Host country: Switzerland (SRG SSR)
Venue: St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland
Hosts: Hazel Brugger, Sandra Studer
Date: Tuesday 13 May 2025
N.B. Any use of “tonight” or “this evening” throughout this post means Tuesday 13 May 2025. All times in this post are in BST.
The Opening
After the usual Eurovision ident, accompanied by Charpentier's Te Deum prelude, the First Semi-Final began with an opening act “Raw Nature”. This featured a troupe of dancers, yodellers and alphorn players performing Swiss-style music. This included what sounded to me like a blend of previous winning Eurovision songs: “Tattoo” (2023), “Arcade” (2019), “Waterloo” (1974). Towards the end of their performance, the 2024 winner "The Code" was clearly noticeable. At 20:05 the hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer appeared on stage to give their opening speeches. Among other things, Sandra said that, 69 years ago the very first Eurovision Song Contest was born in Switzerland.
The Songs
10 minutes after the start of the show (20:10 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.
Song 1: Iceland - VÆB “RÓA”
It’s always tough being first to perform, but someone has to go first. I watched the Icelandic national final, Söngvakeppnin 2025 Final live, online from the UK, on Saturday 22 February 2025. VÆB are a duo of brothers Matthías Davíð Matthíasson and Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson. At Söngvakeppnin, this song was sung in Icelandic, and the preview video version on the official Eurovision Song Contest website is also sung in Icelandic. I’m glad this entry was performed in Icelandic tonight, because it’s great to hear a song in a country’s native language. The title means “Row”, as in rowing a boat. This song has a very catchy, lively chorus; it translates as “Rowing today, rowing tonight”, “Rowing to where the stars are bright”, “And nothing's ever stopping me now”. The verses contain rap; although I’m not keen on rap generally, I don’t mind it being here. I like the use of a stringed instrument during the introduction and after two instances of the chorus. Near the end there was a key change, which is customary for Eurovision songs. For tonight’s performance, Matthías and Hálfdán were accompanied by three dancers. During tonight’s performance, the lighting was generally a shade of blue, and blue pixellated patterns appeared on the background screen. However, red / orange lighting was used at certain points in the song. The duo and their dancers appeared behind what resembled a boat during the instrumental filler after the second instance of the chorus. Late in the song, and right at the end, smoke / steam jets, from the front of the stage, enhanced the performance further. Just like at Söngvakeppnin the duo wore silver outfits. These reminded me of Verka Serduchka’s outfit in 2007, albeit without a head star. Altogether a lively catchy song, a good one to start tonight’s show. I’d like to see this in the final, but I see this as a questionable qualifier.
Song 2: Poland - Justyna Steczkowska “GAJA”
Now for something totally different. I watched the Polish national final, Wielki Finał Polskich Kwalifikacji 2025, live, online from the UK, on 14 February 2025, and “GAJA” was the song which won that evening. During the Polish national final, this was performed in a mixture of Polish and English. Just like at the Polish national final, this entry was performed in the same mix of Polish and English tonight. According to Wikipedia, the song is named after Gaia, the personification of Earth in Greek mythology. That clearly explains the significance of the opening line “They call me Gaia”, and the first two lines of the first instance of the chorus, which in English are “They call me Gaia”, “I’m the Goddess”. Justyna sings the opening line and chorus in a somewhat unusual style; I’d say it’s the style of traditional church music, but it provides impact here. Some parts have a beat, but not the instances of the chorus or the bridge. For tonight’s performance, Justyna was accompanied by dancers, just like in the Polish national final. Blue light beams appeared in the early parts of the song, and waves appeared on the stage floor. An overhead view made it look as though Justyna and her dancers were performing in the sea, including within a whirlpool at one point in the song. During one instance of the chorus, yellow lighting was used, and an unusual pattern was on the stage floor. During the bridge, Justyna was raised into the air, though I’m mystified as to the significance of the pterodactyl which appeared on the background screen at this point in the song. The outro is a series of one-word lines, sung in a powerful manner; these words appeared in block capitals, one by one, on the background screen. The appearance of flames around the stage, as well as simulated fire on the background screen, provided the perfect end to this song. Altogether a very unusual entry from Poland. I’d like to see on Saturday evening, and there’s a good chance this will be there.
