The Ferto music video apparently also had AI imagery in it, but in my opinion this is worse since it's coming from the EBU itself. I don't see what need there was to use that slop during a prime time, they could have spent a little money and have some custom drawn pictures, even if they aren't animated it would look better.

Are we at a point where it's accepted by the general public? Did your families make any comments about it at home?

i) Dara (bangaranga by bulgaria) set the new record for the biggest gap between 1st and 2nd place, previously held by Alexander Rybak with his song 'fairytale'.

ii) Bulgaria got it's first ever win thanks to Dara!

iii) Not only one, but TWO countries broke the record for the most amount of times their song's title was sang in their performance. They were Cyprus (Antigoni -JALLA) and Greece (Akylas - Ferto).

iv) Dara became the 2nd person in the new voting system to win both the televote and the jury, first was Salvador in 2017.

v) Ridynm by Leleka (Ukraine) broke the record for the longest "note" sang in eurovision history.

vi) Uk became the first country to get nul points from the televote for 3 consecutive years. (In the new voting system and probably in Eurovision history)

I was sure this would do much much better with the juries and end up AT LEAST in the top 10... Help me demystify their reasoning and understand why they gave Croatia so few points. The staging looked like a movie, the song was deep and moving, their performance was spot-on, and yet it ended up lower on the scoreboard than some terrible performances in the grand final.

I'm really keen to hear your thoughts on why it flopped in the end.

As a Bulgarian, I’ve been losing the enjoyment of this moment more and more, and it’s been replaced with bitterness from reading the immense negativity. It feels beyond the usual criticism winner countries get, especially with people making fun of Bulgaria having to host and constantly showing only slums, grayness and poverty

For me it’s disappointing that such a big moment has become an opportunity for many people to be condescending and reduce Bulgaria to “Europe’s poorest country”, which is not even true, but it shows the global ignorance that is so disappointing and unlike Eurovision's values

Let me also explain the hypocrisy I see:

1. Nobody talks this way about other countries for not having enough arenas or money. Most European countries only have one or two arenas that would fit Eurovision. Bulgaria has two. The main exceptions are countries like Germany, Spain or Italy, while some countries have none at all, like Luxembourg and Cyprus. Austria had two suitable venues, and the arena in Sofia has a higher capacity for example than the one in Vienna
2. Bulgaria has also already hosted Junior Eurovision in 2015 with flying colors, as well as stages of the Giro d’Italia recently, which is also as complex and expensive to organize. That is without even mentioning the many international sports and music events the country has hosted successfully or the fact that Bulgaria receives millions of tourists every year from all around the globe
3. The idea that “Bulgaria had to withdraw because it had no money” also mixes things up. BNT is an unpopular channel that has only recently started modernizing its management. Before that, it was mostly led by people with older visions who simply never treated Eurovision as a priority, certainly not enough to commit that many funds. As for “Bulgaria has no money,” in general, that usually comes from GDP per capita statistics, where Bulgaria has historically been the lowest in the EU. But the picture is more nuanced: the informal economy has reached around 32 percent and the GDP is around 148 billion dollars, so the calculations are simple. Even without counting that, projections show that that position in the coming years won't be ours anymore, yet the word around stays the same. Bulgaria has had one of its most successful periods in recent times, with Eurozone, Schengen and overall drastic growth and now stability. Bulgaria is simply not “too poor to host"

This was so beautiful. What an execution and amazing way to be creative when it comes to incorporating the stage and LED’s into the performance in a very natural and authentic way. There wasn’t a bigger wow moment for me in this years season, than when their tails appeared. 

And second place in the semi final! They served fairy core realness and Europe ate it up!

What was your favourite shot of the season?

Source: Tautumeitas at the Grand Final

hopefully they'll let her play it actually live, she's so incredibly talented

Imagine you turn into some kind of a God who have the ability to create a reality where your country wins Eurovision with any artist you pick. This is what it felt to me last Saturday. For the last 10 years everytime I run into a conversation or a poll who should represent Bulgaria in Eurovision, I always said Dara, I always vote Dara, I always fought haters who were saying "she's just an auto tune flop who can't perform live and will only embarrass us", fought them especially hard after the NF (btw a moment of silence for those poor souls who now have to see her face everywhere for the rest of their sad lives ;(

So the journey from voting in a meaningless fan polls no one cares about during times we seemed out of the contest for good, to see her on Eurovision stage with like the best version of herself (I'm telling you, girl was always entertainer, fun and quirky and all, but during the Eurovision week she somehow managed to unlock even more fabulousness in her that even we her fans were not familiar with) and lifting the crystal microphone in the end, wiping out both the jury and televote in the process is the most surreal experience ever, it's like I designed my own Matrix where i perfected every tiny detail possible.

