The drama is set and the stage is ready – after two semi-finals, 26 countries have earned their place in the grand final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, where they will compete in front of thousands of fans in Basel’s St Jakobshalle arena, and millions watching around the world.
Last night’s second semi-final saw the likes of classically trained Austrian countertenor JJ and Malta’s Miriana Conte make it through, while surprisingly Ireland’s Emmy and Australia’s very own “Milkshake Man” Go-Jo (two of Euronews Culture’s favourite picks) both missed the cut.
But it wasn’t just the music making headlines. For the second year running, Eurovision’s motto, “United by Music,” has been tested by fierce controversy surrounding Israel’s participation. Despite passionate calls for a boycott, Israel represented by Yuval Raphael, has made it through to the grand final.
Raphael survived the Hamas attack on the Nova Music Festival last October, and now she’s one of the bookies’ top picks to win it all. But her participation has ignited intense backlash. Outside the venue, the outrage spilled over into the streets of Basel, where hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered, demanding an end to Israel’s military actions and calling for its expulsion from the contest.
With tensions running high, all eyes now turn to the final showdown on Saturday night. The only question that remains: who will rise (like a phoenix) above the rest and be crowned this year’s Eurovision champion?
Among the 26 finalists, here are the three countries we believe have the strongest chances of taking home the winning trophy.
KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu (Sweden)
This year’s Eurovision song from Sweden has a simple message – and it’s one we can all get behind: Let’s just sauna.
In case you’re unaware, saunas are a big deal in Nordic countries. Not only an activity – they’re a way of life; one that’s rooted in ritualist, spiritual and communal practices. There was even a sauna world championship hosted for over a decade in Finland (which ended in 2010 after someone died, but let’s not bring the mood down.)
The point is, like all great loves in life, saunas deserve a song dedicated to them – and Finnish comedy music group KAJ have finally delivered one. In fact, their Eurovision entry might be the steamiest (every pun will be intended) yet, and also happens to be the first Swedish-language song to be performed at the contest since 2012.
Unlike Sweden’s previous entries, content to follow the formula of perfectly polished pop anthems, KAJ chose to turn up the heat and get unashamedly goofy with their caricatured embrace of cultural idiosyncrasies. The music video features synchronised dancers in towels and sauna hats, for goodness sake!
It’s a refreshing change of direction for a country whose last two wins both came from Loreen, in 2023 and 2012. While epic electro ballads about love and emotional turmoil are nice, maybe what we really needed all this time was a twee tune about wood-paneled walls.
Musically, there are all the right amounts of campy earwormery here, with the whispered cry of ‘sauna!’ hitting like a watery revelation to the hot rocks of our subconscious. Indeed, the song also serves as an important reminder to prioritise self-care and connection in these trying times – gotta let off a little steam now and then, literally.
I’m not alone in championing ‘Bara Bada Bastu’ – it’s currently the bookies’ favourite, with a 40 per cent chance of winning. Sauna or not, other entrants should probably start sweating. Amber Bryce
JJ – Wasted Love (Austria)
Austria is hoping to secure its third Eurovision win with 23-year-old Austrian-Filipino countertenor Johannes Pietsch – aka: JJ – who could follow in the glorious footsteps left behind by drag icon Conchita Wurst in 2014.
The two certainly share a flare for the dramatic.
Having already made a name for himself in the world of classical music and for using his voice as a master instrument, JJ is banking on a soaring popera anthem – which, as its title suggests, is about the torment of unrequited feelings.
‘Wasted Love’ is… well, it’s a lot. The genre-bending song starts off as a delicate ballad about drowning in emotion and feeling like you’re sinking at the deep end. It takes a turn when JJ breaks into an increasingly heartfelt (and very high-pitched) complainte, before morphing into what the iceberg which hit the Titanic would have referred to as a nu-disco fantasia. The crescendo is quite something: an explosive EDM that once again shows off JJ’s remarkable (frankly, ludicrous) range and also proves that being adrift in the emotional abyss and having a bop needn’t be mutually exclusive.
Quite how everything goes from the ballroom to the club in the space of two minutes and 50 seconds is beyond me. However, at a time when we’re all trying to untangle the emotional complexities the decry from the shitshow of daily life, ‘Wasted Love’ is a compelling case for heading straight into the eye of a storm.
And maybe, just maybe, comfort comes after the turmoil… If not, Austria still has popera perfection on its hands, a textbook example of what Eurovision songs should sound like. Surely, in lieu of comfort, that’s worth the coveted microphone statue… David Mouriquand
Check out our interview with JJ ahead of this weekend’s final.
Ziferblat – Bird of Pray (Ukraine)
Ukraine’s been on a serious Eurovision hot streak: a win for the Kalush Orchestra in 2022, a solid sixth-place finish in 2023, and third place last year. While some might be quick to label these results as driven by “sympathy votes’ – given the ongoing war following Russia’s invasion – let’s be honest: the songs have slapped (politically, emotionally, and sonically).
This year’s entry is no exception. Ukraine returns to the contest with ‘Bird of Pray’ by Ziferblat, a trio made up of vocalist Daniil Leshchynskyi, guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, and drummer Fedir Khodakov. The song is an emotional reflection on the toll of war, exploring what it means to be separated from loved ones, to live in grief, in fear, and still try to hold onto hope. In this case, that hope is symbolised by a bird.
“It’s about the problems we go through, the tragedy of the last three years,” lead singer Valentyn Leshchynskyi told Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs
Musically, the song is hard to pin down. It opens with ethereal female vocals before plunging into group chants of hypnotic Ukrainian vocals, layered over a moody prog rock ballad backing. Then the chorus hits, and suddenly it shifts to full-on musical theatre – big strings, huge emotion, almost like something from an anime soundtrack. “Fly. Bird. I’m begging you. Begging you, please just live” pleads the lead vocalist. For my money, it’s a real standout in a year laden with one too many squeaky clean, forgettable pop songs.
And in recent days, the songs’s message has become even more hard-hitting. Khrystyna Starykova, a 19-year-old backing vocalist for Ziferblat, revealed that her home in Myrnohrad was destroyed by Russian shelling. Now rehearsing in Switzerland, she shared photos of the wreckage online. Theo Farrant
The Eurovision final takes place this year in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday 17 May.
