perfect way to launch myself as an artist to the Finnish audience and my new home country.
The song was created together by Chachi, songwriter Johannes “Kiro” Naukkarinen and Linnea Deb.
– The goal was simply to make a good song. When it was finished, we realised it would be perfect for UMK.
The music video and stage show are intentionally built around surprise.
– When you hear the name Cherry cake, you might expect something cute and kitchen-pop with Katy Perry cupcake bras. But that’s not what it is. It’s a party song with an unexpected and fun vibe. As for the music video, it is visually epic and taps into my dance strengths.
According to Chachi, the core of the track is self-acceptance and throwing the rulebook away.
– I want to be myself and encourage others to do the same.
If she were to win UMK and earn a place at Eurovision, the meaning would be immense.
– I’m so proud to call Finland my home. I want to give back what Finland has given me. I would do everything to make Finland as proud of me as I am of it.