Luxembourg selected their Eurovision representative at the end of a surprisingly busy week. Moldova has withdrawn, several countries released potential songs, and Finland's UMK faces a significant shakeup.

Vox Lux Summary

• 🫢 Shakeups: Moldova out; Finland's UMK DQ's One Morning Left (1:15)
• 🇱🇺 Luxembourg chooses Laura Thorn's "La Poupée Monte Le Son" (4:55)
• 🎧 Song Drops: Portugal, Ukraine, Ireland, Norway, Belgium (14:59)
• 🇱🇹 Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Tiebreaker (20:00)
• 🤹 This Week: Semi-Final Allocation, Tickets, Super Saturday 1 of 3 (25:14)

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

Basel 2025

Keep up with Eurovision selection season on our Basel 2025 page! We have a calendar with links to livestreams, details about entries as their selected, plus our Spotify playlists with every song we can find that is trying to get the Eurovision stage.

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:

• One Morning Left has been expelled from UMK due to breach of contract – the band is disbanding | Culture | Yle
• The Republic of Moldova will not participate in Eurovision 2025
• Eurosong 2025 - 🇧🇪 Belgium's National Final - Livestream | #Eurovision2025 - YouTube
• EMA 2025 | RTV 365
• Eurovision Song Contest 2025: The Semi-Final Draw | #Eurovision2025 - YouTube

It's another hopping Eurovision 2025 setup week with another wave of potential songs, information about Basel, the ESC hosts, ticket sales, plus auditions and previews from Moldova and Belgium.

Process Summary

• 📢 Announcements: Mascots, ArenaPlus, and the Eurovision Hosts (1:03)
• 🎟️ Next in Logistics: Semi-Final Allocation and Eurovision Tickets (3:44)
• 💿 National Final Songs and Artists: Poland, Norway, Ukraine, Iceland (6:17)
• 🇲🇩 Moldova Etapa Nationala Auditions (11:30)
• 🇱🇹 Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Second Heat (13:24)
• 🇧🇪 Belgium's Eurosong Preview: LEEZ, Le Manou, Lenn, Grace (14:43)
• 🗓️ Coming Up: Songs from Portugal, Slovenia, and Serbia plus the Luxembourg Song Contest (20:07)

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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.

Basel 2025

Keep up with Eurovision selection season on our Basel 2025 page! We have a calendar with links to livestreams, details about entries as their selected, plus our Spotify playlists with every song we can find that is trying to get the Eurovision stage.

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:

• Eurovision Song Contest 2025: The Semi-Final Draw | #Eurovision2025 - YouTube
• 12 artiști și trupe s-au calificat în finala națională Eurovision 2025
• Eurovision 2025 Selection Season | Spotify

We ease into the waters of the Eurovision TV season, thanks to the first heat of Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT. We also check in on the candidate song drops for the processes happening in Finland, Malta, Croatia, and Greece.

Wading Summary

• Finland Announces 7 Acts for UMK (2:05)
• Malta, Croatia, and Greece Drop Their National Final Songs (6:46)
• Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Begins (12:56)
• This week: Moldova Auditions; Acts from Poland, Norway, Iceland; Belgium TV; Eurovision Hosts (21:27)

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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:

• Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2025 - Videos - YouTube
• Dora 2025. | Spotovi - YouTube
• Eurovision 2025 - Eθνικός Τελικός: TOP 12 - YouTube

Before 2025 gets into full swing, we catch up on Eurovision news from the end of 2024. We have designs! We have fonts! We have an entry where we're not not saying Tirana 2026! Plus, we go deep on the results from the ESC 250 Countdown.

Loaded with Energy Summary

• 💕Unity. Shapes. Love. Branding. (0:55)
• 🇦🇱 Albania selects "Zjerm" by Shkodra Elektronike (12:36)
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands selects Claude as their act for Basel (21:41)
• 📰 Other Process Updates: Ukraine, San Marino, Ireland, Iceland, Moldova (23:23)
• 🥳 Results from the 2024 ESC 250 (29:11)
• 📺 This week: 🇪🇪 Eesti Laul Wildcard, 🇫🇮 UMK Artists and Songs, 🇭🇷 Dora Songs, 🇱🇹 Eurovizija.lt (41:43)

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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:

• Eurovision 2025: Visuals, stage and ticketing info revealed
• TICKETS: Eurovision Song Contest Pre-Registration
• Hotel Association fights excessive prices during ESC | Basler Zeitung
• Thomas Benstem - TV Performance Showreel (ESC & ESC Elections) - YouTube
• EuroWhat's On Calendar
• ESC 250 2024 Results – Songfestival.be

As we head into 2025, we jump back 25 years to watch the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest. How has the competition, fashion, and pop music changed in the last quarter-century(!)?

Pew Pew Pew Summary

• 🗓️ In the Year 2000... (3:17)
• ⛳️ Part I: Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Romania (7:07)
• 🎤 Part II: Malta, Norway, Russia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland (17:30)
• 🪽 Part III: Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Sweden, FYR Macedonia (27:49)
• 🌟 Part IV: Finland, Latvia, Turkey, Ireland, Austria (41:34)
• 🔢 Part V: The Results (51:12)

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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:

• Eurovision Song Contest 2000 - FULL SHOW - YouTube
• Stockholm 2000
• Episode 63: Flags on the Play
• Episode 87: AfriMusic, AI, and the Free European Song Contests
• At least 20 killed in huge explosion at Dutch fireworks warehouse | World news | The Guardian

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)

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:

• 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)

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 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)

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: 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