LUXEMBOURG 2025

The Luxembourgish act and song was chosen on 25th January via the "Luxembourg Song Contest 2025". The winner was chosen by a 50/50 split of 8 international juries and online voting. Unlike last year, there was no head-to-head superfinal. Going to Basel will be Laura Thorn with the song "La poupée monte le son" (The doll turns up the volume)

Laura Thorn is a relative newcomer to the music scene although she has an extensive musical background. From a young age she has undertaken dance training as well as instruction in music theory, piano, cello, keyboard and chamber music. Laura completed her educational studies with a master’s degree in music theory, music pedagogy and pop singing from from Institut Royal Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie in Namur, Belgium. Currently, she teaches at the Esch sur Alzette Conservatoire de Musique.

The title and performance directly relate to Luxembourg's first win at Eurovision - France Gall's "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" - whose 60th anniversary this song celebrates. Footage of Gall's win is dispersed throughout the show. The backdrop is full of pinks and blues and childhood toys. Laura is joined on stage by 3 male dancers and later by 2 female dancers. The song is in two parts - firstly a verse-bridge-chorus which runs through twice. Laura is moved around the stage in a 'puppet-like' way by the male dancers. The effect is heightened as the men are dressed formally in maroon suits while Laura is dressed in a pink and white doll style. During the ending refrain, Laura removes the costume - becoming less 'the marionette' and more the knowing artiste. It then ends with a final chorus which contains a lot of vocalising rather than repeating the chorus word for word.

We begin with a full on orchestral hit which continues throughout the song. I like how this knowingly starts from where another song ended and unashamedly leans on that culture point. This nostalgia not only (re)introduces us to a Eurovision time gone by but also suggests a redemption song for the young girl who sung under pressure and coercion. Anything which makes the modern viewer delve into Gall's back catalogue is ALWAYS a good thing! However, the current show could come across as old-fashioned or gimmicky (one might argue that this is the point!) and the story may not get through to the viewer in the 3 mins. Therefore, they need to be more forceful with the message - which ever message they decide is the one that will best sell the song. The stage show feels complete but the dancing, the costumes and the camera angles could be amplified for the stage in Basel without needing to start from scratch. This entry is currently an over-complicated recipe; chef needs to work out what the main ingredient is, get rid of the dead weight and pare it down so that the audience can fully digest it.

ARTIST - Laura Thorn

SONG - La poupée monte le son

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Julien Salvia, Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal

    

ALBANIA 2025

The Albanian act and song was chosen on 22th December through the 63rd edition of their annual song contest "Festivali i Këngës". Like last year, the jury awarded the festival's main awards, however the selection of their Eurovision representative was made through a combination of jury and televoting. Going to Basel will be the duo Shkodra Elektronike with the song "Zjerm" (Fire)

Shkodra Elektronike consists of singer-songwriter Beatriçe Gjergji and songwriter-producer Kolë Laca who now live and work in Italy. The duo's name harks to Shkodër - a city in northern-Albania where both members grew up. The 'elektronike' refers to their passion of creating, re-interpreting or interpolating folk songs and melodies with modern instruments and technologies. Their first songs were only released during 2020 and, after competing against some of Albania's most famous and established act, were therefore seen as a shock winner of the festival.

The song is a mid tempo dance number written in the northern dialect of Gheg Albanian. It is mainly constructed of three parts; an initial verse and chorus sung by Beatriçe, a spoken word part lead by Kolë and finishing with more chorus from Beatriçe including added improvisation to create a crescendo. The juxtaposition between Beatriçe's strong visual and vocal identity against Kolë rather monotone, melancholic vocal and his plain styling makes this show very intriguing. The beat and folksy earworm which weaves in and out behind the tune is extremely infectious. This, coupled with Beatriçe's voguing during the instrumental, makes the whole song and performance engaging and memorable. The way the song starts and ends with the ethnic earworm grounds the song from start to finish.

The song, although an early release on the 2025 timetable, has already become a firm fan favourite. The simplistic staging of the song and performance gives them a bedrock of sincerity that is evident whether or not you understand their words. In fact, the words call for peace, harmony and hope on both a personal and planetary basis. Furthermore this not only speaks against the state of politics worldwide but also calls on the not so distant past of Albania itself. The only additional comment/questions I have about the future interpolations of the song is whether the duo will change anything based on their FiK performance. The visual show is simple but effective and I hope its essence is kept. Personally, the addition of the orchestra added extra qualities to the track, as did the live call-and-response backing vocals in the verses.

ARTIST - Shkodra Elektronike

SONG - Zjerm

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Beatriçe Gjergji, Kolë Laca

MONTENEGRO 2025

The Montenegrin act and song was chosen on 27th November through the national final "Montesong 2024". The winner was declared after adding an equally weighted combination of jury and public votes, using the same system as Eurovision proper. However within a week, the victors, NeonoeN, withdrew their nomination after it was discovered that a version of their winning song "Clickbait" had been performed a year earlier at a festival. A few days later, RTCG announced that the second placed act would now be their representative. Going to Basel, and returning to Eurovision, will be Nina Žižić with the song "Dobrodošli" (Welcome)

Nina first entered the music scene as part of the group Negre which also had serial NF contender Milena Vučić as a member. Žižić left not long after the group's inception and released her first solo song "Rijeka Suza" in 2006. Nina had previously graced the Eurovision stage in 2013, accompanying the duo WhoSee with their iconic entry "Igranka". Although this entry had fan support - and had an extremely memorable music video AND live stage show - the song ultimately did not qualify for the finals. However, the song is now a firm staple of recent editions of the ESC250.

Nina is alone on stage for the whole performance although the backdrop changes between the different stages of the song. She is dressed in a sculptural white dress and whips off the matching diaphanous blindfold after the first chorus. Her song, wholly in Montenegrin, is of medium tempo although the words and syllables feel faster than what the underbelly of the track might first suggest. The song's structure is verse, chorus, verse chorus a then roller-coaster of a transition to the end. Nina has a very strong voice and shows great breath control from the very start where the tune is lower. She has good stage craft and tackles the matching armography with aplomb.

Although selected in unfortunate circumstances, the Montenegrin delegation should feel pleased they are able to fall back on someone ready, eager and trusted to serve the country fully. Although Nina's talent is undeniable the song is a weak and lacking a noticeable, discernible hook.. For me, the song unfurls after the second chorus. The protracted breakdown in the last minute of the song is too freeform; losing the momentum of the melody - especially for those not versed in the local language. I would prefer another short burst of a  verse with a final proper chorus instead. I feel that the physical performance is rather striking although I wish the arm movements were more flowing and less frantic.

ARTIST - Nina Žižić 

SONG - Dobrodošli

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Darko Dimitrov, Violeta Mihajlovska Milić, Boris Subotić