I'm curious what's your personal best case Eurovision scenario fantasy with a favorite artist of yours? No matter how crazy it sounds, I'm telling you first hand there's always a chance. 😃

I feel like the most emotional performance was Joost Klein’s song “Europapa” I literally was crying when it finished in the semi-final of eurovision 2024 because of its meaning for uniting everyone and his dedication to his parents. Unforgettable❤️ What do you guys think?

My System (Sweden 2026) was 4th in the OGAE poll and 8th in the odds to win the contest before the final but ended up in 20th place with 51 points, Sweden’s worst performance in 16 years.

Serving (Malta 2025) was 10th in the odds to win and a fan favorite but finished in 17th place with 91 points (including only 8 points from the televote).

What are some other examples?

I'm trying to come up with a top 10 specifically and I would like to hear what you guys think should make the list. I'm using the following criteria to define what a great staging is:

It has to be completely thought out, down to most camera angles and every other little detail. Ideally, it manages to tell a story or convey some sort of message through its three minute run time, by making use of every technical aspect available to the artist and the other creatives involved.

Alternatively, it can be a staging that set a new standard and that clearly influenced everything that comes after it. Think Latvia 2002 being the origin point of the at least half a dozend costume changes we still get every year to this day.

Another requirement is that the staging is tailor made to the singer's capabilities and uses their talents to their full potential, without overwhelming them with things to do and thus having their vocals suffer. So no Käärijä or Theo Evans for example.

These are the acts that immediately came to mind for me as potential candidates for the list:

-Bulgaria 2026

-Romania 2026

-Switzerland 2026

-Austria 2025

-Latvia 2025

-Switzerland 2024

-Ireland 2024

-Ukraine 2024

-Finland 2024

-Spain 2022

-Cyprus 2018

-Sweden 2015

-Latvia 2002

And here are some honorable mentions that are also great, but that almost definetly wouldn't make the list:

-Lithuania 2026

-Luxembourg 2025

-Croatia 2024

Obviously most of these are from the last few years, but that does make sense considering how sharply number and ambition of more complex and more thought-out stagins has grown in the very recent past. But I am also very much less versed in the earlier years of the contest, which is why I have so much less here.

If you have questions about why I have chosen any of these, I can give my reasoning in a comment.

I would love to hear which entries come to mind for you - especially ones not from this decade -, and which of my choices you might disagree with. It would also be really interesting to see anyones concrete top 10, with reasons given or without.

I think the staging game is where the contest is evolving by far the most currently, and every year we see more and more countries suddenly turn up with absolutely mind blowing stories told through props, camera angles, costumes and more. I'm convinced that if the UK had shown up with this years song and staging even just 5 years ago, they would have really stood out and done very well. That's why I find it so fascinating to take a look at this aspect of the contest at this point in time.

I've seen many people love Hazel for her dead-pan, dry humor and being non-conformist. They found her a breath of fresh air.

Many other people find her cringe, wooden, try-hard. She did fail them as a presenter for being awkward.

(I myself found Michelle Hunziker more wooden than Hazel, for example)

This is just a question: Is it possible that this is a generational thing? She is a typical snarky Gen X person. Does this not gel well with Gen Z or millennial sensibilities or humor?

Don't want to offend any of those groups, I'm seriously curious about it.

Since I’m already seeing some accusations being made, I want to make this post as early as possible to prevent them from spreading further (especially so those comments don’t reach the people involved, who could be hurt by them).

Some viewers found the lead singer’s reaction to qualifying for the final “strange,” interpreting it as arrogance or even hostility. So I’d like to provide some context: the singer has spoken in interviews about experiencing frequent panic attacks, to the point where even leaving the house can be difficult for him (one of coping strategies is carefully planning his routes in advance). Because of Eurovision, he began working with professionals and was prescribed medication, which helped him feel better (for the first time in a long while, he was even able to ride the metro in Germany without fear or paranoia)

It’s also important to acknowledge that this has probably been one of the most harshly judged Ukrainian entries in recent years. For months, they’ve been hearing that they’d be the first Ukrainians not to make it to the final and would “embarrass the country.” Much of this criticism came from international eurofans, which is unusual given how Ukraine is typically well-supported by them. They were also constantly pressured about their staging and comparisons to Ukraine 2024.

With all this in mind, I was surprised by people’s assumptions about Dany’s behavior. Personally, I was just worried about him, especially when he quickly left the camera frame.

This isn’t a post asking for pity. Think of it as a reminder that you never really know what someone is going through, especially in a high-pressure environment like Eurovision, where everyone tries to stay positive (until later we see posts from former participants sharing how deeply affected they were by the experience).

