Eurovision Week has arrived! The first Semi-Final of Eurovision 2025 takes place tomorrow, and tonight the eighteen competing artists have their second dress rehearsal. Check out our live coverage of the performances below!
🇮🇸 Iceland:
First up, we have VAEB with “RÓA.” Starting off with bang! This is a high-energy opener with a VERY fun sea shanty…vibe. The aquatic elements have been dialed up to 11 since Söngvakeppnin. Possibly the perfect song to kick off the evening!
🇵🇱 Poland:
The energy continues with “GAJA.” Justyna is serving quite literally everything. Sequins. Acrobatics. Fire. A violin solo. And of course, outrageous vocals. Whatever you think of her song, Justyna’s lung capacity cannot be denied.
🇸🇮 Slovenia:
The crowd audibly cheers at the sight of Klemen’s wife on stage behind him. For such an emotional and understated song, the staging feels quite Big. Klemen’s undeniably strong vocals, however, are the real standout element. Klemen follows two very high energy performances, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less impactful.
🇪🇪 Estonia:
And now what we’ve all been waiting for (well, according to some). Those who felt Tommy Cash’s Eesti Laul performance was too static may be pleasantly surprised at some of the turns his Eurovision staging takes…or at least surprised.
🇪🇸 Spain:
The Diva is in the building. Melody is a force to be reckoned with, and she knows it.
🇺🇦 Ukraine:
If you watched Daniel strut down the stage at Vidbir and came away thinking that stage was simply too small for what the band was going for, you’ll be very glad to hear that the Eurovision stage offers plenty of room to strut. Ziferblat have traded their garden for a pink-tinged dreamlike setting, with some very, very cool effects. Ukraine continues to remind us why they’re just so good at this Eurovision thing.
🇸🇪 Sweden:
KAJ are seemingly on top of the world right now, continuing to gain momentum since their (shock?) win at Melodifestivalen. Their ESC performance is largely the same, with some upgrades and, distinctly, some additional/enhanced backing vocals. A strong performance made stronger.
🇵🇹 Portugal:
Another understated yet not-to-be-underestimated entry. NAPA look and sound great.
🇳🇴 Norway:
Europe’s favorite dancing knight – or at least he will be, after his performance. Kyle Alessandro is one of those people born to be a pop star, and he is giving us some solid choreography.
🇧🇪 Belgium:
The first Semi-Final is full of maximalist entries, but Belgium might outdo them all in this respect. Red Sebastian transforms St. Jakobshalle into a nightclub for three minutes, performing with confidence and precision. No wobbly vocals here.
🇮🇹 Italy:
Live instruments are famously not allowed at Eurovision, so it’s not clear whether Lucio will be allowed to whip out his harmonica during the live broadcast tomorrow. If you enjoyed his Sanremo performance, his ESC performance is largely similar – which isn’t a bad thing! Lucio carries himself as a consummate performer who knows exactly what he wants to achieve.
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan:
Belgium may be this year’s biggest trendsetter for how many entries are making heavy use of red lights, and Azerbaijan is no exception. This is a very tight, well-sung performance overall and yes, the saz is featured prominently.
🇸🇲 San Marino:
The singers seem more prominently featured than in the national final performance, despite DJ Gabry Ponte being the obvious star of the show here. The staging is appropriate for a DJ set, and frankly, the song is such an earworm that its staging may end up playing second fiddle.
🇦🇱 Albania:
Shkodra Elektronike have massively upgraded an already great national final performance. The red trend continues – obviously, it’s Albania – but the stage is split into two color schemes (warm reds on one half, black and white on the other) to represent the competing themes of the song. The staging is classy and cohesive and unabashedly artistic. Beatrice is a magnetic performer, but we knew this, didn’t we?
🇳🇱 The Netherlands:
Claude sounds solid, vocally, and the performance is slick. But one worries his staging, which features Claude performing while instrumentalists form a circle around him, may be a little too constrained in a Semi-Final full of stagings that can broadly be described as “flashy.”
🇭🇷 Croatia:
Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said Belgium was this year’s most maximalist entry. “Poison Cake” has been a divisive song this season, but its final staging is cohesive, dynamic, mature, and well-executed (no pun intended).
🇨🇭 Switzerland:
Zoë Më has possibly the most expressive face of any contestant. Whatever you thought Switzerland’s staging would be upon hearing “Voyage” for the first time, I can only assure you you’re wrong…
🇨🇾 Cyprus:
The staging, brought to you by Sergio Jaen, the artistic director who’s been booked and busy since wowing everyone with Ireland’s performance last year, is naturally quite visually impressive, and VERY dynamic. Theo is pretty much constantly moving while singing a fast-paced, high-energy song. The biggest challenge for him will be his vocal delivery, but if he pulls it off tomorrow this feels like a likely contender for the Grand Final.
You can check out all of the previously-released rehearsal clips on the official TikTok channel of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Who will #YOU be voting for? Let us know on social media (@escunited), Discord, or at our forum.
