Who will win Eurovision 2025? Euronews Culture’s final predictions

The play is group and nan shape is fresh - aft 2 semi-finals, 26 countries person earned their spot successful nan expansive last of nan 69th Eurovision Song Contest, wherever they will compete successful beforehand of thousands of fans successful Basel's St Jakobshalle arena, and millions watching astir nan world.

Last night’s second semi-final saw nan likes of classically trained Austrian countertenor JJ and Malta’s Miriana Conte make it through, while amazingly Ireland's Emmy and Australia's very ain "Milkshake Man" Go-Jo (two of Euronews Culture's favourite picks) some missed nan cut.

But it wasn’t conscionable nan euphony making headlines. For nan 2nd twelvemonth running, Eurovision’s motto, "United by Music," has been tested by fierce contention surrounding Israel’s participation. Despite passionate calls for a boycott, Israel represented by Yuval Raphael, has made it done to nan expansive final.

Raphael survived nan Hamas onslaught connected nan Nova Music Festival past October, and now she’s 1 of nan bookies’ apical picks to triumph it all. But her information has ignited aggravated backlash. Outside nan venue, nan outrage spilled complete into nan streets of Basel, wherever hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered, demanding an extremity to Israel’s subject actions and calling for its expulsion from nan contest.

With tensions moving high, each eyes now move to nan last showdown connected Saturday night. The only mobility that remains: who will emergence (like a phoenix) supra nan remainder and beryllium crowned this year’s Eurovision champion?

Among nan 26 finalists, present are nan 3 countries we judge person nan strongest chances of taking location nan winning trophy.

KAJ - Bara Bada Bastu (Sweden)

This year’s Eurovision opus from Sweden has a elemental connection - and it’s 1 we tin each get behind: Let’s conscionable sauna. 

In lawsuit you’re unaware, saunas are a large woody successful Nordic countries. Not only an activity - they’re a measurement of life; 1 that’s rooted successful ritualist, belief and communal practices. There was moreover a sauna world title hosted for complete a decade successful Finland (which ended successful 2010 aft personification died, but let’s not bring nan temper down.) 

The constituent is, for illustration each awesome loves successful life, saunas merit a opus dedicated to them - and Finnish drama euphony group KAJ person yet delivered one. In fact, their Eurovision introduction mightiness beryllium nan steamiest (every pun will beryllium intended) yet, and besides happens to beryllium nan first Swedish-language opus to beryllium performed astatine nan title since 2012.

Unlike Sweden’s erstwhile entries, contented to travel nan look of perfectly polished popular anthems, KAJ chose to move up nan power and get unashamedly goofy pinch their caricatured clasp of taste idiosyncrasies. The euphony video features synchronised dancers successful towels and sauna hats, for goodness sake! 

It’s a refreshing alteration of guidance for a state whose past 2 wins some came from Loreen, successful 2023 and 2012. While epic electro ballads astir emotion and affectional turmoil are nice, possibly what we really needed each this clip was a twee tune astir wood-paneled walls. 

Musically, location are each nan correct amounts of campy earwormery here, pinch nan whispered outcry of ‘sauna!’ hitting for illustration a watery revelation to nan basking rocks of our subconscious. Indeed, nan opus besides serves arsenic an important reminder to prioritise self-care and relationship successful these trying times - gotta fto disconnected a small steam now and then, literally. 

I’m not unsocial successful championing ‘Bara Bada Bastu’ - it’s presently nan bookies' favourite, pinch a 40 per cent chance of winning. Sauna aliases not, different entrants should astir apt commencement sweating. Amber Bryce

JJ - Wasted Love (Austria)

Austria is hoping to unafraid its 3rd Eurovision triumph pinch 23-year-old Austrian-Filipino countertenor Johannes Pietsch – aka: JJ - who could travel successful nan glorious footsteps near down by resistance icon Conchita Wurst successful 2014. 

The 2 surely stock a flare for nan dramatic. 

Having already made a sanction for himself successful nan world of classical euphony and for utilizing his sound arsenic a maestro instrument, JJ is banking connected a soaring popera anthem – which, arsenic its title suggests, is astir nan torment of unrequited feelings. 

'Wasted Love’ is... well, it’s a lot. The genre-bending opus starts disconnected arsenic a delicate ballad astir drowning successful emotion and emotion for illustration you’re sinking astatine nan heavy end. It takes a move erstwhile JJ breaks into an progressively heartfelt (and very high-pitched) complainte, earlier morphing into what nan iceberg which deed nan Titanic would person referred to arsenic a nu-disco fantasia. The crescendo is rather something: an explosive EDM that erstwhile again shows disconnected JJ’s singular (frankly, ludicrous) scope and besides proves that being adrift successful nan affectional abyss and having a bop needn’t beryllium mutually exclusive.

Quite really everything goes from nan ballroom to nan nine successful nan abstraction of 2 minutes and 50 seconds is beyond me. However, astatine a clip erstwhile we’re each trying to untangle nan affectional complexities nan decry from nan shitshow of regular life, 'Wasted Love' is simply a compelling lawsuit for heading consecutive into nan oculus of a storm. 

And maybe, conscionable maybe, comfortableness comes aft nan turmoil... If not, Austria still has popera perfection connected its hands, a textbook illustration of what Eurovision songs should sound like. Surely, successful lieu of comfort, that’s worthy nan coveted microphone statue... David Mouriquand

Check retired our question and reply pinch JJ up of this weekend's final.

Ziferblat - Bird of Pray (Ukraine)

Ukraine’s been connected a superior Eurovision basking streak: a triumph for nan Kalush Orchestra successful 2022, a coagulated sixth-place decorativeness successful 2023, and 3rd spot past year. While immoderate mightiness beryllium speedy to explanation these results arsenic driven by "sympathy votes' - fixed nan ongoing warfare pursuing Russia's penetration - let’s beryllium honest: nan songs person slapped (politically, emotionally, and sonically).

This year’s introduction is nary exception. Ukraine returns to nan title pinch 'Bird of Pray' by Ziferblat, a trio made up of vocalist Daniil Leshchynskyi, guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, and drummer Fedir Khodakov. The opus is an affectional reflection connected nan toll of war, exploring what it intends to beryllium separated from loved ones, to unrecorded successful grief, successful fear, and still effort to clasp onto hope. In this case, that dream is symbolised by a bird.

“It’s astir nan problems we spell through, nan calamity of nan past 3 years,” lead vocalist Valentyn Leshchynskyi told Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs

Musically, nan opus is difficult to pin down. It opens pinch ethereal female vocals earlier plunging into group chants of hypnotic Ukrainian vocals, layered complete a moody prog stone ballad backing. Then nan chorus hits, and abruptly it shifts to full-on philharmonic theatre - large strings, immense emotion, almost for illustration thing from an anime soundtrack. “Fly. Bird. I'm begging you. Begging you, please conscionable live" pleads nan lead vocalist. For my money, it's a existent standout successful a twelvemonth laden pinch 1 excessively galore squeaky clean, forgettable popular songs.

And successful caller days, nan songs's connection has go moreover much hard-hitting. Khrystyna Starykova, a 19-year-old backing vocalist for Ziferblat, revealed that her location successful Myrnohrad was destroyed by Russian shelling. Now rehearsing successful Switzerland, she shared photos of nan wreckage online. Theo Farrant

The Eurovision last takes spot this twelvemonth successful Basel, Switzerland, connected Saturday 17 May.