The 10 Eurovision finalists to watch: From Swedish saunas to suggestive microphones

Telegraph

17-05-2025

Grab your miniature flags and hold on tight – Eurovision 2025's finalists have been confirmed following Thursday's second semi-final. It's a fascinating line-up, encompassing comedy, pop, rafter-raising ballads and a celebration of coffee that has Italians gagging on their espressos. Ahead of Saturday's grand final in Basel, here's a run-down of 10 tunes worth looking out for.
10. La Poupée Monte le Son, Laura Thorn (Luxembourg)
A creepy banger seemingly about a doll that wants to be pop star (the title translates as 'the doll turns up the volume'). The track is a tribute to Luxembourg's Serge Gainsbourg-composed 1965 Eurovision winner Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son –though the blistering techno beat would have had Gainsbourg coming out in blisters. Luxembourg used to be a Eurovision power and has five victories under its belt. Could this be the post-Barbie bopper to restore some of that faded glory?
9. What the Hell Just Happened?, Remember Monday (UK)
'What the hell just happened?' was the thought racing through the minds of Eurovision viewers last year when Olly Alexander staged his performance of Dizzy inside a mocked-up sex dungeon. Twelve months later, Hampshire trio Remember Monday are playing it straighter with a girl power anthem celebrating the joys of a messy night out and the even messier morning after.
A bit of a Frankenstein monster of a tune, it probably won't win – it's slightly all over the place, sounding a bit like The Last Dinner Party if they really wanted to impress Simon Cowell, crossed with Queen rebooted as a Dolly Parton cover band. But they are full of vim, and having reached the knockout stages of The Voice in 2019, know what it's like to perform under pressure.
Controversy continues to surround Israel's participation in Eurovision, but the scrutiny has not unduly detained the country's 24-year-old representative, Raphael. She has been through far worse than social media hate as a survivor of the October 2023 attacks. Raphael was among the attendees of the Nova music festival, where she hid from Hamas death squads by concealing herself under the bodies of other victims.
Inspired by Celine Dion, Beyoncé, and Led Zeppelin, New Day Will Rise is an old-fashioned, hair-dryer barnstormer that blends English, French, and Hebrew lyrics and has been interpreted as a response to the trauma Raphael suffered in 2023 – a tonne weight of emotion crashing down as she reaches the line, 'Everybody cries, don't cry alone.'
Benny Hill meets Richard Wagner on an innuendo-fuelled power ballad from former tango singer Erik Vikman. Ich Komme – the lyrics are German – is an ode to a healthy sex life, delivered by Vikman with the fury and enthusiasm of a thousand Valkyries. For anyone who has wondered what might happen if Aqua collaborated with Sisters of Mercy... Well, now you have your answer. The memorable staging features with Vikman astride a giant phallic microphone.
6. C'est La Vie, Claude (Netherlands)
There is a rich tradition of soppy man-pop doing well at Eurovision – just look at Nemo's 2024 winner, The Code. Dutch-Congolese singer Claude satisfyingly tweaks this familiar formula. Written as an ode to his mother, C'est La Vie starts as cheesy and maudlin but soon spreads its wings into energetic Afropop. Still not a patch on the B*witched original, obviously.
5. Bara Bada Bastu, KAJ (Sweden)
Sweden is on course to finally eclipse Ireland (boo!) and take first place on the leaderboard with eight Eurovision wins. But while this boisterous and bonkers song from Finnish comedy trio KAJ is among the favourites, it also has a bad case of what scientists call 'LadBaby' syndrome in that it's massively quirky and a bit annoying. That isn't to say comedy pop has never done well at Eurovision – it is part of the contest's DNA. Still, this wacky song about Finnish sauna culture (a source of bafflement to Swedes) is funny first and catchy second – and you wonder if that will be enough to get it over the line. Who knows? It might.
4. Bur man laimi, Tautumeitas (Latvia)
Finally, someone taking Eurovision seriously. Amid a parade of pervy stompers and songs about Finns and their saunas, this all-female six-piece goes bananas for Bjork and frantic for Florence and the Machine with a seismic salvo of melodic power-power. Costumes straight out of folk-horror shocker Midsommar add to the vibe while the haunting crescendo suggests an unlikely fandom for early Nineties madrigal goth trio Miranda Sex Garden. Just what you want from Eurovision, in other words. The song translates as 'Bring me happiness' – a surprise sentiment considering how terrifying it is.
3. Espresso Macchiato, Tommy Cash (Estonia)
Forget Israel's participation – the real controversy at Eurovision 2025 is Tommy Cash's Espresso Macchiato. Half of Italy is reportedly up in arms over its celebration of exaggerated cliches about Italy: 'I work around the clocko/That's why I'm sweating like a mafioso.' If the relentless melody and comedy-rap qualities are familiar, it is because co-writer Johannes Naukkarinen was responsible for the 2023 Finnish entry Cha Cha Cha, aka the one sung by the scary man with the glowing green hulk arms. The memorable staging features Cash fighting off a fake stage-invader. But will Eurovision voters want to shower him with douze points?
2. Volevo Essere un Duro, Lucio Corsi (Italy)
What if a young David Bowie grew up in Bari rather than Bromley and was obsessed with winning Eurovision? That is the sensibility evoked by glam-pop balladeer Corsi, whose entry feels like a love letter to the Thin White Duke's Hunky Dory years. It's one of the favourites, and you do have to credit Italy for standing apart from the pack. In 2021, Måneskin won with a glam-metal bopper Zitti E Buoni: this time, they're pinning their hopes on a wistful and entirely sincere post-hippy piano anthem. It might just work.
1. Wasted Love, JJ (Austria)
The key to a great Eurovision entry is to combine ludicrous ambition and absolute sincerity. That mix comes together perfectly on this slo-mo banger from former Voice UK contestant Johannes Pietsch. It starts as a graceful slab of neo-classical balladry and pivots into floor-melting techno. Talk about having your cake and also waving your cake around like a glow stick at a rave.
Eurovision 2025: Full line-up and running order
Norway, Kyle Alessandro – Lighter
Luxembourg, Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son
Estonia, Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
Israel, Yuval Raphael – New Day Will Rise
Lithuania, Katarsis – Tavo Akys
Spain, Melody – Esa Diva
Ukraine, Ziferblat – Bird of Prey
United Kingdom, Remember Monday – What The Hell Just Happened?
Austria, JJ – Wasted Love
Iceland, Væb – Róa
Latvia, Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi
Netherlands, Claude – C'est La Vie
Finland, Erika Vikman – Ich Komme
Italy, Lucio Corsi – Volevo Essere Un Duro
Poland, Justyna Steczkowska – Gaja
Germany, Abor & Tynna – Baller
Greece, Klavdia – Asteromáta
Armenia, Parg – Survivor
Switzerland, Zoë Më – Voyage
Malta, Miriana Conte – Serving
Portugal, Napa– Deslocado
Denmark, Sissal – Hallucination
Sweden, KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu
France, Louane – maman
San Marino, Gabry Ponte – Tutta L'Italia