As we rush to get out of 2024 we're getting details from just about every country participating in Eurovision 2025. We recap last month's Montesong from Montenegro, learn a bit about Czechia's artist, and start adding all the dates to our calendar.

Three-Card Montesong Summary

• 😾 Is anyone still mad at the EBU? (1:30)
• 🇲🇪 Montenegro returns with Montesong... and shenanigans (7:48)
• 🇨🇿 Czechia selects ANDONXS for Basxl (17:34)
• 🇪🇺 What's Happening in the EU (Eurowhat Universe) (20:00)
• 🌊 All the National Selections (22:34)
• 🎅🏼 Through the holidays: Albania's Festivali i Kenges and the ESC250 (44:25)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Malmö’s hosting of Eurovision evaluated as a big success for the city
• Eurovision Song Contest Introduces Official Code of Conduct
• RTCG issue statement on Vladana’s resignation - ESCXTRA.com
• SUPERSTAR SUPERFINÁLE 2021 | Adam Pavlovčin - Arcade - YouTube
• Danie Tregonning: "🪩 Eurovision Starter Packs 🪩 Welcome, folks! 🦋Doomsday Blue-Sky: go.bsky.app/D9bMpct (pack is full) 🦋Dipinto Di Blu-Sky: go.bsky.app/BkAdhNJ (now open) Use both to follow and share widely! Contact me for additions and/or removals. I’m not responsible for nor endorsing individual’s posts. ❤️" — Bluesky
• SUPERNOVA 2025 - YouTube
• Twin Flame Eurovision songs - YouTube
• EFR12 Radio Eurovision | La radio des stars de l'Eurovision

In 2019 we examined the Big 5—Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—and offered suggestions on how they might improve their standing at Eurovision. It's five years later: how are the Big 5 doing now?

Rebuilt Summary

• 🇮🇹 Italy (3:46)
• 🇪🇸 Spain (9:19)
• 🤗 Eurowhat AV Club Patreon and the ESC250 (16:25)
• 🇩🇪 Germany (18:25)
• 🇫🇷 France (27:07)
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (33:10)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Episode 56: The Big 5 Gut Rehab (Italy)
• Episode 57: The Big 5 Gut Rehab (Spain and Germany)
• Episode 58: The Big 5 Gut Rehab (France and United Kingdom)
• Ben Dolic - Violent Thing | LIVE | ESC 2020 - YouTube
• Episode 105: AHHHHHHHH!

David Junk, originally from Ohio, was the first CEO of Universal Music Russia. In his memoir Rocking the Kremlin', he and co-author Fred Bronson (from Billboard Magazine) share stories about the "Wild, Wild East", Eurovision, and the influence of western pop culture after the fall of the USSR.

Rockin' the Kremlin Summary

• 📖 What is Rockin' the Kremlin about? (3:23)
• 🎶 Alsou, t.A.T.u., and Sergey Lazarev (10:33)
• 🇺🇦 Building the Ukrainian Music Industry (32:46)
• 📱Where to find David, Fred, and Rockin' the Kremlin (47:21)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guests: David Junk and Fred Bronson.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• ROCKIN-THE-KREMLIN.COM
• Rockin' The Kremlin | Spotify
• DavidJunk.org
• FredBronson.com
• Эрика-Американский Шанс (часть-28) (American Chance Part 28) - YouTube

It's been a couple months since we last checked in on Eurovision news… hoo boy there's a lot to get caught up on. We have elections, new heads of delegations, and info about way too many national selections.

Avalanche Summary

• 💊 Exotic Switzerland: Funding Referendum, Novartis Sponsorship (1:41)
• 🇳🇱 Is Everyone (Netherlands?) Still Mad at the EBU? (6:31)
• 🔴 Coming up on the podcast: Iceland Airwaves and Rockin' the Kremlin (12:16)
• 🎓 New Heads of Delegations for 2025 (14:42)
• 📆 National Selection Updates (Vague) (21:50)
• 🏆 National Final Updates (Specific) (25:47)
• ⏳ Who are we waiting on? (34:36)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Switzerland’s Unusual Form of Democracy Takes Aim at Eurovision - POLITICO
• Eurovision winner Nemo says organisers didn't do enough to support acts amid Israel tensions
• Interview with SRG-Manager Bakel Walden: Is Nemo a wimp? - Blick
• Official partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 | Novartis
• EXCLUSIVE: AVROTROS Confirms New Details Around Eurovision 2025 — Ding-a-Dong, de Nederlandse podcast over het Eurovisie Songfestival

We welcome back @dudepoints, who recently completed their Master's thesis which included discussion of the intersection of the Yugoslavian Art Practice and recent Eurovision entries from Serbia and Croatia.

More simply: let's talk about performance art at Eurovision!

Yugonostalgia Summary

• What is the Yugoslavian Art Practice? (2:39)
• How does Eurovision interact with the Yugoslavian Art Practice? (7:59)
• Who else has been a Performance Artist at Eurovision? (17:50)
• How do you define "performance art"? (21:32)
• Eurovision as a mode of culture building (31:29)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Dude Points.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• It's pronounced "dood-pwah", brah!
• ZERO 3 Official trailer - YouTube

The Reference Group is one of the governing bodies for the Eurovision Song Contest. Who sits on this board and what experience do they bring to the table? We go through the dossiers in this episode.

