Now that the first and second semi-finals have been battled out, we finally have a full lineup of 26 entries for Saturday's Grand Final – one of which will ultimately be the winner and snatch the coveted glass microphone trophy! There were some surprises among the results, but more on them later. Before we move on to the remaining entries, here are a few thoughts about the 2025 contest so far.
Having now heard all the songs from this edition of the contest, I don't know if this comes across as a particularly competitive year. This is not meant as a dismissal of any individual participants nor of what they bring to the table – it's just that compared to other recent contests, few songs emerge as immediate classics to be added to the Eurovision tapestry. I have a sneaking suspicion that 2025 might in the future be remembered as an in-between contest of sorts between stronger years, one that won't be looked back upon with exceptional fondness.
Perhaps paradoxically then, considering the 'weaker' overall level, the playing field seems to be much more level than usually. Mind you, I have intentionally been avoiding any betting odds so I might be completely off the mark. Still, I don't think there is a clear frontrunner at the moment whereas normally at this point, there would only be a small handful of contestants with a perceived change of winning. This makes the final night all the more interesting.
In the semi-finals, there seemed to be some small production issues. Some kinks with the camerawork and props could be noticed, and hopefully they will be ironed out by the final show. Such is the nature of live entertainment, of course, especially with this many moving parts. At least there's been nothing to the extent of 2022's infamous black sun fiasco.
The sound mixing was a more notable issue, however. The audience mics were turned jarringly low, which made the crowd sound muted and killed any sense of interaction between the performers and the arena. No doubt this was done to eliminate any signs of booing – they have been using anti-booing technology for the past decade, after all – but at what point does it simply become dishonest? Erasing negative responses and diminishing positive ones takes away from the authenticity and the live feel of the show, and there have even been comments circulating online about canned applause being employed to drown out the booing. But sometimes even the lead vocalists sounded oddly low in the mix.
Another thing I didn't care for was the new way of announcing semi-final qualifiers. It felt unnecessarily cruel to have constant close-ups on the contestants that kept failing to advance to the final and to have the camera zoom in on their disappointment multiple times. It served no meaningful purpose for storytelling or drama, so I truly hope they ditch that by next May.
Alright, now that I got all that off my chest, let's take a look at our Grand Final lineup!
1. Kyle Alessandro - 'Lighter' (Norway) 🇳🇴
Similarly to the national final, Norway's Kyle Alessandro was dressed up like he was ready to hit a medieval underground rave right after the show. The staging was largely identical, with the exception that he now had one less backup dancer. I assume that was done to accommodate to another live backing singer. I think this was a good idea as Alessandro's vocals were somewhat weaker than in the national final.
Still, considering the amount of choreo, he manages decently. We've definitely heard more out-of-breath singers this year, let's just leave it at that. The song, however, remains too basic of a Eurovision bop to truly catch fire.
★★★
2. Laura Thorn - 'La Poupée Monte Le Son' (Luxembourg) 🇱🇺
Well damn, Luxembourg found a way to make the staging even more literal and on the nose than before. The background screens now depict a 60s retro-futuristic dollhouse complete with a TV screen showing a clip from Luxembourg's 1965 winning entry to really drive the point home that the song is in reference to it. I get the feeling that subtlety might not be Laura Thorn's strongest suit.
She does fare better on the singing front, even if at times she is drowned out by her pre-recorded backing vocals (circling back to the issue with sound mixing mentioned before). Her vocals do have an occasional shakiness, but perhaps with repeated practice she will be able to sound more relaxed during the final night.
★★★
3. Tommy Cash - 'Espresso Macchiato' (Estonia) 🇪🇪
Few qualifiers shocked me quite as much as Estonia's Tommy Cash. Sure, a meme song like this will always have some televote potential (and the semi-finals are currently televote-only), but how he managed to wiggle his way through to the final with... those vocals is beyond me.
Not that it really matters as the juries will absolutely tank this. *sips tea*
The stage-crasher bit was moderately amusing on first watch, but just like with last year's 'No Rules!', a lonely chuckle can't save a mess this amateurish.
★½
4. Yuval Raphael - 'New Day Will Rise' (Israel) 🇮🇱
Israel was an expected qualifier. The country's participation might be a source of much controversy, but (perhaps a little counterintuitively) this actually help them by mobilising a great number of support votes for them. Just last year, the country placed first in its semi and second in the final televote, having received 12 points from the televote 10 and 15 times, respectively. More than any other country. With a song that was pretty but also pretty mediocre. Yeah, there was nothing organic about those results.
