Now that we've reviewed the entries of semi-final 1, it is time to take a look at what the second semi-final has to offer. Without further ado, let's fire up the keyboard and rate some songs.
1. Dara - 'Bangaranga' (Bulgaria) 🇧🇬
Kicking off the second semi-final we have Bulgaria, making its return after a three years' absence. Welcome back! Borrowing its title from the Jamaican Patois word for 'riot', 'disturbance' or 'commotion', 'Bangaranga' is an invitation to the dance floor: 'Come alive / Surrender to the blinding lights / No one's gonna sleep tonight / Welcome to the riot.'
It is then fitting, if a tad unfortunate, that the entry is a chaotic, disjointed mess. Sounding as if it were frankensteined together from four separate demo tracks in the recording studio, the elements sadly never come together to create a single coherent song that would make much sense. The live vocals are feeble for someone singing about starting a riot, so I don't think Dara is going to have a strong vocal performance to fall back on, either. The 'bangaranga' lyrical hook is vapid and repetitive, not to mention delivered in a 'quirky' exotic accent that feels a bit iffy in this day and age.
The best this song can hope for is to become one of those inescapable trending TikTok audio clips, which was perhaps the end goal all along.
★★
2. Jiva - 'Just Go' (Azerbaijan) 🇦🇿
After three consecutive non-qualifications, Azerbaijan has opted for an adult contemporary power ballad. But despite singer Jiva's strong voice and the beautiful instrumental track, I have a feeling that the country's dry spell is not going to come to an end just yet.
As soon as you realise this is (yet another) break-up story, you just can't look past how platitude-ridden the lyrics are. Of course he said your love would be forever. Of course he fooled you once again. Of course he played games with you. And of course, like in any good break-up song, you ultimately swear to shed no more tears for him. We know, we've heard this all before.
In the second verse, there is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it inclusion of a reverby electric guitar which made me wish that they had gone full-on James Bond theme on this song. More guitars, more brass section, more everything. Now, the song would still be mediocre but at least it would be a bit of a moment. In its present state, it's sadly a non-event that just goes in one ear and out the other.
★★½
3. Alexandra Căpitănescu - 'Choke Me' (Romania) 🇷🇴
The last of this year's three returning countries, Romania is back after being absent from the past two contests. And looking back, it wasn't necessarily the worst timing for a little sabbatical as the things have not been all that great. Which is not to say that 2026 is not without its problems either but I digress.
'Choke Me' is a BDSM anthem in the form of a metal track where the narrator is begging for some rough loving in her pursuit of feeling something:
'All I need is your love
I want it to choke me, choke me, choke me
Born for you to control, I want you to choke me'
The lyrics went on to spark some controversy, claiming they were glorifying sexual violence. Just remember this, kids: there are no fifty shades of gray in consent.
Alternating between operatic high notes and an edgier rock sound, Alexandra Căpitănescu gives a varied and capable vocal performance. Romania has a pretty rough decade behind it in terms of Eurovision success, but 'Choke Me' should qualify with relative ease.
★★★½
4. Eva Marija - 'Mother Nature' (Luxembourg) 🇱🇺
Chains and whips may excite Romania, but Luxembourg's Eva Marija wants us to touch grass. 'Mother Nature' describes how healing and grounding of an experience it can be to go out into the nature and be one with it:
'Dig my roots in the mud
And I lean my head back
Let it out, let it in
And I lean my head back'
A true environmentalist, she's even recycled Jamala's iconic light tree from 2016.
Set to a Lungs-era Florence + The Machine-styled instrumental track, 'Mother Nature' is a cute little indie anthem for any nature lovers out there. I actually quite like the lyrics and they match the spirited energy of the song nicely, but the 'Mother Nature, she knows' chorus line is weak and doesn't really go anywhere. Still, this is easily my favourite of the three Luxembourgish entries since their return in 2024.
★★★
5. Daniel Zizka - 'Crossroads' (Czechia) 🇨🇿
We then move on to Czechia. 'Crossroads' is an interesting one to me. On the one hand, it feels directionless, like a slice of ambience or a mood board more than a song with a clear structure and a narrative arc. But on the other hand, it at the same time resonates with me on some deeper level in a way I can't quite explain. The instrumental has echoes of 90s chill-out/new-age music, and the percussion and the big, long notes add a fascinating balance of tranquility and urgency to the track.
This might not be quite the winning package if singer Daniel Zizka nails those vocals, this has the potential to be a mesmerising moment in the running order. 'Crossroads' will definitely benefit from the return of the juries in the semi-finals.
★★★★
Monroe - 'Regarde !' (France) 🇫🇷
After two consecutive operatic pop winners (which feels like an anomaly in itself as the same formula usually never works two years in a row), France has set out to see if there's still some more juice to be squeezed out of that fruit.
And look, 'Regarde !' is a very competent – if a tad ostentatious – entry in its genre. The lavish, orchestral backing track adds layers upon layers of drama, and Monroe's soprano vocals match its intensity well. The chorus has lyrics simple enough for anyone that has done a basic course in French to follow along: 'Regarde-moi, regarde-toi / C'est ça l'amour, tu ne seras jamais perdu'.
It's just that I fear that Europe might end up feeling a bit of opera fatigue what it comes to picking the next Eurovision winner. Furthermore, I do believe that both Nemo and JJ benefitted from the televote-only semis as the system inherently favoured entries with jury appeal. With more televote-oriented acts in the final, the televote is more likely to spread out, while the smaller number of acts with jury appeal amass the jury points among themselves. It is by no means a coincidence that the three winners of this rule iteration all vote their respective jury votes.
Monroe, however. will not have that advantage since the juries are back in the semi-final, meaning that she will face more competition in the jury darling category. And again, with two operatic pop winners in a row, the lightning is increasingly more unlikely to hit a third time in the same place.