Song 3: Slovenia - Klemen “How Much Time Do We Have Left”
Firstly, at the start of the official preview video, Klemen explains that he wrote this song when his wife was diagnosed with a serious illness. That’s important to bear in mind if one is to fully understand the meaning of the lyrics. Obviously, he was unable to say this on stage prior to starting to sing tonight. The opening verse is accompanied by infrequent piano notes. The song becomes more musical during the first instance of the chorus. Piano notes can be heard during the second verse, but there are more of them compared to the first. The first two lines of the chorus have an important message “How much time do we have left together”, “We never know”. The bridge includes the lines “I admire your power”, I admire your will”, “Your ability to heal”, and “The way you never gave up”, which reflect the fact that although Klemen’s wife’s illness was diagnosed as incurable, she miraculously made a full recovery. Tonight, this was performed on a predominantly dark stage, with a starry background effect. I’m mystified as to why two stage assistants raised Klemen, and turned him upside-down during the second instance of the chorus, but he carried on singing during this time. After the bridge, he was standing on stage again. At the end, Klemen and his wife appeared together on stage. Altogether a beautiful ballad, and I particularly like the Klemen sings it in the light of what it’s about. However, casual viewers who are watching tonight’s semi-final, without having watched any of the preview videos of the songs, let alone done any background reading about them, are unlikely to be aware of what song is about, and may well see this as a “dull ballad”, and not want to vote for this if watching in an eligible country, which is a pity. Considering what the song is about, I think this ought to be in the Grand Final, but it will be a miracle for this to qualify.
Song 4: Estonia - Tommy Cash “Espresso Macchiato”
The Estonian national final, Eesti Laul 2025 Final, took place on Saturday 15 February 2025, and I watched it, online from the UK, on demand, three days later. The winner, Tommy Cash “Espresso Macchiato”, was top of my ranking in My Eurovision Scoreboard. Tommy sang this in a mixture of Italian and English during the Eesti Laul Final, and that’s how it appears on the official ESC website. Tonight, this song was performed in the same mix of Italian and English. It’s worth pointing out that lines “Mi like to fly privati" and “I work around the clocko” include English words that have been mis-spelled to sound Italian, but they are not proper Italian. Some lines are proper Italian though, including the chorus line “Mi amore”. As for the appearances of “please”, according to Google Translate, “Por favore” is actually Portuguese, not Italian. Some may perhaps see it as a cross between Spanish and Italian, as a play on words. Unsurprisingly, tonight’s performance of this song started with Tommy holding a coffee cup, just like the Eesti Laul Final. During the early parts of the song an exterior shot of “Winners Café” appeared on the background screen, with a simulated road on the stage floor, but after the first instance of the chorus, the café showed an interior scene, and a tiled floor was simulated on the stage floor. Later, the background screen changed to an aeroplane, with Tommy Cash on the side; the aeroplane appeared to flap its wings. Later still mountains appeared, with “TOMMYWOOD” in block capitals, just like Hollywood. Near the end, an overhead view of Tommy swirling, in a sea of coffee beans, on the stage floor was shown. All in all, “Espresso Macchiato” is a lively, catchy song, almost a fun song, from start to finish. I’d definitely like to see this on Saturday evening, and if the betting odds are anything to go by, this will almost certainly be there. This could do well in the Grand Final, just because it’s such a catchy, fun song, themed around coffee.
A short break followed at this point. During this break, the hosts were accompanied by dancers to perform three short dance sequences, for the audience to join in with.
Automatic Qualifier 1: Spain - Melody “ESA DIVA”
The first of three automatic qualifiers to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being Spain. The Spanish national final, Benidorm Fest, took place on Saturday 1 February 2025, and I watched it, online from the UK, on demand, one day late. The winner was Melody “ESA DIVA”, and that also happened to be the entry which topped my ranking in My Eurovision Scoreboard. Tonight’s performance began with Melody silhouetted against a white background. After the opening section, she could be seen accompanied by dancers. About two thirds of the way through, white steps appeared, and stone arches were simulated on the background screen. From the top of the steps, Melody sang really high pitched, and as she did so, the simulated arches appeared to shatter. Fair enough, opera singers have been known to shatter wine glasses, but it can’t be possible to shatter a stone arch. The falling fireworks from overhead, near the back of the stage, provided the climax to this performance. Altogether, a powerful song, with a good beat, and castanets can be heard at times. Melody has a good voice, and demonstrated her talent to pitch really high. It’ll be interesting to see how this fares with the juries and public on Saturday evening, but for now, Spain doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.
