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