It’s that time of the year again. Time to bring your best shot when it counts the most. Time to scrutinize. Time to serve Kant. Here are my traditional reviews of all the 35 entries for Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.
I wrote this last year, and it still stands: I wonder if Eurovision has ever been better, when it comes to overall song and performance quality. Gone are the days when you could just as well send a muppet turkey to represent you, because there were always someone singing worse anyway. Further there is great diversity with well produced pop bangers, rockers, ballads, electronic dance music, good old schlager and genuine ethnic vibes. Something for everyone, as it seems.
It seems like people have a hard time to spot a winner this year and at least six countries are often mentioned as potential winners: Finland, Denmark, France, Australia, Greece, and Romania. In reality we can narrow it down quite easily. Greece or Romania will not get enough jury votes to win. France or Australia on their hand will not get enough televotes. So, then we are left with a Nordic battle between Finland and Denmark, who can attract enough votes from both sides. I place my bet on Finland. But first we should find the 20 finalists, to accompany the five we already have, and say farewell to ten songs.
Last year I wished for Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania to return and my prayers were answered. Unfortunately, five countries have chosen to stand aside: Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain. That has luckily not effected the quality of the contest at large in any negative way.
As always, all judgments and grades are based on performances from national finals (who differ much in budget, production quality and size), pre parties and snippets from repetitions. Some entries still have to be judged largely by studio versions and videos. After the second semi final we will know better who will work in this format or not.
First semi final
(In order of appearance.)
Moldova, Satoshi – Viva, Moldova!
First, Moldova is one of my absolute favourite countries historically in Eurovision. I love the Moldovan ethno served by for example Nelly Ciobanu and Zdob si Zdub. But “Viva, Moldova!” is definitely not what I was hoping for. Yes, it’s party energy, but that’s it. The lyrics are embarrassing: What has “Palma de Mallorca” got to do with Moldova? Nevertheless, regardless of what I think, everything trends towards a final ticket for Satoshi.
Sweden, Felicia – My System
It’s not the highest item of innovation, but the beat of this song is surely impossible to get out of your system. And the “body part” line is just brilliantly catchy. Sweden will do well again. We will make the final. We will make top ten. But we will definitely not win. And that’s okay.
Croatia, Lelek – Andromeda
At first I was still a bit disappointed that Lelek were not given the chance last year with their amazing “The Soul of My Soul”, which ended up at fourth place in Dora, but after a few rounds with “Andromeda” I was as hooked with this. This kind of strong ethnic trip to ancient culture is the pure reason why I’m so obsessed with Eurovision. In stark contrast to all the silly songs, generic pop and boring ballads. Pure power! My number one!
Greece, Akylas – Ferto
I have still not understood the hype around this. I get that Akylas is somewhat cute in his cat ears and furry boots and it’s a fun idea to stage it as an old video game. But the song…? There is no chunky beat, no melody, just chanting “ferto” 74 times. An extra “T” for the ten slow seconds in the middle, but then it goes right down the drain again. He will make it to the final out of pure popularity, but can (hopefully) not match the successes of Käärijä or Tommy Cash.
Portugal, Bandidos do Cante – Rosa
Portugal tend to go their own way – always. So is the case this year as well. Let it be that Bandidos do Cante were the only artists from their national final who were willing to actually step forward and represent Portugal in Eurovision. Still they are something completely different here. Just a soft choir of peace and love, among all the exhibition monsters. Eurovision fans will be surprised when Portugal get a ticket to the final.
Georgia, Bzikebi – On Replay
Bzikebi won Junior Eurovision 2008 and… well, they will not repeat that victory this time. They’ve struggled with their vocals during repetitions and will struggle to even reach the final with this repetitive, but yet anonymous song.
Finland, Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin
Linda & Pete are the big favourite before the contest in odds and polls and they sure deliver. This is a duet between Pete’s voice and Linda’s violin and it is quite spectacular. If they win it will be totally righteous. In the end they are the only ones with potential to win the hearts of both juries and televoters. It is however not my personal number one. And no, Pete is not repeatedly singing “Sunset Boulevard”, but “saat mut palamaan, saan sust palan vaan”. It took me forever to realise that…
Montenegro, Tamara Živković – Nova Zora
Tamara is the biggest threat to Felicia, since they are competing in the same genre, in the same semi final. “Nova Zora” is also built largely on a heavy beat. But when “My System” also has a catchy chorus, Tamara just chants the title. Typical fan favourite that will flop.
