ESC Etc.

The most national finals since 2011! We’re drowning in songs!!!!! Since I’ve reviewed most of these and I have approximately 4826648329 other national finals to get to, I’ll try to focus more on each entry’s execution and ESC prospects.

Country: Luxembourg
Artist: Laura Thorn
Title: La poupée monte le son
Songwriter(s): Julien Salvia, Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal
Tempo: 130 BPM Mode: Major Key: G Duration: 2:58

Have I been too hard on this? Perhaps. Part of it was just how disappointed I was in this national final as a whole – both in terms of music and performance ability – to a point that I just landed on this track as the only viable option for ESC, which isn’t the best scenario to get excited about a song. As a matter of fact, this is a quite playful and fun entry with a current production and Eurovision-ready staging. I really like that it works as an answer to Poupée de cire, poupée de son by France Gall, which won Luxembourg their second (of five!!!) ESC wins back in 1965 and, more importantly, opened the Eurovision pop floodgates after years dominated by ballads and chansons. Back then, France won singing about how she was just a doll in her man’s hands, and in 2025, Laura is here to say, “ACTUALLY, this doll is gonna turn up the volume.” For us ESC nerds, this feels a bit like a wink and a nod – I can’t think of many other entries that also double up as an inside joke of sorts. For the casual viewers, there’s still enough to appreciate here even just taking this package at face value – good vocal, dancey vibes, whimsical visuals. It’s also definitely better than last year’s entry, so there’s that.

Jury Potential: Middle of the pack. Nothing to sneeze at.
Televote Potential: Possibly Top 10/15. I feel like this will be eye-catching and well executed, and there is definitely an audience for this brand of cutesy, wholesome dance pop. Is it the most exciting thing ever? No.

Country: Ireland
Artist: Emmy
Title: Laika Party
Songwriter(s): Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Erlend Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Henrik Østlund, Larissa Tormey, Truls Marius Aarra
Tempo: 132 BPM Mode: Minor Key: D Duration: 3:00

Was I right or was I right? On the one hand, the Irish national selection this year was weak enough for this entry to be a pretty obvious front-runner – that said, Ireland had really big shoes to fill after 2024, and the pressure to get it right and keep the momentum going might have caused things to go astray (see: last year, international juries). The biggest gag about Emmy’s win here for me is the fact that Emmy is not Irish but rather Norwegian, and this very entry was rejected at MGP (in favor of some, uh…dubious choices) only for Norway to end up selecting a worse, rather unremarkable track that will most likely end up behind this one in the finals. There is a very strong package here – great vocals, adorable staging, great overall narrative – and it will only be elevated in Basel.

Jury Potential: Probably middle of the pack, although I imagine jurors appreciating the flawless execution.
Televote Potential: I could imagine this ending up as a televote fave. People love dogs. It’s colorful and it exudes joy. It’s also a banger.

Country: Ukraine
Artist: Ziferblat
Title: Bird of Pray
Songwriter(s): Daniil Leshchynskyi, Fedya Khodakov, Valentyn Leshchynskyi
Tempo: 134 BPM Mode: Minor Key: F♯/G♭ Duration: 2:59

I didn’t cover Vidbir this year mainly because I was really taken aback by the general (lack of) quality of the entries and I opted to focus on Finland and Malta, instead. I was, like many others, a big fan of Masha Kondratenko’s entry (No Time to Cry) but I also feared Ziferblat, last year’s runners-up, would ultimately prevail even just based on name recognition. I don’t have a whole lot to say about this entry, which I find to be rather discombobulated and grating – it’s not my thing, but I’m generally able to appreciate quality entries even if they aren’t for me. With this one, it just isn’t happening. Good luck, boys!

Jury Potential: I see this going the way of Joker Out – possibly slightly better.
Televote Potential: I am never going to predict Ukraine not to advance (they have a 100% qualification record and they’re a Eurovision powerhouse) but if that’s ever meant to happen, this might be the year.