Song 5: Ukraine - Ziferblat “Bird of Pray”
Back to tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. The Ukrainian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Vidbir 2025 Final, took place in Kyiv on Saturday 8 February 2025, and I watched it online from the UK, on demand, three days later. This is a rather unusual song. There are some really over-powering sections, and some high-pitched moments. The powerful sections must presumably be some form of rock. The title is interesting; its third word is spelt P-R-A-Y, as in say one’s prayers. If they are referring to a bird of prey, as in eagles and falcons, the third word should be P-R-E-Y. The centrepiece of the Vidbir performance was the artificial mini garden, which was placed on stage, for the band to perform in. For tonight’s Eurovision performance, there was no on-stage garden. Instead, various effects were created with magenta and cyan coloured lighting, as well as smoke or dry ice. Just like at Vidbir 2025, one member of the band had an electric guitar, and another was seated behind a drum kit, but presumably those instruments were mimed rather than played tonight. Altogether, something out of the ordinary by Ukraine’s standards; some will enjoy this very much, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I for one am not at all keen on this, and would rather it doesn’t qualify.
Song 6: Sweden - KAJ “Bara Bada Bastu”
I watched the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen 2025 Final, live, online from the UK, on Saturday 8 March 2025. This was the final song in that night’s line-up, and the only song not in English that evening, yet it ended up winning. I wasn’t that keen on this the first time I saw this online prior to Melfest 2025 Final, but I liked it more when I played the song again, following the lyrics, and even more so whist watching Melfest 2025 Final, so by the time all 12 songs had been performed that night, I put this top of my ranking in My Eurovision Scoreboard. “Bara Bada Bastu” is in a dialect of Swedish, including some Finnish lines. I like the use of the line “Yksi kaksi kolme” before the first two instances of the chorus; this is Finnish for “One, two, three”. The chorus is very lively and catchy. I particularly like the chorus line “Bara bada bastu bastu”, which means “Simply sauna, sauna’; that’s the perfect hook for this song. The bridge could be seen as a bit repetitive, but it’s certainly unforgettable. Before the last instance of the chorus, there is a key change; which you would expect for a Eurovision song. Tonight’s staging included an open box filled with logs, with trees either side, and a fire atop another box in front. After the first instance of the chorus, the log storage box was turned over was turned over to reveal the large wooden structure to sit or stand on. I’m mystified as to the significance of that structure. After the key change, the use of green laser beams and rising jets were the perfect climax to this song. Altogether, a lively, catchy song; it’s hardly surprising this won Melfest 2025, and is now strongly tipped to win tonight’s ESC 2025 First Semi-Final. I’d like to see this in the Grand Final, and if the betting odds are anything to go by, not only is this almost guaranteed to qualify, but this is most likely to win tonight.
Song 7: Portugal - NAPA “Deslocado”
The Portuguese national final, Festival da Canção 2025 Final, took place on Saturday 8 March 2025, and I watched it online from the UK, on demand, the next day. I didn't see preview videos of the participating songs beforehand, so my online viewing of Festival da Canção 2025 Final was my first time of seeing / hearing any of the songs. Likewise, I didn’t see any of the lyrics or background information about the songs beforehand, so I had difficulty identifying component parts of some of the songs that whilst watching that national final. Anyway, the winner was NAPA “Deslocado”. At the time, I noticed the chorus is quite powerful and catchy, and a piano, drums and guitar could be heard at times. Since then, I’ve found out a little more about this song. The title means “Displaced” in English. According to Wikipedia, the song was described as a nod to the band origins, them being composed of Madeirans living "displaced" in mainland Portugal. Looking at an English translation of the lyrics, the song includes the lines “I'm coming home” three times in succession, and later lines including “No matter how it may seem”, “I'll never belong to that city”, “I make my way thinking of returning” and “To my home, island, peace, Madeira” From what I can gather of those lines, the band members feel that mainland Portugal doesn’t feel like home to them, and they dream of returning to Madeira. For tonight’s performance one member of the band was seated at a grand piano, one was seated behind a drum kit, one had an acoustic guitar and two had electric guitars, though it’s most likely those instruments were mimed, rather than played. At the start, an image of the Moon could be seen on the background screen. Yellow light beams were used in some parts of the song, and blue lighting was used at times. Altogether a very unusual style of song; a Wikipedia article I’ve found about this song describes it as “Indie rock”. I have my doubts about this song’s ability to qualify tonight. Put it this way, casual viewers who haven’t looked at the lyrics, or done any background reading about this song beforehand, are unlikely to understand what this song is about. I think this entry is even more disadvantaged by being performed immediately after Sweden’s “Bara Bada Bastu” and before Norway’s “Lighter”. I wouldn’t mind this in the Grand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.