Verily Summary

• What are the Eurovision Heads of Delegation and Reference Group? (1:29)
• Who is currently in the Eurovision Reference Group? (8:05)
• Who isn't on the Eurovision Reference Group? (21:52)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Humans of Eurovision #1 - Felix Bergsson - Iceland is full of creative fire! - YouTube
• Episode 8: Eurovision 2025 - Special with Co-Executive Producer Moritz Stadler - Eurovis-Huns - Gaydio
• Ebba basar över Eurovision i Malmö
• Rachel Ashdown, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment at the BBC - The University of Nottingham

Dr. Zoë Jay returns to discuss Eurovisionaries, an academic research project investigating the ways Eurovision fans think about and practice forms of cultural diplomacy.

Eurovisionaries Summary

• What was the inspiration for the Eurovisionaries project? (3:16)
• How to define "political" (5:56)
• Eurovision's shift from "political" (2023) to "Political" (2024) (10:41)
• Initial findings from speaking with the Eurofandom (15:31)
• Politics, cultural relations, and social media (20:45)
• What is the goal of the Eurovisionaries project? (23:24)
• Engagement from non-participating countries (32:00)
• How to get involved with research (39:10)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Zoë Jay.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• The Eurovisionaries
• The Eurovisionaries (@euro_visionarie) • Instagram photos and videos
• The Eurovisionaries (@euro_visionarie) / X

Our 8th season begins with news about Eurovision 2025 host city Basel, our first artist announcement, and a look at the history of Switzerland at the Contest.

Exotic Switzerland Summary

• Basel, Switzerland will host Eurovision 2025 (0:54)
• Theo Evan will represent Cyprus in Basel (4:05)
• Is everyone/the Netherlands still mad at the EBU? (7:53)
• Montenegro will return to Eurovision (10:08)
• Italy and Sweden tweak their national selections (14:02)
• Patreon: Let's Talk About Can't Stop the Music (19:27)
• Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest (21:48)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Episode 165: Lugano
• 🇨🇭 Eurovision 2025: Co-Executive Producer Reveals the Reasons Why Basel Was Selected to Host - Eurovoix
• Theo Evan - Slaps
• AVROTROS does not intend to file a complaint for Joost Klein's disqualification
• Finished in Melodi Grand Prix – NRK Kultur og underholdning
• Can't Stop The Music (1980) - Official Trailer - YouTube
• Viver senza tei - Switzerland 1989 - Eurovision songs with live orchestra - YouTube
• Eurovision 2004 Semi Final 03 Switzerland *Piero & The Music Stars* *Celebrate!* 16:9 HQ - YouTube

We say farewell to Eurovision 2024 host nation Sweden by examining the facts and figures of its long-running song selection method: Melodifestivalen. We also make our picks of who we would like to see make an appearance in Melfest 2025.

How to Win Melfest Summary

• Who has written the most songs for Melfest? (2:38)
• Do non-English songs do well at Melfest? (6:02)
• Should Melfest's Andra Chansen be given a second chance? (11:53)
• If you already won Melfest, should you come back? (15:32)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Elisabeth Vincentelli examined the 1992 greatest hits collection ABBA Gold for the music criticism book series 33 1/3. We discuss the book, our respective relationships with ABBA, and marvel at the band's influence on pop music 50 years after their Eurovision win.

ABBA Gold Summary

• What is your relationship with ABBA? (2:53)
• ABBA Gold (1992) (7:30)
• 33 1/3: ABBA Gold by Elisabeth Vincentelli (10:04)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Stay up to date on everything happening in the leadup to the Eurovision Song Contest on our page dedicated to Malmö 2024. You can keep tabs on the countries, artists, and songs, set your laundry folding schedule with our EuroWhat's On calendar, and futz with your Spotify algorithm with our Selection Season playlist!

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Let's talk about "Let's Talk About Love", loves | Patreon
• Abba's Abba Gold: : 33 1/3 Elisabeth Vincentelli Continuum
• ABBA: The Movie (1977) Trailer - YouTube
• Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu - The Queen And I - YouTube
• Madonna - Hung Up (Official Video) [HD] - YouTube
• Cher - GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A Man After Midnight) [Official HD Audio] - YouTube
• ABBA 1975 GREATEST HITS POSTER Swedish Magazine VeckoRevyn 1970s Rare Vintage | eBay

It's the Geneva Convention vs Basel Exposition for the chance to host Eurovision in 2025. Meanwhile, the production team has been announced and a new job for ESC Director is available if you wanna work with Martin. We go over July 2024 Eurovision headlines in this episode.

Vacay Summary

• Geneva vs Basel (1:22)
• Eurovision 2025 Staff Updates (6:22)
• Patreon Summer of Celine Book Club (10:48)
• 22 Countries for Eurovision 2025 So Far (13:48)

Photo by Peter Conlan on Unsplash

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Stay up to date on everything happening in the leadup to the Eurovision Song Contest on our page dedicated to Malmö 2024. You can keep tabs on the countries, artists, and songs, set your laundry folding schedule with our EuroWhat's On calendar, and futz with your Spotify algorithm with our Selection Season playlist!

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

• Swiss direct democracy is Eurovision’s latest challenge - SWI swissinfo.ch
• Bambie Thug teases Eurovision return with two-time entrants Jedward | Evening Standard
• EBU announces future development areas for Eurovision Song Contest following independent review into 2024 event
• ESC Director Job Posting | EBU
• Opinions: Israel in Eurovision: Now you have to turn around, NRK!