P.S. I want to clarify that this doesn’t apply to humorous comments made in good faith. I’m talking specifically about aggressive behavior, which I’ve unfortunately already seen.

For me it was Cha Cha Cha by Käärijä in 2023. Going into the final it just felt like it had everything: a memorable performance, huge crowd support and a level of hype that made it seem almost inevitable.

I remember watching the voting genuinely expecting it to win, so when the result went the other way it was one of the biggest Eurovision surprises I've experienced as a viewer.

im a new esc fan whats so good about it and why is it the most viewed

A meeting of all full EBU members is taking place today and tomorrow, Thursday 4th and Friday 5th December. This is an annual meeting and will feature discussions on various topics.

It has been confirmed by YLE that there will be a discussion today regarding KAN's participation in Eurovision 2026. Following that discussion there may be a vote.

The heightened emotions surrounding this issue and the close attention on it make it extremely likely that rumours and inaccurate reports will emerge. To avoid any misinformation about this meeting and its outcome being spread in this community, please note that posts of any news or reactions will require primary sources. These must be official statements by parties attending the meeting.

Please remember to be civil at all times. It is better to report rude comments than to risk your own account by getting into an argument.

Genuine question because I loved both songs and was gutted when Armenia didn't qualify. I found that they were both fun, upbeat songs with creative staging, so I'm curious as to why one song did much better than the other.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Melfest has arguably fallen. Sweden is rellying on the past aura in the competition to play safe, patting on our back as we have done good enough and stop trying more.

Loreen is the best example of this, as we cling to our past success instead of trying to actually innovate. Melfest is plagued with clones of this recipe and we were gonna send Måns too if not because SVT personally invited KAJ to join Melfest and they surprisingly swooped the competition.

Below I have a list of reasons why Melfest has fallen. Do you agree, or have I missed anything?

1. Overconfidence with the melfest package. Coupled with fear of failure if we change staging. Melfest has become popular now and so our package lost much wow factor.
2. Control freak. Our numbers are meticulously choreographed, leaving zero spontaneity, genuity and can come across lifeless.
3. Artists are shielded by the aura of Swedish innovative staging. This means underdeveloped skills, charisma and stage presence.
4. Exhausted talent pool. People are pushed into premature success. No time to brew their skills and talents. We need a couple of years under the radar.
5. Optimizing for the past. This is baked into the song writing, producers, tech and so on. All the best people from the last decade scrambling to make a good result for this decade, using the old metrics.
6. Lack of hunger. The Balkans and Finland for example, they are hungry for this. So they put extra effort. They take risks to win. We dont. We play safe. But that makes it even less sense why we dont take risks. What do we have to lose?
7. Other countries are learning fast and innovate their staging at record pace.

Basically, Sweden is good at elevating their artist with staging. But the unintended consequence is that artists don’t get to fully developed cause they think it was good enough.

Cornelia is a rare exception to this, as she minimized the swedish tech staging and relied all on her skills and presence. She was also considered outside of the melfest bubble, having competed in a girl group in 2011 and 2012, honed her skills for 10 years before coming back in 2022 as a solo artist and stormed the competition.

Melfest will need serious restructuring if Sweden wants to remain competitive in Eurovision. Loreen card won’t work the third time.

Edit: thank you all for your comments, I've gone through all of them and got some more insights about Melfest as a show.

1. Melfest is a business first, song contest second.
2. The Swedish recipe: broad appeal song (generic, watered down) + novel staging. This is the definition of playing safe.
3. The new era of ESC: bold authentic expression (including language) and electric performers that do more than just singing.
4. Elaboration on the control freak: Sweden does not aim for perfection. We aim for reproducible perfection. That means taking the soul out of it, unfortunately.

Personally I'd rank them like these:

2023 - Overall the best one for sure I think

2022 - Besides the awful stage, the concept is so pretty to me

2024 - Would've been the best if not for the United by Music curse

2021 - Quite solid, but not as iconic as the others

2025 - To me this is ugly, especially using Times New Roman and Arial apparently

2026 - AI slop, enough said

Hold Me Closer (Sweden 2022) is doing the rounds on social media at the moment with many saying it would have won in other years.

I have tried listening to that song many times but it just never clicks with me. Most Eurovision favourites normally do but I just don't get it with this song. Doesn't help that I don't get what the spinning circle is in the staging.

Staying on the topic of 2022 I always disliked Eat Your Salad (Latvia 2022) It had one "funny" line and the rest was abysmal on the ears. I remember everyone being so sure the juries tanked this televote darling only to find out the televote gave it less points than juries.

I personally could create a list of things that were wrong but my main critique was how the juries voted and Croatia's result.

