CROATIA 2026

The Croatian act and song was chosen on 15th February through the national final "DORA". A winner was announced after Croat and international juries had 25% each and public voting the other 50%. Going to Vienna is Lelek with the song "Andromeda"

Lelek is a five-piece female group and they are dressed in draped grey skirts, dark tops and ethnic face markings called šicanje. The song's inspiration is the historical struggle of the people of the Balkans against the Ottoman Empire but could be used to describe the fall-out of any conflict at any time. The attitude is serious and the ladies walk with a purposeful poise. They provide harmony in their movement and vocal, as they show a united front,  providing support through anger and grief. Either side of the stage are bare trees, with red ribbon in their branches and candles at their roots. The backdrop shows what looks like a temple lit with candles and later the bricks are thrown through the air like it has been destroyed. In between, the tattoo emblems are repeated. The staging and song genre puts one in mind of Tulia from Poland and Tautumeitas from Lithuania.

There are cheers from the audience after the first chorus, showing that the local crowd understand the storytelling and appreciate the art. The use of the tattoos and repeated imagery on the backdrop is mystic, evoking of magick and rather confronting. The staging is more memorable than the song, especially if you are not clear of the subject matter, and could come across as shouty and fervent. Overall, one may wait for more light and shade throughout the track, but it never really comes.

ARTIST - Lelek

SONG – Andromeda

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Filip Lacković, Lazar Pajić, Zorica Pajić

GREECE 2026

The Greek act and song was chosen on 15th February through the national final "Sing for Greece!". A winner was announced after national and international juries offered 1/4 of the points each and the remaining half from public voting. Winning all three parts of the vote and going to Vienna is Akylas with "Ferto" (Bring it)

Akylas is on stage with 4 dancers dressed in back while he is dressed in matching black and orange jacket, shorts and hat with bright orange furry boots. The song is a satirical dig at the materialistic nature of people who want it all. The song is in Greek apart from a couple of lines in Spanish. The lyrics come quick and fast during the main part of the track although there is a fun traditional-style instrumental halfway through and a false ballad ending which keeps you on your toes. Although the lyrics create a negative statement, the chorus is fast and repetitive almost cajoling your body to join in with the infectious beat. The backdrop is very fun; a retro video game full of 8-bit caricatures of Akylas and other things mentioned in the lyrics. There are hints of Baby Lasagne and Let 3 in the staging as well as musical vibes from Joost Klein.

The audience is visibly and audibly enjoying the track and Akylas feeds off this. The package works on a small stage but may need extra direction when scaling up to a Eurovision stage. I feel like Akylas could go even bigger and more outrageous with his stage persona as long as it does not effect his vocal, which although not technical, is still very quick. Although not everyone's cup of tea, it is memorable nonetheless. There will be a lot of buzz around this and I would expect this to be a front runner for televotes.

ARTIST - Akylas

SONG – Ferto

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Akylas Mytilinaios, Orfeas Nonis, Thomas Papathanasis, Theofilos Pouzbouris

LATVIA 2026

The Latvian act and song was chosen on 14st February through the national final "Supernova". A winner was declared after adding equally weighted jury and public ranking scores. Going to Vienna is Atvara with the song "Ēnā" (In the shadow)

Atvara is alone but the staging utilises a range of trickery to make the performance more active. The lyrics reveal a sense of relationships looking normal on the outside but being cold and isolating in other ways. The song is wholly in Latvian and employs some operatic tones. The tone is dark and isolating; mirrored in the haunting environment. The backdrop is black apart from a sliver of light mimicking an open door however the shadow shown is that of a child. Halfway through, a motif of flying glass appears on the backdrop and as an overlay. Atvara's dress even reflects this with a stripe of crystals across her black dress. The variety of camera shots reinforces the intimate yet lonely sentiment of the track. The song's structure is very simple, repeating the same refrains each time. The black and white colour scheme is similar to that of JJ, Barbra Pravi and Sanna Nielsen.

The audience is shut out of this performance with the camera ensuring the meaning is clear whether or not you speak Latvian. Atvara sings with control and clarity and is visibly moved by the end of the 3 minutes. This is a stylised performance - nailing the minimalism visually and in the songwriting. I wonder if, during the end vocalisations, the camera could spin round to show the crowd with their flashing bands on? This entry will be memorable, and something the artistic section of the jury will appreciate.

ARTIST - Atvara

SONG – Ēnā

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Jānis Jačmenkins, Liene Stūrmane

DENMARK 2026

The Danish act and song was chosen on 14th February through the national final "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix". After all acts had sung, voting opened (50/50 jury and public vote) and a top 3 was selected. After a second round of voting (50/50 once again) a winner was declared. Going to Vienna is Søren Torpegaard Lund singing "Før vi går hjem" (Before we go home)

Søren shares the stage with five dancers and a large perspex box which is used to film from the outside but also from the inside. The colours are dark with hues of blue and pink. The lyrics describe an encounter with someone when you know it will end with regret and hurt. The song is completely in Danish which suits the song and singer and it comes across as authentic. The dancers are dressed in individual clubbing outfits while Søren is wearing a white t-shirt over a sheer spangly top. Søren starts outside the box, climbs over it, drops into it then comes out again. During the final part, Søren enthusiastically joins in with the dancing. There is a good mix of full stage shots and more intimate moments. The song has a feel of Nemo and JJ with the falsetto but also Red Sebastian and Olly Alexander with the clubbing vibe.