Song 8: Norway - Kyle Alessandro “Lighter”
I watched the Norwegian national final, Melodi Grand Prix 2025 Final, live, online from the UK, on Saturday 15 February 2025. The winner was Kyle Alessandro “Lighter”, which was hardly surprising as this was the favourite to win MGP Final that evening. I also put this song of my ranking in My Eurovision Scoreboard that evening. The opening verse is sung in a bouncy manner, and a soft beat could be heard. During the chorus, there is quite a powerful beat. The second verse has a powerful beat to it. This includes an instrumental break, which includes some eastern style elements. After that, the section starting “Silence fills the room” is sung quite softly, which provides a break from the livelier bits, before a final instance of the chorus. Tonight’s performance began with predominantly blue lighting at the start, but by the first instance of the pre-chorus, this changed to red / orange lighting. Red / orange lighting was used until the start of the instrumental break, at which point the lighting colour went back to blue. Being as the song is called “Lighter”, it’s hardly surprising simulated fire appeared on the background screen from the first to second instances of the chorus, and additionally, fire appeared at the front of the stage on the second instance of the chorus. Altogether a powerful song, though I’m not sure what style this is. Anyway, I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, and there’s a good chance this will be there.
Song 9: Belgium - Red Sebastian “Strobe Lights”
I watched Belgium’s national final, Eurosong 2025, live, online from the UK, on Saturday 1 February 2025, and the winner was Red Sebastian “Strobe Lights”. I also put that entry top of my ranking in My Eurovision Scoreboard that evening. The section “Strobe lights, getting lost in your eyes, Cotton candy haze, floating up in space” provide a gentle opening. The first verse proper, starting “Falling where up is down” includes “Alice, show me your hand, Take it to wonderland”. Evidently that’s a reference to the story “Alice in Wonderland”. I like the pre-chorus, starting “Step into the mirror to bright new dimensions”; this includes “Come down through the looking glass” (again, presumably representing the story “Through The Looking Glass”. The chorus, which goes from “Strobe lights, getting lost in your eyes” to “It's where I wanna stay” is very catchy; I like the way the singer goes high pitched on its last line. Altogether a lively, catchy song, with a beat on the verses and pre-chorus, but not the first instance of the chorus. Being as the singer is Red Sebastian, it’s hardly surprising he wore a red outfit tonight, and red lighting dominated tonight’s performance. Furthermore, being as the song is called “Strobe Lights”, it’s hardly surprising strobe lighting, as well as flashing lights, appeared during each instance of the chorus, plus instrumental break. One element of the Belgian Eurosong 2025 performance, which tonight’s performance lacked, was Red Sebastian performing on a platform which was raised by a scissor like mechanism. Perhaps it wasn’t practical to have that tonight in Basel. Altogether, a lively, catchy song. In terms of the song style staging, is this an attempt to replicate Lithuania’s 2024 Eurovision entry Silvester Belt “Luktelk”, and take it to another level? Whether or not that’s the case I’m mystified as to the need to reference the Lewis Caroll stories in the song. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, and there’s a good chance this will qualify.