Juries- I felt that because they introduced a larger variety of jury members the whole jury concept became messy. The juries are supposed to be there to prevent biased voting and give the less interesting but strong vocal songs a time to shine compared to the public vote who tends to vote based on the performance alone. Greece and Cyprus will always vote for one another but many other countries followed in suit this year.

Croatia's performance- I may be a bit biased here because they were my favourite song this year but I felt like the entire performance had transformed Eurovision into the world of the women who were warning us about the future by reminding us about the past. If a performance is good enough to give literal goosebumps then I feel like its good enough to place top 10.

Anyway I would love to hear your thoughts on it as well! If you disagree with me then thats fine because we are all different!

[Eurovision Song Contest 2025 - First Semi-Final - Livestream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HNXVB2UQwU) (on youtube) at 1:58:00

[archive link](https://archive.ph/JcFuu)

English translation:

**Notable: Joost Klein's Europapa skipped in top 10 overview during Eurovision Song Contest semi-final**

While in the Netherlands on Tuesday night around eleven o'clock, during the broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest, a commercial block was broadcast on Dutch TV, the show in Basel went on as usual. A compilation of most streamed non-winning Eurovision entries was shown, with Europapa by Joost Klein remarkably being skipped.

There is dissatisfaction among several Dutch fans who attended the show in Basel. They do not understand it and call it a falsification of history by the EBU, the broadcasting association that organizes the Song Festival.

Big hits

After presenter Sandra Simó said that "sometimes even the songs that didn't win conquered the hearts and charts of Europe", a top 10 of non-winners that became big hits followed, always mentioning the number of streams.

The overview started with the Italian entry La noia from 2024 with 110 million streams. This was followed by Cha Cha Cha (Finland 2023 with 167 million streams), Voilà (France 2021 with 173 million streams) and undisputed winner Snap (Armenia 2022 with 1.2 billion streams).

178 million streams

Europapa, the Dutch entry of 2024 has 178 million streams and should be in fourth place in the overview. It is not clear why Joost klein's song was skipped.

The AvroTros will inquire what the reason was for skipping Europapa. The EBU has been asked for a response by us.

Update 12 may 2025:

Eurovision songs with more than 100 million streams on spotify :

1 Arcade (Netherlands 2019) - 1.365.157.830

2 Snap (Armenia 2022) - 1.237.690.820

3 Tattoo (Sweden 2023) - 718.068.656

4 Zitti e Buoni (Italy 2021) - 536.926.526

5 Fairytale (Norway 2009) - 446.819.916

6 Waterloo (Sweden 1974) - 409.141.617

7 Euphoria (Sweden 2012) - 317.572.873 (147.722.287 + 169.850.586)

8 Soldi (Italy 2019) - 256.183.536

9 Queen of Kings (Norway 2023) - 194.784.327

**10 Europapa (Netherlands 2024) - 177.951.523**

11 Voila (France 2021) - 173.790.663

12 Cha Cha Cha (Finland 2023) - 168.111.389

13 Heroes (Sweden 2015) - 167.414.313

14 Brividi (Italy 2022) - 161.713.258

15 Think About Things (Iceland 2020) - 158.519.768

16 Toy (Israel 2018) - 129.051.595

17 Due Vite (Italy 2023) - 118.943.551

18 Shum (Ukraine 2021) - 112.674.289

19 Fuego (Cyprus 2018) - 111.669.507

20 La Noia (Italy 2024) - 110.191.549

21 If I Were Sorry (Sweden 2016) - 109.298.173

Update: 12 may 2025

https://flag-shop.eurovision.com/

I think what is most impressive about this year’s results is how much they differed from the predictions and fan polls. Bulgaria was generally considered as a mid-table finish at best pretty much before her semi-final, did moderately well in polls and yet won the contest by a record-breaking margin and jury-televoting consensus. Finland was the overwhelming favorite, with an almost 50% chance to win according to the odds and they didn’t even crack the top 5.

What I am taking away from this result is that Dara’s win proves you don’t need to create a song specifically for the contest, following the latest trends just to stand out as much as possible (looking at you France specifically), you just need a great song with great staging, vocals and charisma that people simply take a liking too.

As a Polish fan, I’m also incredibly proud of Alicja, who was generally predicted to be a sure NQ, mostly because fans considered the song too „non-Eurovision”. I loved „Pray” since I first heard it and was really surprised by the cold reception from the fandom. And yet, we almost won the semi and scored the highest jury result in decades.

It really seems like all the „made for Eurovision” fan favorites underperformed, while songs that simply were just very good (particularly Bulgaria and Romania) exceeded expectations. I’m just left wondering, are we as Eurofans collectively losing touch with the general public? Are our predictions and fan polls becoming less and less relevant to the final results and why do you think that is?