Country: Finland
Artist: Erika Vikman
Title: ICH KOMME
Songwriter(s): Christel Roosberg, Jori Roosberg
Tempo: 147 BPM Mode: Major Key: G Duration: 3:00

I’ve said my piece – seeing how Nightmares didn’t quite come together on stage on the night of (it remains an absolutely flawless studio cut), this was the only logical choice. Erika was given the pimp slot in the running order and predictably brought the house down with what I feel looked like a very pared down (if still incredibly exhilarating) version of the package we’ll get in Basel. Let’s be real – this can absolutely win Eurovision. I would even go as far as saying that, at this point, this is the prohibitive fave. If Måns does indeed end up winning Melfest and we get a repeat of 2023 – a two-horse race between Sweden and Finland, as the odds are already predicting – it’s hard to imagine the vote not tilting in Finland’s favor (which I’d be ok with this time around, since I’ve never liked anything that Måns has put out – still love you, boo!). I just hope 2023 doesn’t get relitigated in the process. Loreen was the correct choice. Get over it.

Jury Potential: Top 5. I don’t think juries generally like to go against the televote when it comes to one of the faves.
Televote Potential: Could easily win the televote.

Country: Latvia
Artist: Tautumeitas
Title: Bur man laimi
Songwriter(s): Asnate Rancāne, Aurēlija Rancāne, Elvis Lintiņš, Laura Līcīte, Gabriēla Zvaigznīte
Tempo: 140 BPM Mode: Major Key: A Duration: 2:58

Kinda called it?! I do think that Latvia ultimately shot themselves in the foot by not sending The Ludvig (who won the televote and was one point away from taking the whole thing – thanks, juries), but this is a really solid entry (not to mention the first entry to be performed fully in Latvian since 2004) that will keep the country’s qualification streak alive. Tautumeitas quietly put together one of the best, most arresting staging packages of the season, and Bur man laimi will definitely stand out at ESC because nothing else is going to sound like it. It just feels somewhat bittersweet that the year Latvia seems poised to win their first Oscar (we stan Flow in this household), they ended up passing on the chance to actually win ESC, too.

Jury Potential: Top 10. The vocals and the visuals are rather arresting, even if juries generally like radio-friendly pop and ballads over anything else.
Televote Potential: Also top 10. I think voters at home will be drawn to the folksy element and the native language, even if this lacks the energy of a Trenulețul. This could easily go the way of My Sister’s Crown.

Country: Malta
Artist: Miriana Conte
Title: Kant
Songwriter(s): Benjamin Schmid, Miriana Conte, Muxu, Sarah Evelyn Fullerton
Tempo: 122 BPM Mode: Minor Key: E Duration: 3:00

Well, it happened. Miriana is flying out to Basel to serve kant (the EBU has already approved the lyrics) and this song is becoming a bit of a viral phenomenon online, which bodes well for its chances at ESC where the double entendre was at risk of being lost on some of the casual viewers unfamiliar with English idiomatic expressions of slayage and vaginal supremacy. I am absolutely delighted that Malta went for this in a year where they had several competitive choices that were all a bit on the safer side (Kristy Spiteri, you are amazing and you will get your moment) and I cannot wait to see how the staging comes together at Eurovision (I’m already slightly obsessed with those pink exercise balls). To be clear – beyond the novelty of the chorus, this is a legitimate bop with a killer production and a superior vocal, and it is set to undergo a slight revamp, as well. Malta wants to win, and they’re making sure they’re giving themselves the best possible shot at it.

Jury Potential: Historically, Malta has never really struggled with juries – the issue, rather, is getting out of the semis. While this is definitely a risk, it does also check several jury boxes (pop excellence, great vocal).
Televote Potential: If everything comes together, this one’s got Top 5 potential. Malta tends to struggle with the televote due to the lack of a diaspora and neighboring countries, so this is the sort of statement that should get voters at home on board.