Eurovision 2025: My Rankings

The honor of coming last in my ranking this year goes to Slovenia, third time this has happened this decade (2020 and 2021 being the other two). The song, from the start, maintains a bland ballad feel and never really progresses. The song writing also only makes the song worse for me, felt too 'on the nose'. The performance was decent, him singing while upside down was impressive. Having the footage of his time with the family was a unique choice but to me it didn't work, made it feel like a "Got Talent sob story" performance bait. Klemen is a talented individual, I don't think this song was able to display that talent well.

This song is a melting pot of various genres, and not a particularly good melting point. At one point it is all cute and whimsical, the next almost metal like instrumentals. The song is very interesting but to me, not necessarily enjoyable to listen to. The performance was incredible and suits the song perfectly, you can see that Marko Bošnjak pours his heart and soul in delivering his best on the night of the semi final. The uniqueness of the song gives it bonus points in my book.

One can argue this is the saddest song this year, telling the tragic story of Laika, the dog sent to space by the Soviets in 1957. The song however puts a 'positive spin' on the story and imagines what would happen had Laika survived, presenting it in a catchy pop song. Don't get me wrong, the song is very catchy and you will find me singing along it to is quite often. The way the story is told feels very tone-deaf to me and in a way ruins the song alongside. The performance, for a song filled with dance energy, was very static and was not a fan of the furry astronauts on the screen either. Decent song with a not-so-decent story and ruinous performance.

The People's Winner* of this year. I remember when I first heard it, after Tommy Cash won the Eesti Laul (the national final for Estonia) and immediately hated the song. Safe to say it has grown on me a little since then but I still find the song appalling, especially those live vocals. His vocals made me cringe as soon as he started singing in the first semi final. The studio version is definitely better in that regard. The act, the bodyguard and the stage invader helped bring it as high it is. I quite liked the way stage invader scene was done, made me think for a moment someone actually tried that haha. Someone talked about the satire in this song, and since then I have also started to see it from a rather different perspective than just a fun, silly song. Maybe "No stresso, no stresso, no need to be depresso" have a much deeper meaning than it may seem

I watched the Polish National Final, one of the 3 I followed this year. I had a couple of songs I was rooting for, Gaja was not one of them. To be honest, I was annoyed that it won, to me other songs were clearly a better choice. But the improvement between national final and Basel was nothing to ignore. The performance delivered by Justyna was felt across the television screen, her and the background dancers' energy on the stage and in some ways helped me understand the song. "No one can dance in heels like polish women and men." I did find her 'flying' part a little silly, but the whole performance was very camp so I'll let it slide.

There is nothing more Eurovision-like than a generic radio pop song. To me, this is the radio pop song of the year. There is nothing wrong with being such a song, but need to realise that there are loads of similar successful songs that it will be compared to. For what it is worth, Sissal delivered an incredible performance and the song was strong enough as well, which explains how she qualified against the odds. Her self criticism was also one of the highlights for me this season.

Ah yes, back to back double meaning song. You might listen to it and wonder what is double meaning about this, there isn’t one in the version approved by EBU but initially the song was called “Kant” and the lyrics went “Serving Kant”, kant means singing in Maltese, of course. Miriana had to censor the word “Kant”, which I don’t believe takes much away from the song. Yes, it was a big gimmick but even without it the song works perfectly. There is nothing I can complain about in her singing. Her performance though, the MESC performance had a story, how she overcame hate, built something for herself, did what she liked, the Eurovision performance failed to convey that and became a sexualized act instead. That deducts some points for me.

A very middle of the road song for me, it is fun to listen to, has good energy. And the meaning behind the song might be its strongest part. The song inspired by Kyle’s mother who was battling cancer, making the lyrics very meaningful (this is how you write a song on such themes, looking at you Slovenia). I am not the biggest fan of the dance break, have heard some people quite like but it just isn’t for me, it ruins the flow of the song. But overall, a solid performance.

This song was in the contention to win the whole thing, how? I still don’t get why people thought that, I just can’t see this song winning over other so many better songs in my opinion. The song is touching, sure. The lyrics mean a lot to her, definitely. But at the end of the day, the song to me is bland in some ways, I never truly connected with the song in the way it is intended. Her vocals were great, but not the best of the night and the performance and the sand symbolism wasn’t as spectacular as one would have hoped. Though everything I have said is negative, the song is quite nice. It is just I am comparing it with the expectations I had based on people’s reaction and it did not deliver.

Do you know what was missing from Eurovision? That’s right, Minecraft aquatic animals graphics! And boy did væb deliver. Róa is a party song to me, mindless fun and just vibing (no pun intended). This siblings duo was probably the most active on social media and with other fan media during the pre-contest period and as such gained a decent following going into the competition week. The performance was, just like the song, fun, enjoyable; they were able to deliver this moment of just pure amusement. The violins and the mic-drop was as perfect an end to the performance as there can be.

Harmonies, oh the harmonies! I love how their voices blend and mix together, how the band gives each member their moment, their spot. The way the song progresses, takes turns, shifts tones and tempo and melodies, it can be overwhelming at the start but it does make for a unique experience. One of the more interesting songs this year, however the live performance wasn’t the best. Staging could have been better in my opinion, incorporating more elements from the music video rather than that chandelier. Their voice however, flawless. They showed they can sing just as good live as they can in studio, which is harder with a complex song like this I’d say.

