The Eurovision Song Contest has reached the grand finale in Basel, where 26 countries will compete for the prestigious glass microphone trophy on Saturday evening.
There is not a single representative of the former Yugoslavia among them, because they are all eliminated in the semifinals.
The competition seems less predictable than in previous years, when performers like Loren (Sweden, 2023) and the Kalush Orchestra (Ukraine, 2022) were destined for victory before they even sang a note.
As things stand at the bookmakers right now, Sweden is at the top of the table, with their wonderfully crazy sauna sonnet "Bara Bada Bastu".
However, voters tend to prefer songs about triumph over adversity and great pop anthems. Ideally, they want a great pop anthem about triumph over adversity, and there are plenty of those on the list on Saturday.
We spoke to five of the top-odds contestants to find out what makes their Eurovision performances special.
Sweden: Kaj – Just Bathe in the Sauna
- Chance of winning: 39%
- Language: Swedish
- Genre: Epadunk
- Spotify streams: 43,9 million
KAJ are the first Finnish band to represent Sweden at Eurovision, and they hail from the coastal town of Vore, where Swedish is still the main language.
The comedy troupe members met at school, have been performing together for more than 15 years – and were the surprise winners of Sweden's Melodifestivalen, where the public chooses the country's representative at Eurovision.
Their song "Bara Bada Bastu" is an accordion-led tribute to sauna culture (Finland has more than three million saunas, one for every two people).
"It was natural to sing about it," says Kevin Holmström. "We really love the sauna. It's universal."
The band's first Swedish-language single since 2012, the song extols the virtues of this stress-fighting practice. I wonder if this is why Finland consistently ranks as the happiest nation in the world?
"It's like a chicken and egg situation," laughs Jakob Norgaard. "I don't know what came first, the luck or the sauna, but the sauna definitely slows down the heart rate."
The trio brought a mock sauna to the Eurovision stage this year, complete with birch branches, hot coals and towel-clad dancers. In the song's lyrics, they ask: "How long can you last?"
"Oh, we can push it all evening," confirms Jakob. "A sauna party that lasts for hours."
"I like a lot of breaks," says Axel Ahman. "Two to three hours, we go in and out, have a drink, maybe even eat a sausage outside, and then come back inside – just to keep the session calm and long."
And how does Finland feel about the fact that the trio is representing its neighbor and Eurovision rival?
"Finns love a deal, so this is great," laughs Jakob.
"Sweden pays for everything, but the victory also belongs to Finland."
Austria: JJ - Wasted love
- Chance of winning: 22%
- Language: English
- Genre: Pop opera
- Spotify streams: 6 million
Austria has the best opening line of the year: "I'm an ocean of love / And you're scared of water. (I'm an ocean of love / And you're scared of water). "
"I sing about my experience with unrequited love," says singer Johannes Pietsch, who performs under the name Jay-Jay. "I felt like I was walking down a one-way street."
The 24-year-old works at the Vienna State Opera, where he had roles in "The Magic Flute."
"A sold-out performance at the opera has 1.600 people, so that's nothing compared to the Eurovision audience," he says (last year's TV broadcast was watched by 163 million people).
Dude's song, „Wasted love", is a turbulent ballad that makes spectacular use of his countertenor.
He performs on stage in a dilapidated sailboat, clinging to the mast as the ocean threatens to swallow him. It's one of the most interesting performances of the evening and requires a lot of preparation.
"It's the opera singer in me, I practice every day," he says. "I have to do vocal exercises to keep my voice active, and before I go on stage, I always do ten push-ups and a one-minute plank."
Reaching the Eurovision final has been a dream since he watched Conchita Wurst win for Austria in 2014. Could he repeat that success in Switzerland?
"That would be great for Austria. I would love to succeed and make Conchita proud."
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Francuska: Luan - Mom
- Chance of winning: 8%
- Language: French
- Genre: Torch (love) song
- Spotify streams: 6,9 million
"I am surrounded by a sandstorm, a sand tornado, and I will be wearing a custom-made dress by Rabanne (I'm surrounded by a sand storm, a sand tornado, and I'll be wearing a custom Rabanne dress). "
French singer Luan describes the simple yet stunning set design for her ballad "Maman."