Automatic Qualifier 2: Italy - Lucio Corsi “Volevo Essere Un Duro”
The second automatic qualifier to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being Italy. They have gone for something unusual by their standards this year. Unsurprisingly, the song was performed in Italian, but unusually an English translation of each line appeared at the bottom of the screen, which was useful for English speaking viewers. From the subtitles, it looks like the title means “Living life is easy”. Tonight, Lucio was joined by another performer. Up until the end of the first instance of the chorus, one was seated at a grand piano whilst the other had a guitar, but for the rest of the song, both of them were standing on stage with guitars. Two giant amplifiers were on stage, though presumably those must have been for show, as the vocals and backing track would have been fed through the venue sound system. I must admit, this is one of a minority of tonight’s songs I hadn’t previewed beforehand, but from my first time full viewing of it tonight, I consider it to be one of Italy’s weaker efforts compared to what they’ve sent in recent years. Put it this way, from my first impression, it’s not exactly memorable. I can see a lot of casual viewers who just watch the Eurovision Shows without previewing any songs beforehand, and even more so those who only watch the Grand Final, will feel the same way as me about this. Time will tell whether this can get votes from juries or viewers on Saturday night, but for now, Italy doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.
A short break followed at this point. During this break, the hosts spoke about props, including size restrictions for them. Past examples were shown: a horse (Azerbaijan 2017), Dustin The Turkey (Ireland 2008), dancing gorilla (Italy 2017), banana ears (Norway 2022), spinning buffalo (San Marino 2022), giant wheel (Ukraine 2014), grand piano with opening slats (Ukraine 2018), robot arms (Azerbaijan 2019), giant egg (Finland 2024), stilts (Australia 2019), giant sandwich (Sweden 2013).
Song 10: Azerbaijan - Mamagama “Run With U”
Back to tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. If the last few years are anything to go by, it seems that the Azerbaijani broadcaster, İctimai Television, tries a different style each year. This year’s entry, “Run With U” is a much livelier song than what was entered last year. “Run With U” sounds quite an unusual style of song to me. According to Wikipedia, the band Mamagama is known for indie pop and alternative rock, so it would appear that “Run With U” must be either one, or a blend of both, of those genres. The song has a beat throughout. I’ve noticed the band’s singer, Asaf Mishiyev, performs in what seems a rather high-pitched voice for a male vocalist, but is he actually able to sing at that pitch, or is he really singing in a lower, normal-for-male pitch, but artificially raising it electronically through sound equipment? The lines “Shadows in the neon light”, “The night is young, the beat is tight”, “Something in the air that makes me fall for you the way I do aha” are sung very rapidly; a necessity to fit all the words of those lines in during this part of the song. It’s almost as though there are too many words to cram into one short section there. The chorus is catchy and easy to remember, it consists of “No matter what you do tonight”, “I wanna run with U”, “I wanna run with U” twice over. I particularly like the instrumental which follows both instances of the chorus. For tonight’s performance, one member had an interesting looking stringed instrument; was it a bouzouki, or something else. Another member of the group had an electric guitar, and another was seated behind a drumkit, though it’s likely all those instruments were mimed, rather than played. Red lighting dominated the performance, but shades or orange and yellow also appeared. Towards the end, bursts of flame provided the climax to the performance. Altogether a lively song, with a catchy chorus, electronic sounds and good beat, but if the betting odds are anything to go by, this is among the songs least likely to qualify tonight. I wouldn’t mind this in the Gand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.
Song 11: San Marino - Gabry Ponte “Tutta L'Italia”
San Marino has only qualified for the Grand Final three times since their 2008 debut, and on each of those three occasions, they have finished on the mid to lower right-hand side of the scoreboard. Is “Tutta L'Italia” a chance for San Marino to get their best result yet? “Tutta L'Italia” is sung entirely in Italian. I particularly like the introduction, and the instrumental fillers after the instances of the chorus. The chorus is particularly lively and catchy; the line “Tutta l’Italia, Tutta l’Italia, Tutta l’Italia” twice over means “All of Italy, all of Italy, all of Italy”. Other chorus lines translate as “Let us dance with a glass in our hands”, “Then tomorrow we’ll regret saying I love you”. I’m mystified as to why some lines of the second verse seem rap like though. Tonight’s performance began with a head of a mysterious figure on the background screen. During the second verse, an image of Vitruvian Man appeared on the background screen for some mysterious reason. Unsurprisingly, for a song of this style, strobe lighting, flames and fireworks appeared at times. Finally an accordion player was present on stage; it wouldn’t be Eurovision without an accordion in at least one song. Altogether a very lively, catchy song to represent San Marino this year; it would be great as a disco party song, but it’s questionable whether or not this can qualify to the Grand Final. I wouldn’t mind this in the Gand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.