And this year, there is an online ad campaign reminding people of the fact that they can vote up to 20 times for the Israeli entry. Hmm. It is not forbidden to advertise, of course, but having a government-backed PR machine behind a song feels questionable and somewhat propagandistic.
'New Day Will Rise' is in many ways similar to 'Hurricane', though less memorable than its predecessor. Whether that will be reflected in the voting or not remains to be seen.
The ballad is painfully beige, but singer Yuval Raphael does sing it well enough.
★★½
5. Katarsis - 'Tavo Akys' (Lithuania) 🇱🇹
I was surprised to see Lithuania's gloomy post-punk number qualifying for the final – but positively so! Even if the song is not without its flaws – the non-event of a chorus, the repetitive songwriting – the band gives a solid, committed performance. The staging hasn't changed since the national final but why try and fix what's not broken?
There is very little competition in the rock genre this year, which might very well play in Lithuania's favour.
★★★½
6. Melody - 'Esa diva' (Spain) 🇪🇸
A recurring theme this year are great vocalists wasted on generic songs, and Spain is no exception. 'Esa diva' is a textbook example of Eurovision club-pop camp that might as well have been released 20 years ago. It is little more than a formulaic rehash of one of the most expected categories of music you'd hear in the contest with no identity of its own.
It is formidable how Melody, on the other hand, still manages to sell it with her powerhouse vocals and charismatic stage presence. With a better song, she could be a real contender.
★★★
7. Ziferblat - 'Bird of Pray' (Ukraine) 🇺🇦
'Bird of Pray' was perhaps my favourite song this year, so watching it qualify with the very last available spot had me on the edge of my seat. That meant that the country is continuing its phenomenal 100% semi-final qualifying rate – well done!
I will have to say that I preferred the charming and more down-to-earth atmosphere of the national final staging, but it is nice how the new version features the backing vocalists more prominently. The blurry filter I could do without, though.
Ukraine has achieved consistent top 10 finishes in the 2020s and I think Ziferblat will follow suit. The magical 'Bird of Pray' is one of the most unique entries this year, so it would definitely be deserved.
★★★★½
8. Remember Monday - 'What The Hell Just Happened?' (United Kingdom) 🇬🇧
Then we have the UK, looking like a trio of Disney princesses starring in a Queen musical. The group has a bubbly energy to them and they give a serviceable vocal performance. I do have to say that I was expecting the harmonies to sound smoother and more seamless. And why did the backing vocals in the beginning come partially pre-recorded when the other two singers were right there?
Either way, the ladies perform with confidence and look like they're really having a fun time up on that stage, so I love that for them.
★★★
9. JJ - 'Wasted Love' (Austria) 🇦🇹
Austria amps up the drama with a theatrical staging completely shown in black and white. The makeshift raft of crates and ropes makes for a simple, effective visual, but the rapid, swaying camera shots (meant to evoke a stormy sea) and the flickering lighting verges on chaotic.
Vocally, 'Wasted Love' is a showstopper... mostly, anyway. The big note before the build-up at the end fell flat, and it felt like a cop-out that the high, choppy notes that followed were all pre-recorded. Notwithstanding, JJ delivers an impressive, operatic performance, and this is definitely one of those song that are elevated by the live vocals. This should do quite well on the scoreboard, considering it already qualified with televote-only voting, and it will definitely score high with the juries.
★★★
10. Væb - 'Róa' (Iceland) 🇮🇸
Austria might have been lost in the sea, but Iceland's party rap number is all about rowing, rowing, rowing your boat through the waves. Iceland's qualification was something that I did not see coming, but the duo has a fun, great energy, so good for them. It might not be reinventing the... uh, keel, but it gets the crowd going and sometimes that's all it takes.
★★½
11. Tautumeitas - 'Bur Man Laimi' (Latvia) 🇱🇻
I was hopeful about Latvia's chances of qualifying but even then, I let out a sigh of relief once it was announced. 'Bur Man Laimi' is a gorgeous, ethereal tune, but I did fear that it might not be instantly accessible enough to work with a televote-only audience. But I was happy to be wrong!