On a side note, how insane is it that she has that impressive of a voice at the age of just 17?
★★★½
6. Simón - 'Paloma Rumba' (Armenia) 🇦🇲
Next, we have Armenia. 'Paloma Rumba' is a story about breaking free from the 9-to-5 rat race:
'This meeting could have been an email
Free coffee won't keep me here, man
Can't do this anymore
Already at the door'
A sentiment I'm sure anyone exposed to enough corporate jargon and self-congratulatory LinkedIn blather can share. What's the opposite of quiet quitting? Loud quitting? Because I'm pretty sure this is it.
The noisy and in principle relatable track would be much better if it weren't built around an absolutely terrible and boring main riff that the song then doubles and triples down in the outro. No amount of 'Are you ready?' and 'One more time!' will hype me into thinking that it's an exciting hook.
I kind of already dread the live performance, particularly the rap verse. The thing about spitting bars, especially when doing it with an accent in a foreign language, is that you need to enunciate in order to be understood. Otherwise you're just making semi-verbal sounds. I don't know, perhaps I'm needlessly harsh on this one and will be gloriously proven wrong, but I'm already preparing myself for a hefty dose of cringe come Thursday evening.
★½
7. Veronica Fusaro - 'Alice' (Switzerland) 🇨🇭
After the cacophony of 'Paloma Rumba', things calm down with Switzerland's 'Alice'. A 90s alt-rock ballad in spirit, this sounds like something a rom-com protagonist could play from the jukebox of a quiet bar during the third-act conflict.
Seemingly a simple love story, the lyrics actually reveal an undercurrent of one-sided, unhealthy obsession:
'Alice, let me inside
I promise, I’ll be polite
No, I won’t make a mess
Why you looking so stressed?
Just let me talk to you
I’ve been watching you'
Yikes – Alice, you in danger girl.
Unsettling lyrical content aside, this is an excellent, quietly confident entry that will not need group choreo or light shows to stand out.
★★★★
8. Antigoni - 'Jalla' (Cyprus) 🇨🇾
Whereas during the past couple of years you couldn't move for all the dancey girl bops in Eurovision, in this year's edition we only have a couple. Perhaps that wave has finally been ridden to exhaustion?
'Jalla' is an unmistakably Mediterranean bop – there's dancing on the table, there's some traditional Cypriot string instruments, there's even a bit of 'opa' here and there. Featuring lyrics with all the profoundness of 'Let's dance the night away / I want to play with the rhythm / Moving left, right', you'd be wasting your time looking for anything of substance here.
'Jalla' might not be one of the most memorable of the girl bops we've ever had, but luckily for it, in this contest it is among the only ones.
★★½
Cosmó - 'Tanzschein' (Austria) 🇦🇹
As the host country of the year and an automatic qualifier, Austria did not have to fret about what to send. And it kind of shows. Singer Cosmó is just 19 years old so I feel like I should cut him some slack but this does have an inescapable amateur-hour aura to it.
Ironically for a song about dancing, 'Tanzschein' is less of a dance floor filler and more of a smoke break.
★★
9. Atvara - 'Ēnā' (Latvia) 🇱🇻
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★½
10. Søren Torpegaard Lund - 'Før Vi Går Hjem' (Denmark) 🇩🇰
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★½
11. Delta Goodrem - 'Eclipse' (Australia) 🇦🇺
After neither Milkali nor Milkshake did the trick (the former of which I'm still pissed off about, the latter of which I... understand), Australia has chosen to whip out the big guns. An Aussie superstar and internationally successful artist, Delta Goodrem is a consummate professional who means business and is here to drag her country back to the Grand Final.
And with a package as polished and expertly crafted as this, she is all but guaranteed to end Australia's recent non-qualifying streak. The only thing holding 'Eclipse' back is that it is an extremely conventional Eurovision number: there is vague lyrical imagery matching the given theme ('Shadows in the moonlight, dancing with the sun / Planets are aligning to love as one'), the chord progression in the chorus is very familiar, there are some big notes towards the end, and yes, there's even a key change. This is just a wind machine and a costume change short of scoring the whole bingo card.
Other than that, the soaring 'Eclipse' is a perfectly solid effort. In spirit, this kind of reminds me of Hungary's 2011 entry 'What About My Dreams' in that it is a similarly straightforward and unashamed Eurovision tune with great vocals, slight kitsch and all.
★★★★
12. Leléka - 'Ridnym' (Ukraine) 🇺🇦
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like a disney musical number
the bridge is gorgeous though
★½
Look Mum No Computer - 'Eins, Zwei, Drei' (United Kingdom) 🇬🇧
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instrumental slaps
anti-brexit / pro-european proclamation
counting in a german language for comedic effect? in an eurovision song? groundbreaking (lasha tumbai)
★½
13. Alis - 'Nân' (Albania) 🇦🇱
Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone... Wait a minute, this isn't Madonna – this is Alis from Albania!
cinematic masterpiece
grand but not pompous (which is good)
★★★★½
14. Aidan - 'Bella' (Malta) 🇲🇹
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how many times does he say 'bella'?
dramatic strings in the intro and the outro... but what about in the middle?
★½
15. Jonas Lovv - 'Ya Ya Ya' (Norway) 🇳🇴
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like an elevated 'like an animal', although the line about animals hits too close and makes me shudder
countdown theme
★½
Predictions
qualifiers
albania
australia
bulgaria? juries might tank though
cyprus is the lone girly bop, but it might tank the jury vote
czechia will lose to denmark in its niche, but might be borderline
denmark
norway
romania
switzerland
ukraine
nah
armenia (not looking like a good year for the caucasian trio)
azerbaijan
latvia
luxembourg
malta
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