Although the audience is not seen much, they were vocal and enjoying the entry. The whole act on stage comes across fluid, effortless, tight and professional. The song has layers and differing earworms which could feel like a hot mess but the pared down backing seems to tame the busyness. Søren has amazing charisma and understands how to sell the song at the right points. The show currently works as a whole package and would hold off any rash changes which DR are weighing up.

ARTIST - Søren Torpegaard Lund

SONG – Før vi går hjem

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Clara Sofie Fabricius, Valdemar Littauer Bendixen, Thomas Meilstrup,  Søren Torpegaard Lund

ESTONIA 2026

The Estonian act and song was chosen on 14th February through the national final "Eesti Laul". Firstly an international jury and public televote selected a top 3 then a winner was selected solely by public voting. Returning to Eurovision  - 21 years after their first appearance - is the group Vanilla Ninja with the song "Too epic to be true".

The three-piece band spread themselves around the large stage throughout the song. The lyrics go through someone describing their relationship and how lucky they feel to be with their partner. The outlook of the piece is upbeat and positive with bright lighting and all-white outfits. At the start, there is a lot of striped camera work so you can see all three of the band even when they are not stood near each other. About halfway through a large black plinth appears, along with a drummer, which then moves up off the stage accompanied by fireworks. Then just before the final chorus there is a 'kiss cam' segment involving the audience and those in the green room. The song has that modern nostalgic 80s feel with a strong driving synth beat and has a slick, video-esque, polished feel like something you would expect in Melodifestivalen.

They get a warm response from the audience but nothing overly active during the show. The girls' sound tight and should step things up during Eurovision itself. The song is a little route one and, in the current realm of Eurovision, rather non-descript. Not sure if the 'kiss cam' element was added because of St Valentine's Day or is an actual gimmick but felt slightly cringy. This will do fine because of who they are and due the commercial nature of the song might actually have better life outside of the contest.

ARTIST - Vanilla Ninja

SONG – Too epic to be true

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Sven Lõhmus

CYPRUS 2026

The song representing Cyprus premiered on 8th February with the first play on TV during a news broadcast as well as its release online. Back in November, CyBC announced the name of their act and that the song would also be internally selected. Going to Vienna is Antigoni performing "Jalla" (More) 

The video mirrors the encapsulation of the music - modern production values with traditional rhythms, instruments and heritage. The music and lyrics take inspiration from 'tsifteteli' -  a popular style of dance which incorporates Middle Eastern rhythms and movements which appears in the choreography. Antigoni and friends are dressed in a contemporary fashion while around them many of the village folk are dressed more conservatively and traditionally. The song is in a mix of English and Greek. A few days later she performed the show live during the Greek selection. She sang live, was accompanied by 4 dancers and the word "Jalla" was prominent on the backdrop for a lot of the performance.  The song seems to be trying to carry on from where "Zari" left off while also incorporating the "Fuego" vibe in the dancing and outfits. 

During the live show, the audience seemed to be enjoying the act and clapping along. The song is not breaking new ground, the chorus is overly repetitive and the performance itself needs tightening and polish. That said, enjoyed the live show much more than I expected based on the vagueness of the video clip. Antigoni's live outfit did not really work, especially while dancing, but I feel cohesion between her, the dancers, the backdrop and the addition of some traditional themes could strengthen the package. 

ARTIST - Antigoni

SONG – Jalla

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – A Buxton, C Kallona, P Kalpos, K Lupa, C Mullally-Knight, D Nikolaou, T Qua

UKRAINE 2026

The act and song to represent Ukraine was chosen on 7th February through their national final selection "Vidbir". A winner was declared after adding a 50-50 mix of jury and televoting points. Winning both parts of the vote and therefore off to Vienna in May is Leléka performing "Ridnym" (Native) 

Leléka is on stage alone for the whole three minutes, however the use of video screens - for the viewers at home in particular - creates an interesting ever-moving palette which is much more exciting than the staging first suggests. The song seems to evoke a sense of strength and resilience through working together as a family/team/country during hard times and is sung in English and Ukrainian. Leléka wears a layered white dress, partnered with some chunky statement black jewellery. Leléka's movements, although mostly small and gestural, are made bigger by the jerky camerawork and echoed in the backdrop and floor screen. The lighting is minimal, almost monochrome, for the most part. To my ears, it sounds like a "Festivali i Këngës" ballad, the camerawork is very "Voilà" or "Voyage" coded while the staging feels very much in the Ukrainian oeuvre.

