It’s that time of the year again!!! I held off on writing up a Montesong review because A) None of the songs sounded competitive to me B) We don’t know who’s going to ESC because as of Wednesday, winners NeonoeN have withdrawn after a video surfaced of their entry being performed at a Festival in 2023, technically making it ineligible to compete. Having said that, Supernova 2025 feels like a rather competitive national final this year, or I should say more competitive than usual – there are a number of good to great tracks and, as a whole, this selection sounds a lot more current and chart-friendly compared to the past few years. Daddy Dons broke a 6-year NQ streak last year and, by the looks of it, Latvia has plenty options to qualify back-to-back, which I would love to see.
Before we get into our faves, I just want to give a shout-out to Markus Riva, who is on his 10th participation with one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. Does it matter? No! Markus is ESC royalty, he almost won this thing twice, and he. is. not. going. to. give. up. If by some kind of miracle he does end up winning, you best believe I’ll be busy dialing and voting for him.
I’m a sl*t for good Scandipop and I love this. It’s a simple, clean, catchy track with phenomenal production values and a soaring, propulsive chorus. Why overcomplicate things when you can just stick to a winning formula and elevate it? I’m not sure this can win – there are flashier offerings in this selection that more readily scream Eurovision – but Emilija delivers it flawlessly and they just won X Factor in Latvia, so there is momentum brewing.
In 2019, Marta entered Supernova with a song titled Grow Down that didn’t do anything but is now ESC canon in my household. That said, everything about Lovable looks, sounds, and feels like an upgrade. She seems a lot more confident with her performing skills and her sound, and the production here is really shiny and polished. It’s not a very complicated track, and maybe it could use a bit of a lift towards the end, but it’s absolutely adorable and I am so glad to have Marta back in the mix.
ESC WINNER ALERT. You might remember The Ludvig from 2017, when he almost won Supernova and a ticket to ESC with the fabulous, weird, and funky I’m In Love With You. I hesitated a bit to label this as a potential Eurovision winner, but something tells me that it could really do something in Basel with the right attention and staging. It’s an experimental fusion of traditional white voice chanting, urban-slanted pop, and EDM, and there is not going to be anything like it anywhere else this whole ESC season. It’s also an undeniable bop. Part of me feels like this type of sound might be a bit divisive, but the reception in the community so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Keep an eye on this one.
They’re back, they’re still hot, and this time they actually brought a track I want to listen to! Here’s the thing – they’re either going to win again or come in second, and if they do win, this will definitely qualify and avenge their previous ESC misadventures. I do love how hard this slaps, as repetitive as it is, and there’s a certain darker edge to it that makes it more interesting and exciting than it would otherwise be. Looking forward to seeing it live.
OK, so maybe all their music sounds the same. But I found this track so soothing and borderline hypnotic, I just had to include it and throw it a mention. I feel like this will do really well with voters who love a more traditional sound that feels at once like a tribute to the culture of Latvia but is also undeniably well produced and performed. If the witchy vibes from last year’s contest carry over, this might actually be a contender.
ESC Etc. 
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