Song 12: Albania - Shkodra Elektronike “Zjerm”
This is very much an eastern style song, in terms of the musical introduction, and the singing style. Just like in the official preview video, this entry was performed in Albanian tonight. I’m glad it was sung in Albanian, because I think singing this in English, or any other language, would spoil it. Looking at an English translation of the lyrics, one section is “Imagine a minute, try, Without soldiers, With no orphans crying. No bottles in the ocean, Diesel smelling like lilac. The freedom of speech Taught in a school class.” If that part of the song is anything to go by, one could see this as a protest song, loosely connected with conflicts currently taking place, and environmental issues. I particularly like the chorus, and the instrumental filler after the instances of the chorus. However, I’m mystified as to why rap is used in the second verse; I’m not sure that suits this style of song. Tonight’s performance began with mostly red lighting, and interesting red patterns on the stage floor, during the first verse and first instance of the pre-chorus. During the first instance of the chorus, some white light was used, and white effects were used on the stage floor. In the rap section, red images appeared on one half of the background screen and stage floor, and white images appeared on the other half of the background screen and stage floor. Flashing lights put in an appearance late in the song. Altogether, a good Balkan song, but I’m concerned how some will viewers, in countries eligible to vote, other than Albania, will react to a translation of the lyrics in their own language. Anyway, this currently looks like a strong contender to qualify tonight. I wouldn’t mind this in the Gand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.
Song 13: Netherlands - Claude “C'est La Vie”
After what happened to Joost Klein on the morning of the ESC Grand Final last year, I for one am overjoyed that the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS decided to submit an entry this year. This year’s Dutch entry is Claude “C'est La Vie”; it’s sung mostly in French, with a few lines in English. The opening verse is sung softly and slowly, and piano notes can be heard. The pre-chorus is sung more powerfully, and in quite a bouncy manner. Singing it in a bouncy manner ties in well with the line “It goes up, it goes down” in this part of the song. Piano notes can be heard clearly here; in fact, they are more frequent than in the first verse. The chorus is very simple, consisting of “C’est la lalalalala vie”, “C’est lalalalala vie” “Oui c’est lalalalala, lalalala, lalalala vie”. Yes, this part of the song includes plenty of “lalala”; that’s been used at Eurovision before. This is the lively part; it’s sung in a powerful manner, and a beat can be heard. This part of song will be easy to remember. The second verse is sung more powerfully than the first, and has a beat. This is followed by the second instance of the pre-chorus. This time the first four lines of the pre-chorus are accompanied by a beat. The second instance of the chorus is longer than the first. One notable line of the bridge is “Oh, this rollercoaster”. Presumably this is a metaphor to life, which tends to have its ups and downs, just like riding a rollercoaster. I like the way Claude can pitch high at the end of the first line of this bridge. At the end of the bridge, I particularly like the brief musical filler before the outro. Tonight’s performance began with Claude performing on a predominantly dark stage. Yellowish light beams appeared around the venue at the start of the first instance of the chorus. Blue and yellow light beams were in use at the start of the second instance of the chorus. During the bridge, what looked like roses appeared on the background screen, though it was difficult to tell if they were actually roses. The stage was predominantly dark again for the end section. Altogether a pleasant song from the Netherlands; it’s either a ballad or a power ballad. I like the way the song starts softly and slowly during the first verse, builds up during the first instance of the pre-chorus, is quite lively until the end of the bridge, and slows down during the outro. We saw that technique from Portugal last year. Anyway, tonight’s simple staging, and variation in lighting, was what this called for. I’m surprised Claude sings this song mostly in French, when he is representing the Netherlands, but that’s what was wanted this year. French sounds to me like the perfect language for this particular song. This ought to be liked very much by viewers in French speaking countries. Undeniably, “C'est La Vie” is a totally different style of song to “Europapa” last year, and it’s not really fair to compare the two, but I for one much prefer “C'est La Vie”to “Europapa”. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, and this will almost certainly be there.
