The other qualifiers are: Greece, Finland, Sweden, Moldova, Israel, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania and Poland… Exit Boy George and San Marino.
“I was really in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people”: Sandra Kim, 40 years after Eurovision, star in Flanders
The second semi-final will take place on Thursday. The final will take place, with Belgium, on Saturday.
Moldova and Sweden seduce
First nation to appear on the Viennese stage: Moldova. And Satoshi sets the bar high with a “Viva, Moldova!” particularly catchy, mixing big guitars, wild rhythm, rap passages and even lyrical singing. It’s colorful, it’s fresh and very effective. No wonder the bookmakers placed Moldova in 5th position in this semi-final.
Change of register with Felicia for Sweden. Make way for a track (“My System”) with a significantly heavier electronic rhythm that would be all the rage in a club. No heady chorus but a performance that holds together very well from start to finish, with its calmer passages and Felicia’s very pretty voice. There too, the bookmakers saw the potential of the song and its performer. They see her finish 4th in tonight’s semi-final.
Greece at the height of kitsch…
Third candidate and third different atmosphere. On the Croatian side, Lelek, with his song “Andromeda” is looking towards “Carmina Burana”, both musically and vocally and in terms of decorum. A less festive title than that of Moldova but again well put together and very well presented. We are light years away from the next performance, that of the Greek Akylas who invited us into a video game in flash color mode from flash, with his improbable stage costume: shorts and tiger ears screwed on his head, orange (or red, who knows) fur-lined boots.
To be honest, his ultra-kitsch performance didn’t really convince us, unlike the bookmakers who made him one of the favorites for this semi-final and even a serious candidate for the final victory. Akylas would finish second behind Finland if their judgment is anything to go by.
Portugal and Georgia in minor mode…
What a contrast with Portugal and the Bandidos do Cante quintet! Their song “Rosa” is rooted in the Eurovision tradition of yesteryear. A return to the past difficult to compare with previous performances resolutely anchored in the present on a musical level. We like it or not. For our part, we admit, we didn’t shudder too much.
Kill Bill mode on for the Georgians from Bzikebi, competition regulars dressed all in yellow. In 2008, they won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Their title “On Replay” leaves one doubtful. It’s pretty well put together but it’s missing that little something that propels a song to the top. Without pity, the bookmakers see them finishing in last place in this first semi-final.
Finland, undisputed favorite of the first semi-final and even of Saturday’s final
Deprived of the football World Cup – at least for the moment – will Italy make up for it with Eurovision? No suspense for reaching the final, the country is automatically qualified. It is one of the Big Four. And Sal Da Vinci’s performance must give his rivals a few sweats. We are in the purest Italian style: white suit worn without a shirt underneath, black hair of chez noire and chanson… as the Italians know how to do them.
A detail which will interest the Belgians, Sal Da Vinci’s parents live in Belgium, near Liège, explained Fanny Jandrain to the comments on RTBF, alongside Jean-Louis Lahaye…
With Finland’s performance, it’s back to business in earnest. The bookmakers see the duo Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen winning this semi-final and even Saturday’s final. Well seen. Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen delivered a perfect show, both visually and in terms of emotion and TV production, including a twirling violin of the most beautiful effect. It’s contemporary, original, rhythmic, almost captivating. We might as well tell you that for us too, Finland has become one of the ultra-favorites.
Montenegro offered a performance oscillating between BDSM and mystical experience. We thought of the evil queen from Snow White surrounded by dancers in nonettes mode. There you go…
Israel: simple but effective and without incident!
21 years ago, the Estonian group Vanilla Ninja represented Switzerland at Eurovision. And finished eighth at the time. Back two decades later, he seems to have remained stuck on the music of the nineties. Make way for straight-up rock, all guitars forward, that a band like Transvision Vamp would not have denied… It’s pleasant but it lacks fantasy despite all the good will of the three young women who occupy the front of the stage. “Too Epic To Be True”? A little, yes…
All geopolitical considerations aside, it must be admitted that Noam Bettan and his song “Michelle” have everything to create sparks in this competition. Sung in English, French and Hebrew, it is Eurovision formatted. When the Israeli candidate came on stage, a few screams were heard in the background, without us understanding what was being shouted, positive or negative. This clearly did not destabilize Noam Bettan who was able to benefit from the support of the public present with numerous flags brandished, including that of Israel, obviously.
Essyla, for Belgium, performs flawlessly
Essyla, from Perwez, made her little girl’s dream come true: singing at Eurovision. A performance without hooks for the Belgian and her dancers. Did her Snow Queen side, with her long train, convince the voters? We’ll see that later. But on the applause meter, Essyla seems to have scored more points than the bookmakers predicted. They saw her finish at the bottom of the rankings. She is qualified!
After Belgium and its Snow Queen, it is Fantômas who is invited to this 70th Eurovision contest with Lion Ceccah for Lithuania. What to say what to say? His song “Sólo Quiero Más” goes a little transparent after the performances from Israel and Belgium, let’s be chauvinistic for a moment.
Boy George sings for San Marino and Rammstein clones for Serbia
It is after 10:20 p.m. when an international star appears on stage in Vienna. Boy George accompanies Senhit, the candidate from… San Marino. After a few measures reminiscent of Daft Punk, the title became much more classic, although with a catchy chorus. Will the presence of the Culture Club singer tip the scales? We hope so for the small state, even if the bookmakers do not see the nation reaching Saturday’s final.
Penultimate candidate for this first semi-final, the Polish Alicja dressed in her “armor” and her song “Pray” calmed the atmosphere with a remarkable vocal performance. There is a certain Madonna je ne sais quoi in this title, particularly with the staging which is reminiscent of that of the “Vogue” clip at times. Barring disaster, she should reach the final.
Finally, Serbia brought out the biscotos and the big voices to close this first semi-final of the 2026 edition of Eurovision. Lavina metalheads watched a lot of Rammstein. In any case, it can be seen in the outfits and the staging, with pyrotechnic effects to back it up. This is reminiscent of the “Dark Viking” editions of the competition, we hear.
