“Authenticity” my ass.

In SF 1: I hope I'm wrong and that Slovenia does qualify. It's possible with the right staging, but then I would expect that either Albania or San Marino would not qualify.

In SF 2: There are 3 countries at high risk of not qualifying with Czechia, Luxembourg, and Serbia taking the slots.

Semifinal 2:

1. Finland
2. Austria
3. Israel
4. Malta
5. Georgia
6. Lithuania
7. Australia
8. Denmark
9. Latvia
10. Armenia

Semifinal 1:

1. Sweden
2. Netherlands
3. Estonia
4. Ukraine
5. Norway
6. San Marino
7. Azerbaijan
8. Iceland
9. Portugal
10. Albania

United Kingdom - Remember Monday - "What the Hell Just Happened?"

OG3NE and Hurricane this is not, but if they stage the vocals correctly and the girls are on their best game, this could contend for top half of the right-hand side of the leaderboard. And the BBC should be grateful for that.

20/37

Ukraine - Ziferblat - "Bird of Pray"

I think it's time for us to have a serious talk about what's happening in Ukraine. They potentially have the deepest pool of talent we've ever seen. Don't be shocked when this contends for the win. Just unreal. Lower on my personal list, but high on odds.

13/37

Switzerland - Zoë Më - Voyage

I need you all to understand how close this was to taking out the top spot on my list. It falls just outside the top 5 only because English-language songs have more staying power for me. But with the right staging this could do the repeat for Switzerland.

6/37

Sweden - KAJ - "Bara Bada Bastu"

Sweden sending non-Swedes two years in a row truly cracks me up. Big props to the Swedes for selecting something that breaks their mold, too, especially when they had Mans RIGHT THERE. This won't win but it's fun and will do well to redeem Sweden's televote.

16/37

Spain - Melody - "ESA DIVA"

I didn't watch the NFs this year but the hype around this song made me so hopeful. And then I heard it...

What's the point? It's not even a great dance track. This is such a let down from the Spain of the last four-plus years. Maybe she'll surprise me on stage.

26/37

Serbia - Princ - "Mila"

Well...Serbia tried. Idk. There's just not much there. I can see the middle aged Wine Moms of Europe loving this, but beyond that, it just doesn't do much. He sings it well, but it feels trite and, frankly, the whisper of his politics is not going to play well.

36/37

San Marino - Gabry Ponte - "Tutta L'Italia"

By all accounts, I should like this more than I do, but I just can't seem to enjoy it. I'm hopeful that on stage in Basel it'll be a different story. It's largely unoffensive, but it's also not really interesting.

29/37

Portugal - NAPA - "Deslocado"

Every year I question if the public will understand the Portuguese entry and every year I'm proven to be an idiot. You'd think I'd stop asking. You'd be wrong. But this entry is undeniably strong. Sung by a cute nerd and easy on the ears without being boring.

9/37

Poland - Justina Steczkowska - "GAJA"

I've listened to all 37 songs at least 3x each and I forget this one exists every time. Frankly, there's no bigger sin in that way. Justyna feels less like a diva on stage than like an actress who stumbled onto set and was asked to sing something.

32/37

Norway - Kyle Alessandro - "Lighter"

This feels a little like a redux of "Queen of Kings" from 2023, but goddamn this is catchy. I don't think it's the Nordic countries' best chance to win (Hi Sweden) but it's a strong entry that should see the left side of the scoreboard on Saturday.

11/37

Netherlands - Claude - "C'est La Vie"

I applaud the Netherlands for continually pushing the limits. I hated last year's entry (not sorry), but would have more than understood if AVROTROS would have said 🖕 to the EBU and walked away. But they didn't and have given us this gorgeous entry.

10/37

Montenegro - Nina Žižić - "Dobrodošli"

Not to pit two Balkans against one another, but in the battle between Serbia and Montenegro? Nina wipes the absolute FLOOR with Princ. This is beautiful, but unfortunately doesn't really go anywhere and gets lost among other entries.

23/37

Malta - Miriana Conte - "Serving"

We were robbed of a Maltese victory (or at least having a shot at the crown) in 2020, but this song is INFECTIOUS and her performance is already iconic. She could turn really shitty press coverage into THE moment. My winner. And I won't apologize.

1/37

Luxembourg - Laura Thorn - "La Poupée Monte Le Son"

Put some respect on France Gall's name. Sorry, but this is less a 21st century callback to Luxembourg's best entry of all time than it is a bad 2025 update of Estonia's 2011 entry. I sincerely hope Laura feels as empowered as her lyrics.

31/37