Song 14: Croatia - Marko Bošnjak “Poison Cake”
I watched the Croatian national final, Dora 2025 Final, live, online from the UK, on Sunday 2 March 2025. That evening, the jury vote winner (Marko Bošnjak “Poison Cake”) ended up winning outright, despite finishing just 4th in the public vote. This is a somewhat unusual entry; sung in a mix of styles. The lines “One last thing, a sprinkle of my sweet revenge” twice over are sung in quite a punchy manner. The pre-chorus line “Tasty, tasty, yum, yum, tasty” reminds me of “Tasty, tasty, very, very, very tasty” in a British TV commercial for a brand of breakfast cereal around 1986 or 1987. The chorus, consisting of multiple instances of “Poison Cake”, is sung in a very harsh and punchy manner, which may appeal to hard rock or metal fans, but this will be too overpowering for a lot of viewers. Tonight’s performance began with Marko performing against a dark green background, and green light beams. Various colour changes occurred as the song progressed, including purple during instances of the pre-chorus and alternating red and green during the first instance of the chorus. The song drew to a close with a mix of flame effects, strobe lighting and changing coloured stage lights. Unsurprisingly, for a song of this style, four dancers were present on stage, and dry ice effects were used. Altogether a very unusual entry from Croatia. In terms of content, according to Wikipedia, it’s described as a story of revenge and standing up for oneself. Obviously, one wouldn’t be able to bake a poisonous cake for someone to eat, even if they don’t like that person, so evidently this must be metaphorical. As for the musical style, it’s difficult to say exactly what this is; according to Wikipedia, it’s dark pop / EDM, but to me, it seems like an unusual mix of styles in one song. All in all, this is not my taste in music at all, and it’s hardly surprising I ranked this just 15th out of 16 entries whilst watching Dora 2025 Final. This is one song I definitely don’t want to see in the Grand Final. At the time of the performance, according to the betting odds, this song is still least likely to qualify and favourite to not qualify, but having seen tonight’s live performance, and how it was staged in Basel, I have a feeling this could perhaps just slip through.
Automatic Qualifier 3: Switzerland - Zoë Më “Voyage”
The third and final automatic qualifier to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being this year’s host country Switzerland. There’s always the recurring conundrum for the host broadcaster; they want to send an impressive entry, but in their heart of hearts, don’t want to win again (or perhaps rather foot the bill for hosting again). Anyway, this was another of tonight’s songs that I didn’t preview beforehand. “Voyage” is a ballad, sung in French. For tonight’s performance, Zoë performing on a dark stage, with only her head and shoulders lit, presumably by a spotlight for much of the song. At times she was shown in full, and occasional appearances of a light creating a halo effect appeared. During the bridge, the song became lively, which was unexpected shock for ballad lovers, but anyway, it’s hardly surprising there were flashes of blue light in this part of the song. After the bridge ended, the song returned to a gentle pace. Small lights, which presumably were from audience members’ mobile phones, appeared all around the venue to provide further enhancement. Altogether an amazing ballad; an excellent host song, and Zoë has a beautiful voice. The dark stage, with mostly subtle lighting, was just what this song called for. This could be a magnet for jury votes, but fare less well with the public, on Saturday evening. All being well, this could finish on the left-hand side of the scoreboard, but I’m not sure this will be able to win. Anyway, for now, Switzerland doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this semi-final performance to get to the final.
Song 15: Cyprus - Theo Evan “Shh”
The final song in the line-up already; it’s amazing how time flies! This is quite an unusual song from Cyprus, it features a beat at times, and some unusual eerie sounds at times. The chorus is memorable and catchy, with a good beat, and electronic sounds. As for lyrics within the chorus, the lines “If you know my name then please don’t repeat it” and “If you know my name then keep it a secret” are interesting. Why is Theo saying, within a Eurovision song, don’t repeat his name / keep it a secret? Let’s face it, millions of viewers worldwide are seeing him perform this song in Basel tonight, and again on Saturday if he qualifies to the Grand Final tonight. Between the second and finial instances of the chorus, there is a sound sequence, followed by a repeating ostinato, which effectively serves as an instrumental, and which I particularly like. Tonight’s performance featured two scaffold towers. Amazingly, Theo performed the song on them. He was joined by assistants, who also climbed on the towers some of the time. However, there were moments when they tilted the scaffolds. Strobe lighting featured heavily part way through the song, and again towards the end. In between red light dominated the stage. Altogether another song which is difficult to categorise in terms of style / genre, but it’s a lively one to close tonight’s show. I wouldn’t mind this in the Grand Final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there. In any case, I think this is a borderline qualifier at best.
