President Barack Obama extolled hip Nordic innovations such as Angry Birds, electronic music by Avicii, and Legos during a welcoming ceremony for leaders from the region Friday.
“Some of us dance and sing to Abba and Avicii,” Obama said. “I do want to point out that Finland has perhaps the most heavy metal bands in the world per capita, and also ranks high on good governance. I don’t know if there’s any correlation there.”
He also praised the music player Spotify and the connectivity service Skype, and had a few words about addictive Nordic video games and toys.
“Millions spend what would otherwise be productive hours on Minecraft, Angry Birds, and Candy Crush,” Obama said.
The president has developed a reputation with millennials for being “cool” — hanging with celebrities like Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Justin Timberlake, taking selfies, and getting interviewed by an Internet superstar who bathed in cereal and milk.