Estonia, Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic to Be True
21 years ago the girls in Vanilla Ninja represented Switzerland with the now classic “Cool Vibes”. That sounded fresh then and still does. While “Too Epic to Be True” sounds like something Estonia (or Sweden, Norway or Netherlands) would bring to Eurovision 20-25 years ago; dated, already then. The rockier revamp made it slightly better, but this is definitely not final material.
Israel, Noam Bettan – Michelle
Israel take a step away from the last two years of dramatic ballads sung by young females. Now we see a young man sing a more passionate love song. To Michelle. It sounds a bit cheesy and basic at first, but it grows as Noam puts all his heart and raspy voice in it.
Belgium, Essyla – Dancing on the Ice
The last two years Belgium have been overhyped beforehand, only to crash on stage and miss the final. Can we see the opposite this year? This simple dance pop has mostly flown under the radar, but the repetitions looked and sounded strong, with quite spectacular staging. Yes Essyla still looks a bit uncomfortable, but the song is far better than it’s reputation!
Lithuania, Lion Ceccah – Sólo Quiero Más
Lithuania and I continue to be on totally different planets in Eurovision. This theatrical silver man has a strong voice, but the song is a dark, depressive snooze fest.
San Marino, Senhit & Boy George – Superstar
More silver! In stark contrast to Lithuania, San Marino is all about glitter and party. You should all know Senhit by now. This is her third time in Eurovision. Last time was in 2021 with “Adrenalina”, randomly together with American rapper Flo Rida. Now San Marino draw another international superstar out of the hat and places Boy George on stage. Not that he adds that much but some mumbling in the background, but the song is a banger!
Poland, Alicja – Pray
Poland had a few great options in their national final, but settled for this mess of a composition. It starts as a gospel ballad, turns into rap and ends up in some boring rhythm and blues. Alicja, who should have represented Poland in the cancelled 2020 edition with “Empires” does her best, but please go back and finish the song writing!
Serbia, Lavina – Kraj Mene
Wow. A metal head as I am, I’m usually not that impressed with the harder rock in Eurovision, but this is pure art. Luka Aranđelović takes both theatrical appearance and harsh voice to a new level for Eurovision. I really hope that conservative juries don’t put out this fire of originality, fire and desperation, as they did with Iceland’s Hatari in 2019 or Norway’s Gåte in 2024.
Qualifiers: Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Finland, Israel, San Marino, Poland and Serbia.
Second semi final
(In order of appearance.)
Bulgaria, Dara – Bangaranga
Welcome back Bulgaria, my favorite Eurovision country 2016-2021! But the comeback entry couldn’t be more of an anticlimax. It feels like three different songs randomly mixed into one, where the bridge actually is quite okay, but with a chorus where Dara repeats “bangara” or “bangaranga” 70 times, while dancing sitting on a chair. Then comes the worst dance break I have ever seen in Eurovision. Sorry, but this is actually my 35th out of 35 songs. But that’s just me. Dara is quite popular and will probably reach the final.
Azerbaijan, Jiva – Just Go
I’ve seen people who openly hate Israel for political reasons place Azerbaijan below Israel in their rankings. That says a lot of how generic this ballad is. When Jiva sings some lines in Azerbaijani it sounds much better though. Still it’s not nearly enoughin this competition, and Azerbaijan can face their fourth non qualification in a row.
Romania, Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me
Welcome back also to Romania! Alexandra has grown to a dark horse and will definitely qualify for the final. This is a dark but incredibly catchy and melodic metal song, with some impressive soprano notes delicately thrown in. Alexandra has the voice, but do the juries have the guts to premiere metal?
Luxembourg, Eva Marija – Mother Nature
Since their comeback two years ago Luxembourg have qualified for the final both times. Now it will hang by a thread. Eva Marija has a natural charm and makes the song feel alive. I love the violin part. But in the end the competition is too stiff.
Czechia, Daniel Zizka – Crossroads
“Crossroads” was the song that took the longest for me to remember. That is a weakness when you only have three minutes to impress millions of people. Daniel is a true talent with a wonderful voice, but is the song strong enough? Juries might save him.
Armenia, Simón – Paloma Rumba
When I heard it the first time my thought was that “this will grow”, but that never happened. Maybe Armenia waited too long to put it out on streaming services, so that my train already left, or it’s simply not as catchy as it needs to be, with many similar, energetic entries around.
Switzerland, Veronica Fusaro – Alice
It is a quality blues rock song and Veronica has skills. But it’s also a random album track, rather than something that stands out in the stiff competition. Juries might save the ticket to the final, but it’s possible that Switzerland face another zero in televotes, just as last year.
