These songs are in the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

Who will be in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday? On Thursday evening, public favorites such as Finland (Erika Vikman) and Austria (JJ) compete for a place. Israel is also there in the semi -final, despite calls to the exclusion of the country. A total of sixteen countries participate every ten last places in the final of Saturday, for which the Dutch Claude already is qualified. The show starts on Thursday at 9 p.m. and can be seen on NPO1.

After the biggest opening on Tuesday, this semi -final starts with less spectacle, without a grand opening act. Presenters Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer are in good shape, with a light-ironic approach, it was already apparent during a rehearsal where NRC was present. Brugger in particular seems to feel at home in the show and comes with the first internship dive in the history of Eurovision. Furthermore, do not expect explicit references to the different controversies around the festival, the two previously uncomfortably named the neutral status of Switzerland.

What we can expect: many performances with a spicy touchwith ‘Ich Komme’ from Finland as a bouncer at the end. The evening also starts immediately with an ‘ooh la la’ act.

1Australia Go-Jo Milkshake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_08i6MJHSLA&PP=YGUZYXVZDHJHIGHIGHIGV1CM92AXNPB24GMMJAYNDIHCQMGCGHIKHIKMIK7W STAD

As a child, Go-Jo lived on a remote, self-sufficient farm. His father is French, his mother rock singer, and he himself is the Milkshake man. Cheerful milk mustache offers everyone his milkshakes. A sultry woman asks him: « Excuse sir, do you have some milk for me? » The choir is channeling: « Sweet, sweet, Jammie Jammie. » « Cheerful Retro-Synthpop. And yes, ambiguous. Note the impressive sliding that Go-Jo makes on the floor.

2Montenegro Nina žižić Dobodošli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDMKPAB0CWK&PP=YGUABW9OudGVUZZWDYBLDXJVDMLZAW9uidiWMJU%3D

‘Dobodošli’ (‘Welcome’) is a dramatic ballad in the Montenegrin about lost love and about the power of women in difficult times: « tolerate everything, smile, it will pass ». Nina žižić also participated in the festival in 2013. This year she was actually second in the national preliminary round, but the winner, the band Neonnoen, came with an old song and that is against the rules. So she is allowed. There seems not to be long thought about this soapy performance.

3Ireland Emmy Laika Party

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZNUSVB7YJS&PP=YGUXAXJLBGFUZCBLDXJVDMLZAW9IDIWMJU%3D

Laika was the Russian astronaut dog who flew around the earth in 1957. She died of overheating after a few hours. The Norwegian singer Emmy, who comes out for Ireland, wants to kiss the « brave girl » back to life with a ninety-night trance pop stamper: « I hope she dances every night between the stars/ I hope that Laika lives/ Laika party in the room ». Nice concept, but the implementation leaves something to be desired. Ireland has done better to use an understatement.

4Latvia Tautumeitas Bur man limi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKW0OCGPV3S&PP=YGUWBGF0DMLHIGV1CM92AXNPB24GMJYNQ%3D%3D

Polyphonic folklore doll of five women dressed in futuristic traditional costumes. Various songs at this song festival are about cancer and refugees, but the word of the year is ‘resilience’. These Baltic swamp spirits also do not allow themselves to be boxed. Their incantation in the Lets: « Cursing, curses, curses, curses can’t break me. » « Not so good, but with a nice visual trick at the end.

5Armenia Parg Survivor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFH5O3XTI2C&PP=YGUXYXJTZW5PYSBLDXJVDMLZAW9IDIWMJU%3D

Poprock à la imagine dragons of tough man with gladiator arm. PARG grew up in Russia, had an indief interpreter, The Edge Chronicles, and returned to his native country in 2002 to set up a Armenian singing career. Yes, it’s about resilience again. Parg is a survivor and runs nice and cool over a treadmill during the performance.

6Austria Yy Wasted Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IESTNPXVIO&PP=YGUXYXVZDHJPYSBLDXJVDMLZW9IDIWMJU%3D

In addition to Sweden, the favorite of the betting offices. Ballad about an unanswered love, Johannes Pietsch feels like a paper boat on the ocean. The classically trained countertenor sings with the Viennese state opera. In ‘Wasted Love’ he mixes pop with opera. He sings the couplets with a normal popfals set and blows the listeners of the socks in the chorus with his powerful opera mem. The second chorus ends with a high CIS6, after which the hard Technobeat uses. During the rehearsal, JJ De Hype did not fully make it true, but that can change on the evening itself.

7United Kingdom Remember Monday What the hell just happened?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hu6R3ZNODY&PP=YGUEDW5PDGVIKTPBMDKB20GZXVYB3ZPC2LVBIIMDI11

The UK is one of the five countries that will continue directly to the final. The country has a rich pop culture but rarely manages to send in a decent song. This is infectious, with a group that has something in terms of energy from British groups such as Atomic Kitten and Girls Aloud. Three cheerful girlfriends sing about the blurry hangover after a wild night. What the hell happened last night? Song from the school of Taylor Swift, but with fast register changes as in the symphonic doll of Queen or Elton John. The cheerful chaos of the song does not entirely come across on stage.

8Greece Clavdia Asteromáta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxzeteZGEY4&PP=YGUWZ3JLZWNLIGV1CM92AXNPB24GMJAYNQ%3D%3D

Oh dear, politically at the Songfestival. The Greek ballad ‘Asteromáta’ (‘star eyes’) is a conversation between a mother and her missing daughter: « Mother’s love, don’t cry for me ». Klavdia wants to pay tribute to refugees. Although it is not in the text, according to the singer it is about the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Pontic Greeks by the young Turks (1914-1922). Turkey is angry about the song, but that country has not been participating for years.

