In a matter of hours, we’ll know the winner of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, held in Basel, Switzerland this year. Here is who’s in it for a win and why.
Listen to a recording of this story:
Voting in Eurovision includes an audience televote, but that isn’t all. One half of the result is determined by a juries made up of judges from each participating country.
In the last few years, we could see that the jury favors pop songs sung in English, while songs that are too experimental have a hard time.
Albania – Shkodra Elektronike
This year, Albania is represented by Shkodra Elektronike, a duo from the city of Shkodër. Their song “Zjerm” is a mix of electronic beats and traditional folklore, representing Albanian culture.
Among Eurovision fans, they are one of the most popular entries, as folklore is per usual. Also, the charisma Beatriçe has on stage is unmatched. The televote – which often ranks folkloristic songs very high – could be won by Albania.
France – Louane
Louane is a known name in France and beyond. Her 2012 released pop song “Avenir” has even been in the German charts. Now, she is singing a power ballad at Eurovision dedicated to her mother, who died in 2014. Her tribute, called “Maman,” is showing how Louane grieved her mother in the last 10 years and how she got better.
Louane’s life story is deeply emotional and touches a lot of people’s hearts, and she manages to showcase those emotions on the big stage. This could help a lot when it comes to getting televotes. Additionally, the jury often enjoys French ballads. This combination could lead to the sixth French win and the first one since 1978.
The song itself is repetitive, with the chorus almost only consisting of the word “Maman.” This is not very musically interesting and a big risk that could lead to a lot of people not voting for France.
Austria – JJ
Austria chose a mixture of opera and pop for their song this year. In “Wasted Love,” JJ sings about his experiences with unreciprocated love.
JJ is a trained countertenor with the Vienna State Opera. That means that we can expect an impeccable performance which will not only impress the public, but also the jury. Austria’s staging completely stands out from the rest as it is in broadcast in black and white.
On the downside, many compare Austria’s song with the one that won last year – Nemo’s “the Code” for Switzerland, which also had opera and pop influences. Is JJ able to – despite the comparisons – shine on his own and deliver? We’ll see.
Sweden – KAJ
For the first time since 1998, Sweden is represented by a song in Swedish. In “Bara Bada Bastu,” the trio KAJ sings about a thing that unites Sweden and Finland – their love for sauna.
Ever since the release of this fun and catchy song, it went viral in all of Europe – and is in the Top 10 in the charts in Sweden, Finland and many other European countries. It’s not a joke entry, as the production of the song is pure quality. A televote win is possible for Sweden.
The biggest threat to “Bara Bada Bastu” is the jury, which prefers songs that are more conventional.
In just a couple of hours, we will know who is crowned the winner of Eurovision 2025. Check back afterward for more on the winner.
Florian Gashi is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Germany. He wrote this musical commentary.
Lilit Nazlukhanyan is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Armenia. She made the audio recording.