Cyprus, Antigoni – Jalla
Yes, it is catchy and happy ethno pop, that I once used to like so much. But that was 20-25 years ago now and it’s getting quite more of the same. Especially when you repeat “jalla, jalla, jalla” 70 times. No, I need more than this to get excited. Antigoni has also struggled with her voice during rehearsals. I think this will be the shock non qualifier for Eurovision fans.
Latvia, Atvara – Ēnā
Latvia are tragically underrated. Atvara sings with perfect pitch and the song is emotional and beautiful. The staging is magical, with broken glass flying around. I don’t understand a word, but still I’m beyond touched. But it will take jury effort to make the final happen.
Denmark, Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før vi går hjem
On the night of Melodi Grand Prix I was certain that Sissal would win for a second year in a row (although Myrkur was the best). The only threat was Ericka Jane. But then came Søren… At first it looked too much like Olly Alexader (UK 2024) with sexy dancers in a box, but slowly the song hit me. It is suggestive and catchy – and, most important – in Danish! This is a serious competitor for the win – if Søren’s voice will hold.
Australia, Delta Goodrem – Eclipse
One of the main challengers to Finland for the victory, according to odds and polls, but “Eclipse” never really caught me. It is simply too generic, like something Sweden would send. I like the piano part for a few seconds, Delta is a true professional and all that, but I fear that the juries will stand for about 80 percent of her points, with a ‘surprisingly’ low televote score.
Ukraine, Leléka – Ridnym
Leléka not only (almost) share the name with Croatia’s Lelek, she also share the same concept with Eva Marija from Luxembourg. It is a smiling girl in white who sings about nature and roots growing to trees. I hold “Ridnym” as the better of the two though, and Ukraine have never failed to qualify.
Albania, Alis – Nân
Albania have always been one of my favourite countries in Eurovision, but the last two years they have taken it to a whole new level. Last year with the magic of “Zjerm” and now with this wonderfully mighty and touching “Nân”, a tribute to Alis’ mother. Alis is one of the absolute best singers in the contest. He has been moving up the charts during the last week, but too slow to challenge for the win…
Malta – Aidan – Bella
Malta does Italy better than Italy this year with this retro Mediterranian ballad. It is a bit basic, but yet catchy enough to reach the final.
Norway, Jonas Lovv – Ya Ya Ya
Jonas is perhaps the most charismatic performer in the contest. He owns the stage, as a natural rock star – a mix between Freddie Mercury and Ralf Gyllenhammar. In a weak Melodi Grand Prix he was initially not mentioned as a favourite, but stood out as the clear winner in the end. Still “Ya Ya Ya” has had trouble to reach it’s audience in Europe. I really hope he is qualifying, but I doubt it.
Qualifiers: Bulgaria, Romania, Czechia, Switzerland, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania and Malta.
Grand final
Austria – Cosmó – Tanzschein
First I hated it, as a childish joke entry with a boy with a star in his face and dancing wild animals on stage. Then I thought it was rather cool, with a nice beat. Now I think he is a bit too inexperienced to deliver a stand out show.
France, Monroe – Regarde!
If it’s one thing we know for sure in Eurovision it’s that France never win. Not since I was born, which was quite some years ago now. Monroe is the youngest artist in the competition with her 17 years. She is a true talent and her operatic voice is crystal clear. But the song is simply not it. It’s the same French ballad as always. And we have had quite enough of operatic winners lately. So… again, sorry France!
Germany, Sarah Engels – Fire
If it wasn’t for Bulgaria, Germany would have been clearly last in my list. This is the most generic girl bop you can ever imagine. A bleaker version of Georgia 2024, which was a bleaker version of Cyprus 2018, which was a bleaker version of Armenia 2008, which was a bleaker version of Turkey 2003… yeah you get it! We had better songs in this genre far down the scoreboard in national finals in Croatia, Montenegro and Malta this year.
Italy, Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre Sì
This just reeks of classic Italian schlager. Retro, timeless or dated? Many seem to look at it as timeless. Sal Da Vinci actually had a couple of sour notes in the rehearsal clip, but he will straighten it out on the final night and the juries will probably reward him. A nude shock, a quite acrobatic dance number and a wedding take place on stage!
United Kingdom – Look Mum No Computer – Eins, Zwei, Drei
It is silly, it is funny, it is catchy. It is all that Greece attempt to be, but much better, and with a touch of 80s synth and British punk. Actually one of my most streamed Eurovision songs this season and the best from UK since Katrina & The Waves won in 1997.
Watch the national final performances or all music videos on Youtube.
Listen to all songs on Spotify: