Road to Liverpool: Sweden

Day three of first rehearsals at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest is underway in Vienna. The first seven countries of Semi-Final 2 step onto the Wiener Stadthalle stage for the very first time today, Monday 4 May. First rehearsals remain closed to press, three approved images per country will be published approximately 24 hours after each performance. The official Eurovision subreddit is providing live descriptions throughout the day. Eurovision Universe sought additional detail through national broadcaster coverage, social media, and press reports. All five countries below compete in Semi-Final 2 on Thursday, 14 May. 🇧🇬 Bulgaria — DARA, “Bangaranga” Running order: 1 | Rehearsal: 4 May, 10:30–11:00 CEST | Second rehearsal: 8 May DARA opened the entire Semi-Final 2 rehearsal block on Monday morning, and by all accounts she did not ease anyone in gently. The performance draws directly from the ancient Bulgarian Kukeri tradition. That is a ritual of driving out evil spirits through masked, chaotic movement. The staging makes this explicit. DARA’s dancers move in deliberately exaggerated, almost unsettling ways across the opening, creating a visual sense of controlled mayhem. DARA herself stands apart from the chaos: dressed in a black skirt, black belt, black knee-high boots, a short pink top and elbow-length pink gloves. By the performance’s final moments, the ritual fully resolves into spectacle. Staging is directed by Fredrik Rydman, who confirmed the concept in social media posts by DARA ahead of Vienna. DARA, born Darina Yotova in Varna in 1998, rose to prominence on The X Factor Bulgaria in 2015 and co-wrote “Bangaranga” alongside Anne Judith Wik, Dimitris Kontopoulos, and Monoir. Bulgaria returns to Eurovision after a three-year absence and competes 1st in Semi-Final 2. Sources: BNT / Instagram @darnadude / Wikipedia 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan — JIVA, “Just Go” Running order: 2 | Rehearsal: 4 May, 11:10–11:40 CEST | Second rehearsal: 8 May JIVA’s staging opens with JIVA stepping out of smoke in a shimmering gown that catches light in darker tones. Behind her, monochrome imagery on the LED screens depicts fragments of a relationship in decline, a visual counterpart to the ballad’s lyrical arc. The choreography remains restrained throughout, keeping focus on JIVA’s vocal delivery rather than on movement. Broadcaster ITV selected JIVA, real name Jamila Hashimova, through an internal process that reviewed 186 submitted songs and ultimately evaluated three finalists. ITV confirmed that “Just Go” is an entirely original composition by Azerbaijani-American writer Fuad Javadov and pushed back publicly against social media claims suggesting AI involvement in the songwriting process. For what it’s worth…. JIVA won the third season of The Voice of Azerbaijan in 2025. Azerbaijan competes 2nd in Semi-Final 2. Sources: ITV / AzerNews / Instagram @jiva_jh 🇷🇴 Romania — Alexandra Căpitănescu, “Choke Me” Running order: 3 | Rehearsal: 4 May, 11:50–12:20 CEST | Second rehearsal: 8 May Romania’s rehearsal brings a staging concept that broadcaster TVR has confirmed is largely rebuilt from scratch. Creative Director Jan Bors, former Head of Delegation for Czechia, told TVR that the Vienna performance is cinematic, fast-paced, and true to the rock identity of the song, retaining only minimal elements from the Selecția Națională performance. Alexandra Căpitănescu performs with her full four-piece live band: Bogdan Stoican on guitar, Matei Cohal on bass, Thomas Cîrcotă on piano and Luca Șofron on drums. The band hinted in an April YouTube livestream that additional elements may appear on stage beyond the five core performers. Căpitănescu won The Voice of Romania in 2023 and is currently completing a Master’s degree in physics in Bucharest. She co-wrote “Choke Me”, which she describes as a metaphor for being overwhelmed by self-doubt and inner pressure, with Călin Grajdan, Elvis Silitră, and Ștefan Condrea. Romania returns to Eurovision after a two-year absence and competes 3rd in Semi-Final 2. Sources: TVR / Wikipedia / Instagram @alexandra.capitanescu 🇱🇺 Luxembourg — Eva Marija, “Mother Nature” Running order: 4 | Rehearsal: 4 May, 12:45–13:15 CEST | Second rehearsal: 8 May Eva Marija brings nature’s imagery and movement to the Wiener Stadthalle stage. Her staging transforms the arena into a flowering visual world: butterflies, birds, and blossoming elements animate around her as she covers much of the stage. She wears a floaty, layered gown in earthy tones, trading the more structured outfit from the Luxembourg Song Contest for something that suits the song’s ethereal quality. Eva moves extensively across the catwalk, and her team has enhanced the staging well beyond the national final version. Eva Marija Kavaš Puc was born in Luxembourg City in 2005 to Slovenian parents, speaks six languages, and is currently finishing a songwriting degree at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London. She took both the jury and public vote at the Luxembourg Song Contest in January. Eva co-wrote “Mother Nature” with Julie Aagaard, Maria Broberg, and Thomas Stengaard during an RTL songwriting camp. Luxembourg competes 4th in Semi-Final 2. Sources: RTL / Wikipedia / Culture Fix / Instagram @evamarija 🇨🇿 Czechia — Daniel Žižka, “CROSSROADS” Running order: 5 | Rehearsal: 4 May, 13:25–13:55 CEST | Second rehearsal: 9 May The day before his Vienna rehearsal, broadcaster ČT posted a clip on social media showing Daniel Žižka working with a large mirror prop in a Prague studio. That is the first concrete visual hint at what Artistic Director Ruy Okamura has been building for three months. According to the official Eurovision subreddit, that mirror prop is central to the Wiener Stadthalle staging: Žižka performs in and around it, with the reflective surfaces used to multiply and fragment his image across the stage. The performance is restrained and singer-focused. Speaking to Czech outlet iDNES ahead of the contest, Žižka described his goal as giving “CROSSROADS” as much space as possible to speak for itself, adding that the team had pursued a more intimate visual message. Okamura told the Czech delegation’s press team the approach was designed to be rather unusual for the Eurovision stage. Žižka, 23, studied musical theatre at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory in Prague before moving into indie pop songwriting. “CROSSROADS” was