The sand is real (how she avoids breathing it in, I'll never know), but it serves a purpose: The song, inspired by her mother's death from cancer, is about the passage of time.
"It's a song that says that even through sadness and deep pain, you can finally feel good," he says.
"Maman" is technically a sequel to the 2015 song of the same name, written in the depths of Luana's despair.
The 2025 version includes several references to the first song. For example, the original began with the line: "Lovers move from bed to bed (Lovers move from bed to bed)", and in the new version he sings: "No more lovers, no more beds (No more lovers, no more beds) ".
The birth of a child helped Luan lift the veil of grief. In the song, she talks about how holding her daughter's hand brought back memories of moments with her mother - only this time the pain was gone. In the closing bars of "Maman," we briefly hear her daughter's voice.
"She won't be here in Basel," says Luan. "She'll be watching on television, because she's only five years old."
"But she's super proud. She keeps telling me, 'Mom, you have to bring the trophy home.'
"She's irresistible."
Netherlands: Claude - C'est La Vie
- Chance of winning: 6%
- Language: French and English
- Genre: Chanson
- Spotify streams: 17,2 million
The Netherlands had originally asked last year's participant, Joost Klein – who was banned from the final after an alleged altercation with a cameraman – to give him a chance to return in 2025.
Although he had already written a song for the competition, he declined, saying that the disqualification still "hurts" him.
Instead, the honor went to 21-year-old Claude Kiambe, who moved to the Netherlands from the Democratic Republic of Congo when he was nine years old.
"It wasn't always safe in Congo," he says. "I couldn't afford to go to school... and I love school."
His mother eventually managed to smuggle the family out of the country, and his Eurovision song is dedicated to her.
Entitled "C'est La Vie" (And That's Life), is a joyful mix of Afropop and French chanson featuring a mother's advice to Claude and his siblings in an asylum center in Alkmaar.
"She told me: 'That's life. Life is beautiful, even if it's hard sometimes.'"
"So when I heard about Eurovision, I thought, 'Wait, if I go there, I want to convey that message to the world.'"
Claude comes to the competition with a slight advantage, as he is known throughout Europe for his big hit "Ladada" from 2022.
For Eurovision, he had to master a new skill: choreography.
"I used to only do one dance move, but when I was writing the song, I thought, 'It's time to get out of my comfort zone and dance.'"
Learning the choreography took three days, he says. "We started at 11 and finished at nine. I wanted to know it so well that I could do it in my dreams."
Finnish: Erika Vikman - I'm Coming
- Chance of winning: 4%
- Language: Finnish and German
- Genre: Eurodance
- Spotify streams: 11,8 million
Ask Erica Wickman to describe her song, and she'll tell you bluntly: "I sing about orgasm."
Full of powerful techno beats and what sounds like a Welsh male choir, it's one of those tracks that's guaranteed to become part of Eurovision folklore, regardless of where it lands in the final.
Vikman was once proclaimed the queen of the Finnish tango scene, but she gave it up for pop, "because I can't be too wild with that kind of music."
Citing artists like Madonna, Cher, and Lady Gaga as inspiration, she is one of the few artists to appear on stage without dancers.
"Why? Because I'm selfish!" she laughs. "I want attention."
"No, it's because when I go on stage, I feel like a rock star, and when I feel like a rock star, I really don't need dancers, because it's about owning my power and myself."
She certainly owns the stage – finishing her song atop a giant fire-breathing golden microphone as it is lifted into the sky.
However, attentive viewers might notice that her costume is a little less revealing than the one she wore to the Finnish Eurovision Song Contest - New Music Competition.
"They said it wouldn't work unless we softened something," she says, "and one of the suggestions was my clothes."
"So I said, 'Okay, if that's the price to pay, we'll cover our ass.'"
It doesn't mean she's happy about it.
"The song is about owning your sexuality, and then someone comes and controls me, saying, 'You're going to destroy every kid who watches this show.' It's a double standard."
Censorship or not, her chances of winning decreased dramatically after her dazzling performance in the semi-finals.
"I have a feeling about it," she smiles. "I could be a surprise."
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