Televoting and Recap
After the songs finished, Hazel and Sandra reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:35 BST. A message “Start Voting Now” appeared on the background screen. A recap of the songs followed. The UK was unable to vote in tonight's semi-final, and therefore UK viewers saw a message "UK VIEWERS CANNOT VOTE TONIGHT", and “Please do not call, your vote won’t count” underneath, at the bottom of the screen during the recap. Lines closed 21:53.
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My Preferences
Here are my preferences, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Definitely want to qualify: Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands.
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Portugal, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Albania, Cyprus.
Prefer not to qualify: Ukraine.
Definitely don't want to qualify: Croatia.
So, these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, plus two (and no more) of Portugal, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Albania, Cyprus.
My Qualification Predictions
Here are my predictions of which countries will and won’t qualify, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Almost certain qualifiers: Estonia, Sweden, Netherlands.
Likely qualifiers: Poland, Ukraine, Norway, Belgium, Albania.
May qualify: Iceland, San Marino, Croatia. Cyprus.
Highly unlikely to qualify: Slovenia, Portugal, Azerbaijan.
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Eurovision Song Contest 2025 First Semi-Final Results
Here are the results, which were announced in a random order before 22:XX BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Tuesday 13 May 2025.
My desired qualifiers: Iceland,
Poland, Slovenia,
Estonia,
Sweden,
Norway, Belgium,
Netherlands, plus two (and no more) of
Portugal, Azerbaijan,
San Marino,
Albania, Cyprus.
Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Norway,
Albania,
Sweden,
Iceland,
Netherlands,
Poland,
San Marino,
Estonia,
Portugal, Ukraine.
Bold entries represent the actual qualifiers that match my “Definitely want to qualify” preferences, and
italic entries represent the ones that match my “Wouldn't mind qualifying” preferences.
OUT: Slovenia, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus.
I’m glad Iceland qualified, because I liked their entry this year, and this is their first time of qualifying since 2022. I’m also glad Poland qualified, I think their entry “GAJA” is an out-of-the-ordinary song by their standards; in my opinion, far superior to “The Tower” last year. Estonia and Norway also qualified; I’m glad they did as I liked their songs. It was obvious Sweden was going to qualify, and has probably won tonight, but anyway, I wanted it in the final. Finally I’m glad the Netherlands are in the final; I actually wanted them to qualify this year, unlike last year, as I think “C'est La Vie” is much better than “Europapa”.
I’m gutted and shocked that Belgium failed to qualify; I thought their song was a strong contender to qualify tonight. Perhaps some saw it as too similar to Lithuania’s “Luktelk” last year. I’m also disappointed that Slovenia failed to qualify; their ballad “How Much Time Do We Have Left” had an emotional message, and really ought to have been in the Grand Final. The trouble is, I guess it’s the sort of song that might have done well in a jury vote, but it’s less likely to attract votes from the public. This is one drawback in semi-finals being televote only.
I’m surprised Portugal qualified; I thought their song wouldn’t stand a chance performed between the relatively livelier songs from Sweden and Norway, but amazingly it did. It was on my “Wouldn’t mind qualifying” list.
I’m glad Croatia is out. Admittedly their song is not my cup of tea, but I’m sure I can’t be the only person who doesn’t like it. Although it would probably appeal to some people who like harsh, punchy rock / metal songs, there must be a lot of people besides me for whom songs like “Poison Cake” are way too overpowering. To think that last year, Croatia made it to the Grand Final, won the public vote and finished second overall, yet they failed to qualify this year.
Altogether six of my eight “Definitely want to qualify” songs qualified. Not bad I suppose. The only ones which didn’t qualify were Slovenia and Belgium. To be fair, I managed to also get three of my five “Wouldn't mind qualifying” songs to top up. I guess I can’t grumble at that. At the end of the day, I cannot expect to have all the songs I want in the final.
Anyway, no matter how I personally feel about which countries' songs went thorough and which ones didn't, all the artists who performed tonight deserve equal respect. Congratulations to the ten countries which qualified to the final, and commiserations to the five which failed to reach the final. So, that means sixteen finalists are now confirmed and five countries have been eliminated. Another sixteen countries will battle it out for the ten remaining places on Thursday evening.
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