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SAUNAS, SPACE DOGS and strobe lights – Eurovision 2025 is shaping up to be a noisy, lively edition.
The Eurovision Song Contest is truly the annual party for Europe, Australia (yes, Australia!) and the world.
Every May, one of the most watched televised events in the world boasts over 150 million viewers and acts as a showcase for many countries’ artists and music industries.
The results can also be analysed as a reflection of the mood of Europe in the broader context of culture, politics and current affairs. As a proud fan of the contest, this is something that I love to explore and digest every year, along with my unique playlists.
This year’s contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland, thanks to winning Swiss artist Nemo in 2024. Switzerland actually hosted the first edition of the song contest back in 1956. The competition was set up in that post-war period with the aim of helping unite the continent through music.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – which is, essentially, an umbrella organisation for public broadcasters – has seen economic crises, wars and geo-political controversies unfold in the backdrop of Eurovision’s history since then, and the 69th edition this year will be no different.
Eurovision was the longest running annual TV music event until its cancellation in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
At the start of the following year, as we endured further prolonged lockdowns, I waited in eager anticipation to see what European voters would respond to in the 2021 contest.
Europe was sending a variety of songs in the midst of the pandemic. But neither sadness nor fun seemed to provide the required antidote for the continent’s woes and isolation.
Instead, Europeans ordered a strong dose of Italy’s Måneskin - the youthful, glam-rock band who emoted pure angst and frustration. The mood clearly resonated with viewers, who were eager to escape the limitations of Covid and move on with their lives.
Watching the performance felt like experiencing a vibrant concert through the screen, and we had largely been without live music for over a year at that point.
Following Måneskin’s Eurovision win, Italy hosted the contest in May 2022 which saw Ukraine winning the contest for the third time with Stefania by Kalush Orchestra.
This was, of course, in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. European voters banded together to award Ukraine with the competition’s highest ever televote result of 439 out of a possible 468 that year.
Ukraine received the maximum 12 points from over 70% of voting countries. Europeans were united in displaying their support for the country at war. This was not the only time that Europe showed support for Ukraine, having helped them to victory in 2016 with politically charged song 1944 performed by artist Jamala.
In the aftermath of the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Jamala entered the dramatic song as an ode to her Crimean Tatar ancestors who suffered at the hands of the Soviet Union during World War II.
Further examination of the contest’s colourful history shows many successful entries mirroring the mood of Europe. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Eurovision juries in 1990 awarded the win to Italy’s song Insieme: 1992. The main hook of the song “unite, unite Europe” joyfully rang around the continent.
Italy united Europe again only one month later for the FIFA World Cup – fondly remembered in Ireland as ‘Italia ’90′.
Fast forward to 2025, in a news cycle spinning faster than inflation, where Trump tweets, tariffs climb, and tech takes over – it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s just another AI-generated headline.
Meanwhile, countries have been busy selecting their representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. It is notable that voters have been gravitating to upbeat, kitschy entries as they grapple with economic uncertainty, extreme political divisions and an ongoing war on our continent.
EDM entries have won out in Germany, Denmark, Belgium, San Marino and Iceland, while a coffee-loving, silly-dancing comedian by the name of Tommy Cash was overwhelmingly elected the Estonian representative.
Eurovision powerhouse, Sweden, have gone against their polished, serious reputation by choosing three Finnish ‘Foil, Arms & Hog’ style comedians singing and dancing in celebration of the sacred sauna.
Even the Irish televote rocketed Norwegian singer Emmy to becoming our representative in the contest with Laika Party, her dance-pop ode to Laika, the Soviet astronaut dog lost forever in space.
In contrast, the Ukrainian public has opted for a melancholic entry with lyrics which earnestly beg for freedom. Ziferblat will represent the suffering nation with their song Bird of Pray.
Lithuania, who find themselves on the periphery of the conflict, metaphorically and geographically, have chosen an introspective entry which captures the mood of anxiety and haunting sorrow in the region.
Eurovision fans know that the last time we had a collection of songs as brash and energetic as this was in the era of 2008 and 2009. The worldwide recession of 2008 dramatically affected the lives of Europeans who turned to the contest for fun and escape. I believe that the contest is following the same trend this year during a concerning time of inflation, global conflicts and climate change.
What Eurovision fans will also know is that the EBU eliminated the calming influence of the Eurovision juries from semi-finals in recent years, and the public vote once again decides which entries progress to the contest’s grand final. Historically, the public vote rewards fun, upbeat entries with far more points than the jury vote.
The trend of these types of songs reappearing in the contest may be reflecting the contest’s voting changes just as much as it can reflect the atmosphere around Europe.
Another trend worth noting is European countries’ rejection of the English language in recent years. There was just one non-English language winner in the years between 1997 – when rules changed and countries were suddenly allowed to send entries in any language – and 2016. Since then, we have had multiple non-English language winners in the contest.
This year’s contest has 23 entries out of 37 primarily in their own national language; this is the highest number of own language entries since the rules changed. As Europe looks internally and moves toward self-sufficiency, the rejection of the English language shows a growing rejection of globalisation.
Conversely, many countries this year have been happy to select non-nationals to represent their country – showing that perhaps the link between a country’s identity and their representative’s nationality is less important than before.
The world is facing another turbulent time in history – while the Eurovision winner is not yet clear, what is clear is that its people are seeking colour, joy and a large continental party in the midst of it all.
Louise Holst is the co-host and co-founder of the Éirevision podcast, Ireland’s number one Eurovision podcast.
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