The group will likely be responsible for some of the best vocals of the final night and I love the folky, other-worldly aura of the song. In terms of staging, I did prefer their original outfits that looked more like woodland nymphs as opposed to alien swamp witches. I also don't quite understand why they needed to grow tails for a quick second but hey, to each their own.
'Bur Man Laimi' will absolutely benefit from the jury vote added in the final, and Latvia just might be gearing for their best result in a decade with this exquisite entry.
★★★★½
12. Claude - 'C'est La Vie' (Netherlands) 🇳🇱
The Netherlands was another surprise qualifier for me – 'C'est La Vie' is a completely middle-of-the-road pop song with incredibly trite clichés about how life is a rollercoaster that goes up and down and around and around. Yawn.
Claude seems lovely though and I do enjoy the smoothness of his voice, even if I'm expecting this song to be forgotten as soon as the outro music finishes playing at the end of the broadcast.
★★½
13. Erika Vikman - 'Ich komme' (Finland) 🇫🇮
Finland, on the other hand, has one of the most original uptempo songs of the year. It's a creatively written slice of Finnish junttidisko (complimentary) with a glossy finish, an anthemic chorus, and a rapturous climax.
That is not to say that as a total package, it would be quite there yet, however. The singing in the beginning was a little shaky, there were moments where her voice was overpowered by the backing vocals, and the last notes (when she's mounted on the giant microphone) sounded oddly distorted. They do also need to fix the premature pyrotechnics.
But other than that, Erika Vikman owns the stage and with a song this fresh and unique, Finland could really be coming for those top spots.
★★★★
14. Lucio Corsi - 'Volevo Essere Un Duro' (Italy) 🇮🇹
Things mellow down with Italy's 'Volevo Essere Un Duro'. Singer Lucio Corsi gives an accomplished rendition of this 70s glam rock number, even whipping out a harmonica at one point. I wish he had gone for a different look – the heavy, white, caked-on makeup gives me the creeps – but what can you do. Altogether this is a very classy entry and another strong year for Italy.
★★★★
15. Justyna Steczkowska - 'Gaja' (Poland) 🇵🇱
When it comes to Eurovision stagings, Poland is firmly in the more-is-more camp. There's a lot going on, not all of which necessary – she really didn't need to be hoisted during the bridge, the violin was brought in for just a few seconds, and the dragon comes out of nowhere. It's almost as if the Witcher or Game of Thrones were turned into a Eurovision performance.
But holy mother of dragons, her incredible vocal control commands respect! How can she keep belting out those notes with such strength while doing all sorts of choreo, in high heels no less, and at 52 as well? Now come on, now.
'Gaja' has that trademark over-the-top Eurovision weirdness to it, and while the song might not sound particularly novel, Justyna Steczkowska is a force to be reckoned with and sells it like nobody's business.
★★★★
16. Abor & Tynna - 'Baller' (Germany) 🇩🇪
Despite a revamp, 'Baller' still remains unfinished-sounding and too monotonous to stand out. It's a shame that the overall impression is as weak as it is, as I feel like the song does have interesting bones and some real untapped potential. All that was needed was more variation in the song structure, a more layered and fully fledged production, and a better vocal (that choppy, repetitive hook in the chorus really irks me for some reason). Well, I guess that does add up to quite a bit of work.
★★½
17. Klavdia - 'Asteromáta' (Greece) 🇬🇷
Greece is another one of my favourites this year, so you can imagine my anxiety when the country was the very last qualifier to be announced in the second semi-final. I did call it the spiritual successor to 2018's 'Oniro Mou' but for a second, it looked like it was going to share its fate as well.
Klavdia's vocals were breathtaking and opening the song a cappella remains a power move par excellence. It is perhaps a bit unfortunate that this year, Greece decided to go to the Poland school of overstaging, as I felt that the more subdued minimalism of the national final suited the song and Klavdia's performance better and allowed them to shine more. Now, there is a whole bunch of apocalyptic stuff happening on the screen, there is a dancer representing the singer's mother, there are props, there is a costume change. I'm concerned this might distract from what truly matters, i.e. the haunting song itself.
Yet, even if I fear Greece might have overstaged itself out of the running, I nonetheless get some slight winner vibes from 'Asteromáta'. The song, its lyrical theme, and the image of Klavdia singing in front of a blazing tree kind of bring to mind Jamala and '1944', 2016's winning entry. The last shot of the bright, galactic background is an arresting moment that would pop even more, had the couple of minutes leading up to it not been so visually busy.