9Lithuania Katarsis Tavo Akys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2F2AZ6FY58&PP=YGUZBGL0AHVHBMLHIGV1CM92AXNPB24GMJAYNQ SPORT

Gloomy, in uniform gray suits, the members of band Katarsis are on stage. The song ‘Tavo Akys’ (‘your eyes’) Sombert with it, atmospheric dark in a way that looks a bit like Radiohead. The boyish singer Lukas Radzevičius sings as if he has already experienced a lot and pushes the song rhythmically to a, well, catharsis. A performance with little energy.

10Malta Miriana Conte Serving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slvswfrvma&pp=yguubwlyyyw5hignvbnlihnlcnzpbmc%3D

The Songfestival career of singer Miriana Conte started controversy: she initially had the word ‘Kant’ in her song ‘Serving’. That means vocals in Maltese, but sounds slightly different for English ears. In the chaotic poppy dance number, she lashes out to everyone who looks down on her. It doesn’t sound very special, but Malta must have the over the top Presentation full of ambiguities. Expect, among other things, a large inflatable mouth with discobol and something with skippy balls.

11Georgia Mariam Shenggelia Freedom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3WU0DUND4C&PP=YGUSZNJLZWRVBSBLDXJVDMLZAW9U

The stately young singer Mariam Shengelia supplies a portion of patriotic James Bond drama for Georgia, with strings and a propellent rhythm. Especially striking: the hefty tall in two languages, Georgian and English. In previous editions of the Songfestival a recipe for success, now a bit mature.

12France Louane Maman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ2DTSLCNINI&PP=YGUMBG91YW5 LIGHT1HBWFU

As always, France is doing well with the betting offices. With ‘Maman’, Louane brings a technical strong but some sweet pop song about mothers and daughters, full of memories of her own early deceased mother: « Do you see everything here? » France is one of the five countries that goes directly to the final. During the performance, Louane gets sand grains from the ceiling.

13Denmark Sissal Hallucination

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDCAGISIOUC&PP=YGUSZGVUBWFYAYBLDXJVDMLZAW9U

The writers of ‘Hallucination’ have clearly listened carefully to double Songfestival winner Loreen, because this song by Sissal sounds particularly familiar. Complete with playing in the chorus that linger in your head (oooooh-oooooh). Own touch: the glitter bath suit with cape.

14Czech Republic Adonxs Kiss Kiss Goodbye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM8ciickaju&pp=yguxywrvbngga2lzcybraxnzigdvb2riewu%3d

“ »Kiss Kiss …« The Slovak Adam Pavlovčin comes out for the Czech Republic with ‘Kiss Kiss Goodbye’. On stage he looks like a classic song festival act: fierce in white with black glitter and characteristic mustache. Pop from the years with an occasional drama moment.

15Luxembourg Laura Thorn La Poupée Monte Le Son

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvhu_kwhiky&pp=yguxtgegegug91cmopzsbnb250ZSBMZSBTBTB24%3D

« The doll sets the sound harder ». Singer Laura Thorn is not a doll, she sings in this French-speaking number-a reference to the Eurovision victory of France Gall in 1965. With 190s-synthesizer and occasionally something Phantom of the Opera-Vibes. The final effect is a little mini playback show. At the beginning she puts something nice with the screens that are used in the floor of the stage.

16Israel Yuval Raphael New Day Will Rise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Belu4Z4Z6-U&PP=YGURAXNYYWVSIGV1CM92AXNPB24%3D

Will Israel continue to participate in Eurovision at all? That is the question. This year they are still there with ‘New Day Will Rise’, sung in three languages ​​(French, English, Hebrew). Singer Yuval Raphael survived the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 and now sings about tenacity. This is a classic power ballad: starts with soft piano, swells to a well -executed but predictable climax. In Basel, a pro-Palestinian demonstration was against participation a day before the semi-final. The Swiss Songfestival winner of last year, Nemo, also states that the country should have been excluded. One of the demonstrators walked around with a sign on which ‘Thank You Nemo’ stood.

17Germany Abor & Tynna Baller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJPLC4-9SCS&PP=YGUSZ2VYBWFUESBLDXJVDMLZWWAW9U

The retro-years-like feeling is at the Songfestival this year. This is also the case in the German song ‘Baller’ by Abor & Tynna. A little cello, a little synthesizer, and a nice dance beat. Singer Tünde Bornemisza sings – how could it be otherwise – from a gigantic tree box. Tasty tunegood mid -engine. Germany can go straight to the final.

18Serbia Princess Mila

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSCBHVJVJQZNW&PP=YGURC2VYYMLHIGV1CM92AXNPB24%3D

Princ, the entry of Serbia, is not afraid of a little melodrama. Threatening dancers in black drag on the long -haired rocker on the red stage, while he brings his maximalistic love code to one Mila (also called ‘my love’ in Serbian). For the lover of Bon Jovi-like Powerballads who prefers to set the volume button to eleven.

19Finland Erika Vikman Ich Komme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG3QOTPNQYW&PP=YGUSZMLUBGFUZCBLDXJVDMLZAW9U

In his own country, Powerwoman Erika Vikman (good friends with Käärijä, the Finnish dance god who narrowly lost Eurovision 2023) is a sex symbol, both loved and criticized for her loaded performances and spicy outfits. She is completely herself at the Songfestival. Scores very well on the Eurovision fan blogs with this excited pop song in the Finnish language-with German influences. In the end she is on a gigantic microphone where fireworks comes out. You can quickly fill in the deeper message. The most entertaining performance of the evening.

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