The end product is an atmospheric - bordering on avant garde - ballad which is more about conveying emotion and art, rather than a vehicle to bop along to. The chorus has a memorable lilt but nothing overly earwormy. The construction of the song utilises Leléka's impressive vocal dexterity and outstanding breath control whilst the backdrop gives the end of the song a warm optimistic glow. This is certainly one the technicians in the jury will appreciate as well as uniting the votes of the Ukrainian diaspora.

ARTIST - Leléka

SONG – Ridnym

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Adama Cefalu, Yaroslav Dzhus, Jakob Hegner, Viktoriia Leleka

LUXEMBOURG 2026

The act and song to represent Luxembourg was chosen on 24th January through the show "Luxembourg Song Contest". After all entries were performed live, televoting created a super final of three. A winner was then declared after adding a 50-50 mix of jury and televoting points. Off to Vienna in May is Eva Marija with the song "Mother Nature".

Eva Marija spends her 3 minutes on stage alone but is aided skilfully by some interesting video graphics and a wind machine. Her song uses the metaphor of nature as a way to encourage personal growth, strength, hope and grounding. For the first time ever, their entry is also wholly in English. Eva Marija wears a beige floaty outfit which exaggerates the choreography but also reinforces the earthy, natural themes. She starts on the floor, stands up before the chorus with large contemporary body movements. Below and behind her is tree/forest imagery as well as bright orange light indicating sunshine. There are lots of very wide, sweeping shots which tap into the expansive feel of the song. Visually this reminds you of Eurovision performances from Jamala and Emmelie de Forest but the song style leans more into Lorde, Birdy and Florence and the Machine.

The song gets a good response in the hall but this isn't a performance to clap, cheer or sing along to. Eva Marija's voice is clear especially in the higher register and the addition of the violin, although slightly superfluous, gives the song an extra identifiable string to its bow - quite literally! The song and performance work well together and I hope the essence of this is kept and not overloaded. However after the final, plagiarism concerns were forwarded which the delegation are currently looking into.

ARTIST - Eva Marija

SONG – Mother Nature

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Julie Aagaard, Maria Broberg, Eva Marija Kavaš Puc, Thomas Stengaard

MALTA 2026

The Maltese act and song was chosen on 17th January through the show "Malta Eurovision Song Contest". A winner was declared after adding a 50-50 mix of jury and televoting points. Off to Vienna in May is Aidan with the song "Bella" .

The performance sees Aidan alone on stage albeit with the use of some clever stage trickery around him. The lyrics recall a lost love and the singer’s hope/wish to requite with them. For the first time in decades, the song contains lines in the Maltese language, which are noticeable but not out of place. The whole piece feels dark and moody - he is dressed in black, the background is mostly black with only the odd spotlight. Part way through, Aidan is in darkness and focus switches to faux shadows on the floor then as the song builds there is the use of a "rose tornado”. The tightness of the camera on Aidan feels very intimate and creates a lot of connection between the viewer and the performer without excluding the many thousands in the arena. The song is somewhat visually reminiscent of “Voila” although the song style feels more like a Sanremo-esque crooner's ballad from way back when.

Although no audience is seen during the performance, there is audible support for Aidan. The song's simplicity puts the tune and Aidan's feelings at the centre rather than any vocal prowess. Overall, I appreciate the different aspects of the show but am not convinced they are cohesive. Aidan's outfit feels ambivalent and the on-stage darkness suggests a much more sinister implication to the lyrics. The current package may raise critical commentary but might also pique some wider interest and create a buzz.

ARTIST - Aidan

SONG – Bella

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Sarah Bonnici,Joen van den Boom, Aidan Cassar

 

MOLDOVA 2026

The Moldovan act and song was chosen on 17th January through the show "Selecția Națională". A winner was declared after adding equally weighted Moldovan jury, international jury and national televoting points. Winning all three sections of the vote and therefore going to Vienna is Satoshi with the song "Viva Moldova!" 

This effervescent and dynamic song is backed up by a just as energetic stage performance. The lyrics, which dip into many languages, extol the country of Moldova and its people - a well-trodden trope in some the country’s previous entries. All 6 members on stage are dressed in a range of maroon outfits which gives a touch of unity and balance between the vibrancy and energy. Apart from the drummer, the others move around a lot. The movement is blocked for the camera so that they each have a time to shine and not get in the way of each other. That said, the movement feels immediate, interactive and reactive with the audience rather than something obviously rehearsed. The background picks out key words from the song as well traditional icons and colours from the flag of Moldova. The song marries together rap, rock and folk in a way reminiscent of Kalush Orchestra and Zdob și Zdub.

The stadium goes in hard for this and the band bounces off the audience as much as the audience is bouncing off them. Although not a vehicle to show vocal dexterity, the song creates little doubt that this is the Moldovan entry! The shifts in language do not jar and opens the song up to non-Romanian speakers. This live performance is a good starting point but needs to funnel the spirit of the song with some sharpening up the camera direction to make this something that will stand out to jury and televoters in May.

ARTIST - Satochi
SONG – Viva, Moldova!
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Boris Subotić