BULGARIA 2026

The Bulgarian song was selected on 28th February through the their selection process “Natsionalnata Selektsiya”. On January 31st, a jury and televote decided on an artist then four weeks later the three songs up for selection were performed. The song choice selection was made through a combination of jury and televoting. Going to Vienna will be Dora with the song "Bangaranga".

Dora appears with male and female dancers. They are dressed in black while she is in a white dress with fluffy arm details. The colour palette uses orangy tones and the name of the song flashes on the backdrop. The track has a bombastic feel with a mix of urban and Balkan. The chorus, or parts of the chorus, are repeated quite a lot. However, the music also has an unusual hypnotising change of tempo during the instrumentals, slowing down and speeding up again, keeping you on your toes. During these non-singing parts there are ensemble dance routines which Dora confidently gets involved with. Her voice  and pronunciation is quite clear. The song puts me in mind of many Balkan performances such as "Sekret" and "Zari" with obvious similarities to the songs with choreographed sequences such as "SloMo" and "Fuego"

Dora looks and feels very professional on the stage. This said, the show was not as dynamic as it could have been but I put this down to rushed rehearsals due to the short turn around between shows. With better preparation, braver choreography, more interesting outfits & lighting, an enthusiastic audience to bounce off and possibly even a revamp on the track to give it a stronger identity and more power, this could really stand out during Eurovision and easily have a successful life outside of the contest.

ARTIST - DORA

SONG – Bangaranga

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Dimitris Kontopoulos, Cristian Tarcea, Anne Judith Wik, Darina Nikolaeva Yotova

LITHUANIA 2026

The Lithuanian act and song was chosen on 27th February through the national final "Eurovizija.LT ". A winner was announced after an equal weighting of jury and public voting points were combined. This combination resulted in a tie and the rules stated that the televote winner took precedence. Going to Vienna is Lion Ceccah with the song "Sólo quiero más" (I just want more)

Lion is wearing an oversized black suit with an emphasis on wide, square shoulders. His head and arms are covered in silver paint. Although the title is in Spanish the song (and is repeated throughout), is in fact predominantly in Lithuanian and English as well as a smattering of lines in French and German. Lion is on  the ethereal stage alone and at the start of the song he is inside a fake suit which mysteriously collapses later in the song. The lighting employs light and shadows - not always in the places you expect - and flashing, strobing lights. His voice is dramatic, with some operatic undertones in the chorus. His movements are slow - sometimes robotic, sometimes flowing. The oeuvre of the concept seems influenced by last year's winner, however as a lot of little parts have changed it feels fresh and intriguing rather than a copy.

The audience look and sound engaged with this production and Lion himself. He comes across as self assured, confident and fills the stage even though he's the only one on it. The show has an accessible avantgarde sheen which will make it stand out. It is a shame they are using Spanish in a year Spain is not participating. I think the team should err on the side of caution an refine what they have rather than making any rash changes although more power in the backing track could be an interesting addition.

ARTIST - Lion Ceccah

SONG – Sólo quiero más

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Tomas Alenčikas, Aurimas Galvelis

AUSTRIA 2026

The Austrian act and song was chosen on 20th February through the national final "Vienna Calling". A winner was declared after adding equally weighted jury and public scores. Representing Austria on home turf is Cosmó with "Tanzschein" (Dancing Licence)

Cosmó is wearing a Gina G-esque sequin top, dark trousers and a blue star around his eye. With him is a guitarist dressed in a suit and 3 dancers wearing elaborate animal helmets. There is a lot of movement between the five of them culminating in catchy armography during the chorus. The lyrics use animals as metaphors to describe the type of people at a club and the narrator's wish that you go to a club to dance. The staging is initially plain but the use of flashing panels in the chorus creates a highlight when coupled with the choreography. Later, the animal motifs appear and pink smoke ejects from the stage. The song is sung, sometimes rap/spoken, and Cosmó utilises a range of vocal tones, especially in the lower register, which is rather unexpected. I am unsure if we have seen or heard anything quite like this at Eurovision before however the rap and its tone is reminiscent of Falco.

The audience's' reaction is toned down in the production but in the reprise they are seen joining in with the dance routine. This is has bags of potential; the staging has an interesting identity but needs to be made bigger, more cohesive, slicker. Maybe extra 'dancers' on the backdrop (like Who the hell is Edgar?) could make a bigger impression. The outfits also need refining but if Cosmó can nail the vocal this really will be a fun and oddball host entry. 

ARTIST - Cosmó

SONG – Tanzschein

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Benjamin Gedeon, Elias Stejskal, Ella Stern

BELGIUM 2026

The song and act representing Belgium was announced on 19th February with a simultaneous reveal of the track on youtube, the Belgian TV channel La Une and radio station Vivacité. Going to Vienna is Essyla performing "Dancing on the ice".

The video is in colour but the lighting and outfits are in black and white with fast cuts and changes of lighting. At the end, the white on the backdrop turns to red. The song uses the title as a metaphor for exploring the jeopardy of connections which can be exciting, confidence building or coercive. Essyla is joined by a group of male and female dancers who do the bulk of the choreography in the video. Essyla spends a lot of time walking and standing, as a solo tight shot or surrounded by her dancers. The song is in English and has a good strong synth-led beat. The lyrics are simplistic, uses a lot of harmony in the pre-chorus and very earwormy repetitive chorus but the main pull of the song is its synthy brassy bassline. This is carries on from many past Belgian entries with a strong synth sound but also seems to borrow commercial ideas from Lorde and Billie Eilish.

 

This is hard to judge because of the stylistic choices and lack of audience reaction. The presentation of Essyla makes it look like she is less comfortable with dancing and movement. Her facial mien is slightly one-note; better gestures and poses could give her a more curious or playful tone, however she may just come to life with a live audience. Although the song has some good earworms, and a catchy title, it will need more than this and effective strobing effects, to make it qualification worthy/certain.

ARTIST - Essyla

SONG – Dancing on the ice

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS – Nicolas d'Avell, Alice Van Eesbeeck, Barbara Petitjean, Emil Stengele

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