Klavdia's singing is simply captivating and I wish that they would have trusted her quiet confidence. Sometimes less truly is more. Nevertheless, to me, 'Asteromáta' is easily one of the strongest entries of the year and one to keep an eye on.
★★★★½
18. Parg - 'Survivor' (Armenia) 🇦🇲
Armenia's qualification was perhaps the biggest semi-final shock to me as I had been quick to write them off. How wrong I was – Parg really was a survivor and a stay-aliver all along.
The high-energy, rock-spirited instrumental I actually don't mind. It's just that his singing is atrocious. Like, maybe don't build your whole choreo around a treadmill if you're constantly out of breath and out of tune. Not to mention that he sings as if he were recovering from a cold and/or hangover. And his English is completely unintelligible.
Alongside Estonia, Armenia will probably be responsible for the weakest vocals of the night, but what it comes to testosterone-heavy macho swagger, they cannot be touched.
Incidentally, he looks like he's gone frolicking with the Latvian swamp witches.
★½
19. Zoë Më - 'Voyage' (Switzerland) 🇨🇭
Switzerland's 'Voyage' grew on my unexpectedly during their semi-final performance – despite the awkward camera blunders during the bridge. I think the staging was clever in that it constantly stayed close to the singer, creating an intimate atmosphere. There is a magical, dreamy quality to the song and singer Zoë Më's airy vocals elevate it beautifully. I still find the lyrics repetitive but I don't think that's going to hold Switzerland back. It's a second strong year in a row for Switzerland.
★★★★
20. Miriana Conte - 'Serving' (Malta) 🇲🇹
It is quite the whiplash to go from Switzerland to Malta. 'Serving' expectedly qualified for the final and it probably receives a lot of televote support from the 'slay queen!' segment. Still, it's all style over substance, and I don't think the composition or the vocal performance are noteworthy enough to win over much of the jury vote.
I bet they are bummed about how low the audience mics are, considering that even if the arena does fill in the omitted word in the chorus, we wouldn't be able to hear it.
★★
21. Napa - 'Deslocado' (Portugal) 🇵🇹
Portugal advancing to the final was another delightful surprise me. It is always reassuring to see the televote appreciating even the mellower and subtler entries – it's not all about being loud and bombastic. During the recent years, Portugal has just been doing its own thing and I love that they are being rewarded for it.
I do hope that the vocals improve for the Grand Final show as they sound a little nervous and trembly at times. Other than that, good job, Portugal.
★★★★
22. Sissal - 'Hallucination' (Denmark) 🇩🇰
This is not a hallucination – Sissal has finally managed to put an end to Denmark's nasty non-qualifying streak. Congratulations!
They seem to have done a tiny bit of revamping on 'Hallucination', but sadly that doesn't change the fact that the song remains a by-the-numbers Eurovision dance-pop number with rather blatant Loreen influences. But my goodness does Sissal perform the everliving hell out of it, like her rent depended on it. Her powerful, Adele-esque vocals are a joy to listen to and she has great stage charisma. Now, if only she had a track strong and original enough to match that... Sigh, one can dream.
★★★
23. KAJ - 'Bara Bada Bastu' (Sweden) 🇸🇪
'Bara Bada Bastu' is an insanely catchy and memorable entry, so it was always going to make it to the final – and most likely, the top left corner of the final scoreboard as well. It's amusing how sort of anti-Sweden it is in style and yet, it's emerged as a real contender for the win. It'll be interesting to see, then, if the juries will flock to the country as usual even when the latter has opted for a more televote-oriented approach instead.
It would be tiresome to see Sweden win for a fourth time in the span of just 14 years, but at the very least this time you can't accuse them of doing playing it safe and repeating the same formula again and again. I also don't know how I would feel about a novelty act winning the contest – and before you come for me, they literally call themselves 'Humorgruppen KAJ', i.e. 'Humour group KAJ') – but you can't deny what an earworm 'Bara Bada Bastu' is.
As a safety precaution, I would like to point out that if your sauna stove is spitting out fire, you're definitely doing it wrong.
★★★½
24. Louane - 'Maman' (France) 🇫🇷
We're getting closer and closer to the end, but there are still a couple of songs to get through first. We next have France and Louane with 'Maman'. The song is a beautiful tribute to the singer's late mother and her own motherhood, and Louane gives a sincere, touching performance with great vocals. This should be another successful year for France, I'd imagine.
