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Metro
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Which country has won Eurovision the most?
Thousands of Eurovision fans are currently in Basel, Switzerland, ahead of tonight's Grand Final of the song contest. Remember Monday, who will be representing the United Kingdom, will be hoping to capture the nation's first title since 1997. However, this year's favourite is certainly proving to be Sweden's Kaj, who sailed through the semi-finals with the coordinated dance number Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna). Behind Kaj, JJ, of Austria, wowed audiences with his song Wasted Love in the second semi-final. Graham Norton will be hosting this evening's UK coverage of the competition live from Basel, with Scott Mills and Rylan Clark hosting on BBC Radio 2. But, if Sweden were to win tonight, would that make them the country who has won Eurovision the most times? Here's what you need to know… Sweden's 2023 entry Loreen was the hot favourite going in, and she proved all the bookies right. With her win, she became the second act (and first woman) to win Eurovision more than once, but what does her success mean for Sweden's tally as a whole? After Sweden's 2023 victory, they are now tied as the country with the most Eurovision wins. Both Sweden and Ireland have won the competition seven times. Sweden's wins started with ABBA in 1974, and include 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and now 2023. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Although their fortunes on the Eurovision stage may have been more mixed of late, Ireland dominated the left hand side of the scoreboard from the 70s through to the 90s. Their first win came in 1970 with Dana's All Kinds Of Everything, then Johnny Logan snatched victory at the 1980 contest in The Hague with What's Another Year. Logan won again for Ireland in 1987 with Hold Me Now and is the only other person except Loreen to win the competition twice. The Emerald Isle then scored no less than four victories in the 1990s. They notched up three successive wins in 1992, 1993 and 1994, with Linda Martin's ballad Why Me (which was written by Johnny Logan), In Your Eyes by Niamh Kavanagh and Paul Harris and Charlie McGettigan's Rock n'Roll Kids. They had a year's respite from hosting after Norway's Nocturne won in 1995, but promptly won it yet again the following year in Oslo, with Eimear Quinn's The Voice surging to victory ahead of such competitors as the UK's Gina G. Their streak of wins even inspired the Father Ted episode A Song For Europe, in which the song My Lovely Horse is chosen to represent Ireland in the contest – which aired in April 1996, right before Ireland scored their seventh victory. The following year's contest, which took place in Dublin, saw the UK take top honours with Love Shine A Light, although Ireland came close to a fifth victory in the space of a decade, ending the contest in second place. The 2023 hopefuls who aimed to bring glory back to Ireland were Wild Youth, who performed their track We Are One in the first semi-final on May 9, in their bid to return the Irish to the final for the first time since 2018. Luxembourg – who have not taken part since 1993 – are next in the league table with five wins, while Netherlands and France have also taken the trophy five times. And in spite of some recent Euro-flops the UK also has an impressive track record with five victories – winning the contest in 1967, 1969, 1976, 1981 and most recently in 1997 with Katrina and The Waves. Israel is next in the league table with four wins, while Norway, Denmark, Italy and Ukraine have notched up three victories each, and Spain, Austria, Germany and Austria have each won twice. The list of countries with a single win to their name is even longer: it includes Monaco, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Turkey, Greece, Finland, Serbia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Portugal and Yugoslavia. More Trending Meanwhile spare a thought for such long-term participants as Cyprus, Iceland, Slovenia, Malta, Lithuania, and Romania (among others) – who despite being a part of proceedings for a number of decades have yet to notch up their first victory. Nobody ever said winning Eurovision was easy… This article was first published on May 5, 2024. View More » The Grand Final of Eurovision 2025 will air on BBC One and iPlayer at 8p[m tonight. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Who is hosting Eurovision 2025? Everything you need to know about Michelle Hunziker MORE: How do you vote in the Eurovision final and how much does it cost? MORE: 7 shows Eurovision haters can watch tonight if they can't face the music
Metro
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
How to vote in the Eurovision 2024 final - and how much it costs
Homespun pop group Remember Monday will represent the United Kingdom in The Eurovision Song Contest tonight – competing among 16 finalists in a feverishly pitched competition. Graham Norton will host the UK's coverage of the competition live from host country Basel, Switzerland, with Scott Mills and Rylan Clark also hosting live on BBC Radio 2. And, before the weekend is out, we'll know who has been crowned winner of the show and landed the coveted microphone trophy – not to mention the chance for their country to host in 2026. This year's favourites to win are Sweden's Kaj, who sailed through the semi-finals with the coordinated dance number Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna). With bookies giving the act a 42% chance of success, they will be hoping to beat rivals on the leaderboard, Austria and France, who have a 21% and 9% shot each at winning. It's all still to play for then – but how can you vote for your Eurovision favourite once you've heard your top song? Here's how to cast your vote in Eurovision 2025. Voting for the grand final opens just before the first song begins, and will remain open throughout the evening and for up to 40 minutes after the final song is performed. As well as a professional jury vote which will makes up just under half of the final score, viewers can vote for their favourite song. This year, for the first time, UK viewers are able to use the official Eurovision app to participate in voting. To do so, download it from your device's app store, then use it to vote for your favourite acts during the show. As before, fans can also cast their vote by dialling a Mobile Short Dial Code (MSDC) from UK mobiles and landlines. Using the MSDC, viewers can call (not text!), and will be charged a guaranteed fixed price for the number, which will appear on screen when your favourite act performs. No text voting is available in the UK. Unfortunately, you can't vote for the act representing your own country – so if you try voting for Remember Monday, it won't count! When it comes to the results, the juries give out their points – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 – and then the televote result from each country, using the same points system, is added to the scoreboard. Whichever country's act ends up with the highest points total is declared the winner – and in the event of a tie, the act with the highest number of points from the public vote will take the trophy. It costs 15p per call to vote in Eurovision on a mobile. More Trending If you call on a landline, you'll be charged 15p plus whatever your network access charge is. Voting isn't free on the app, either – as the app will take you to the MSDC in order for you to cast your vote. So, you'll still have the 15p charge. Remember: there's no text voting or website voting in the UK, so there's no free alternative in place right now. View More » The Eurovision Grand Final is on Saturday, May 17 at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below MORE: 7 shows Eurovision haters can watch tonight if they can't face the music MORE: Eurovision 2025 final running order – full list of countries and favourites to win MORE: Remember Monday won't win Eurovision tonight – but they've proved the UK can
Irish Examiner
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Dutch hope to make Eurovision final after last year's disqualification
The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the final last year. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors – Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Claude Kiambe said he hopes that the organisers have 'listened', after his country's disqualification in 2024 (Tim Buiting/AVROTROS/PA) Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, 'doing great and doing the best', after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification 'unnecessary and disproportionate', while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help 'protect' the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have 'listened to everything what happened'. However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBT+ flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags – after controversy last year on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. Shkodra Elektronike from Albania performs Zjerm during the dress rehearsal for the first semi-final (Martin Meissner/AP) After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the 'big five' and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen, the UK's girl group Remember Monday, and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semi-final. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1,000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday on RTÉ from 8pm Irish time, and the final at the same time on Saturday.
Powys County Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Dutch hope to make Eurovision final after last year's disqualification
The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the final last year. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors – Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, 'doing great and doing the best', after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification 'unnecessary and disproportionate', while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help 'protect' the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have 'listened to everything what happened'. However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBT+ flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags – after controversy last year on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the 'big five' and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semi-final. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1,000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision.
The Advertiser
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Pop phenomena warm up voices for Eurovision showdown
The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time). The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time). The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time). The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time).