Greece was also a national final I followed and Asteromata was my favourite in that. I was glad it won. Klavdia’s vocals are phenomenal, live or in studio. I might even say the best female vocals this year. For the national final performance, I found it intimate but also rather static. She improved the performance, and truly what an improvement! The Eurovision performance also kept a simple-ness, but there were so many more emotions in that, everything worked perfectly. I was left in awe after that performance, it alone made the song rise a lot for me. It reminded me of 1944 in the moment (Ukraine 2016, winning song).

This was not my favourite song in Luxembourg Song Contest, but it was far from the worst, not annoyed at all that it won. The song, a spiritual successor to Poupée de cire, poupée de son by France Gall, a winning song for Luxembourg from 1965, tells a story about ‘cutting the strings of the puppet they are’, a story which the performance conveys greatly, her doll-like dress and almost mechanical movements at the start to a freer choreography and a sparkling, diva dress by the end. Her voice is sweet, the choreography is on point, and the performance was such a glow up. The opening scene of the dollhouse with France Gall in background might be the best opening this year. I would not have believed you if you told me at the start of the season this song will end up as high at did on my rankings.

If there is a song that has grown on me the most, it is Baller. I almost hated the song at first, found the song to be repetitive and *unpleasant*, found it sore to listen to. But the more I listened, the more I vibed with it. I guess the national final performance being as bad as it was didn’t help. Eventually though, I embraced its uniqueness, the club/party vibe, and grew to like it. Then the Eurovision performance came and it was fantastic, matched the song and managed to do more with few people on stage (looking at you San Marino). Her vocals may not be best live, but still I enjoy the song thoroughly. One negative change to the performance was replacing the violin and not actually breaking it.

JJ is, spoiler alert, this year's winner. With the vocals as impressive as his and the staging as magnificent as Sergio Jaén's, it doesn't surprise me. And they truly are all as amazing and so worthy of win. I wasn't rooting for an Austrian win, but I believed this was going to be the outcome before the finale. I have forgotten count of how many times I have gotten goosebumps due to his vocals. And that techno part at the end, it is such a twist and works so perfectly, so flawlessly. I'll be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by how the techno part was staged but it was still so mind blowing. I find myself coming back to this performance because of the visuals and every time they feel just as awe-inspiring as last time, if not more. Only little complaint. they are a little harsh on eyes.

Ukraine always sends something unique, and this year was no different. A rock song with complex progressions and shifts, this is what makes this song so great to me, it is experimental and not afraid to be. I loved it when I first heard it and honestly from just the song perspective it might be among my top candidates. The song hits almost everything I like in a song. I think the studio version sounds much better than live, but apparently Danyil (the lead singer) had laryngitis during the Eurovision week so I'll let it slide. The performance, though it has grown on me since it was first shown, I still think the original Vidbir staging was better and suited the song more. But, as I said, I have grown to like Eurovision performance too and it has a charm of its own.

This is probably my 'most controversial opinion'. Before the Eurovision week, it was the #1 in my rankings, that is based on song alone. The performance of every song after this was so incredible that it fell a few places. The performance was nothing special, not gonna focus on that. It was dead last in the betting odds to even qualify. On that split-screen, when they announced Portugal, I was the happiest person on this planet for a brief moment. The song, it feels like a warm hug amongst a sea of uncertainty. It makes me long for a place I have never been to, but want to end up at. As a person with a very busy, fast paced city life, this song relaxes me in a way no other song has been able to. The song makes me think about my life, my future, if there will be peace in my life and the cost of that peace. Saudade describes perfectly what I feel with this song.

The song has such a dark feel to it, such ominousness,I love it. I am an enjoyer of rock, and such a spin makes it so much more interesting. They were able to bring that ominous feel to the stage too, the performance was as good as it could have been. From the zoom in, the environment changing in the background, the "Tavo, Tavo, Tavo", everything was on point. I was a little worried about the vocals, but Lukas made much an improvement between the national final and Eurovision. A little fun fact, this song helps me go to sleep. I am not sure why, and it i not because it is boring or anything. But when the "Tavo, Tavo" part hits something in my brain clicks and it starts to feel sleepy if I am tired.

People talk about feeling connected to songs, I've had my fair share of songs I have connected to; Volevo Essere Un Duro joins that table. The lyrics, English translation of which were included as subtitles in the grand final performance, are about this person who was told he should be a tough guy, to do this and that. And because of what the society, the people around him expects, he tried to fit that mold, tried and failed. The realization hits him that he can't fit into any mold without breaking him, all that matters is he stay true to himself, a soft, humble soul and an easy to get hurt guy. That not being tough isn't bad, not being yourself is. The lyrics resonated with me, having had some similar experiences, made me connect to the song on a level I did not know was possible. Lucio is one of my favorite artists this season, his commitment to music, incredible talent and devotion to the art reflects. The staging, albeit minimalist, works well with the song. The moment near the end, when Lucio plays a harmonica into his hand-held mic, is such a raw, touching moment; it made me shed a tear when I first saw it. That moment might have single-handedly landed this song on the top place for my ranking.