I know that Louane is supposed to be playing in sand – SAND, SAAAND – but it looks more like she's singing in a grain silo. I bet that's a piece of work to clean up afterwards.
★★★★
25. Gabry Ponte - 'Tutta L'Italia' (San Marino) 🇸🇲
'Tutta L'Italia' is an insanely infectious party anthem, so I was disappointed to see it not go off more during the first semi-final. Maybe it came down to the largely muted audience mics, maybe the Grand Final crowd will be more animated, I don't know. Either way, this will likely be more of a hit with the televote than the juries. Particularly the Italian televote, I'd imagine.
★★★
26. Shkodra Elektronike - 'Zjerm' (Albania) 🇦🇱
Finally, we have Albania in the closing slot. I can see the hypnotic 'Zjerm' transfixing both televotes and juries alike, and I genuinely believe that Albania is about to get its best final placement since 2012. I don't know if it's quite going to match the 5th place that 'Suus' got, but the top 10 should be well within their reach regardless. The duo are great performers (even if the spoken word verse chills me to the bone) and the staging is simple but effective.
★★★★
That's our Grand Final lineup in its entirety – but who's going to conquer the top echelon of the scoreboard? As mentioned before, to me, the playing field feels much more level than normally. Sure, the odds suggest a landslide victory for Sweden but I don't know if I fully see that happening.
An interesting tidbit about this year's semi-final results is that I believe this is the first year ever that all the Nordics and the Baltics are in the final together. Unless Sweden simply gets 12s across the Northern Europe anyway, this might actually play against the voting bloc, with the votes being much more spread out than they would be with a smaller number of representation in the final.
On the other hand, out of the Southeastern entries only a handful remain, meaning that if the voting follows historically established patterns, the few remaining participants might have a lot to gain there.
In the current voting system (where semis are televote-only), there is sort of an inherent bias in favour of jury-friendly entries. Televote and jury appeals are by no means mutually exclusive, and highest-placing acts typically have to find success on both fronts. However, for the purposes of this argument, let's draw a distinction between the two.
In order to advance through the semi-finals, entries need to first and foremost have televote appeal. Simply being a jury darling will not carry you through. That said, once you get to the final, it can be assumed that there you will have more televote-friendly songs competing for the televote, whereas the pool of jury-friendly entries will be smaller and thus less competitive. A sample size of two contests is obviously too small to make any overarching generalisations, but it is perhaps no coincidence that both winners of the televote-only semi-final era have been the jury winners as well.
In the light of that, I wouldn't be surprised if the juries effectively decide the winner this time as well. I could also see a surprise compromise winner happening, i.e. the winner being an entry that places high in both categories but not at the top in either.
Now that that's out of the way, it's time to make our final predictions for 2025!
Top 10 (in alphabetical order)
- I can see Albania landing its first top 10 finish in 13 years.
- Austria will score high with the juries, and it won't be wasted on televoters either.
- Finland is coming for that top 10 placement, I have no doubts about that. It will perform better in the televote and even there, more so in Northern / Northwestern Europe. If the juries matter as much as I think they do, the country might end up somewhere in the lower half of the top 10.
- I initially thought that since France and Switzerland are in direct competition with each other, there would only be room for one of them in the top 10... but caution to the wind, let's include them both.
- Greece, though regrettably overstaged, is a stunning song delivered with amazing vocals, and it still gives me slight winner vibes. It has a timeless quality which should make it a hit with the juries but also help it gain a considerable amount of televotes as well, particularly from Southern and Southeastern Europe.
- Israel will certainly benefit from the polarised attitudes towards its participation, and the sympathy vote will raise it to the top 10 with ease.
- Italy has been in the top 10 consistently since 2017, and this enviable success streak will probably continue this year as well.
- Sweden is bound to be in the top, probably in the top 5 or even the top 3. However, if my prediction about the jury vote ultimately deciding the winner, Sweden might be edged out of the top spot.
- Ukraine has a unique, magical song that has appeal with both the juries and the televoters. Being one of the few remaining Eastern European countries is definitely not going to hurt them.
And in terms of the ultimate winner, I predict that to be whoever wins the jury vote. I'm going to go out on a hopeful limb and predict that to be Greece.
Alright, those were my predictions – let's see how it goes.
Happy Eurovision final, everybody!
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