🇵🇱 Road to Basel: Poland

Road to Basel: Poland

Road to Basel: Poland. As the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel approaches, we continue our daily spotlight on this year’s contestants. Today, we focus on Poland.

Justyna Steczkowska

Justyna Steczkowska is a renowned Polish singer, songwriter, and actress, born on August 2, 1972, in RzeszĂłw, Poland. She first gained international recognition in 1995 when she represented Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sama,” ultimately finishing in 18th place. Since then, Steczkowska has established herself as a versatile artist by exploring various genres, including pop, alternative, trip hop, and world music. Moreover, throughout a career spanning more than three decades, she has released numerous albums and has collaborated with many different artists. As a result, she has solidified her status as a prominent figure in the Polish music scene.

Gaja (What does AI say?)

Her Eurovision 2025 entry, “Gaja,” is a compelling composition that blends electronic pop elements together with ethereal melodies. Significantly, the song takes its name from Gaia, the personification of Earth in Greek mythology, and thus explores themes about humanity’s connection with nature as well as the importance of environmental awareness. Additionally, “Gaja” is performed in both Polish and English, opening memorably with the evocative line, “They call me Gaja,” which immediately sets the mystical tone of the song. As a result, the track has strongly resonated with audiences, rapidly becoming a viral sensation and accumulating over 10 million views on YouTube, along with more than 2 million streams on Spotify.

National Selection Process

Poland’s representative for Eurovision 2025 was chosen through the national selection event “Wielki FinaĹ‚ Polskich Kwalifikacji,” held on February 14, 2025, at the TVP Headquarters in Warsaw. The competition featured 11 entries, with the winner determined solely by public televote. Justyna Steczkowska’s “Gaja” emerged victorious, securing 39.32% of the votes and earning her the honor of representing Poland in Basel. ​

The results were:

  1. Justyna Steczkowska, “Gaja
  2. Swada x Niczos, “Lusterka
  3. Dominik Dudek, “Hold The Light
  4. Chrust, “Tempo
  5. Kuba Szmajkowski, “Pray
  6. Teo, “Immortal
  7. Janusz Radek, “In Cosmic Mist
  8. Sonia Maselik, “Rumours
  9. Tynsky, “Miracle
  10. Marien, “Can’t Hide
  11. Daria Marx, “Let It Burn
Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Poland made its Eurovision debut in 1994 and achieved its best result that year, finishing second with Edyta GĂłrniak‘s “To nie ja!” Since then, the country has participated numerous times, with varying degrees of success. They never made it to the top-5 again. Ich Troje was the most succesful group with “Keine Grenzen – Ĺ»adnych granic” in 2003. Notably, Justyna Steczkowska’s return to the Eurovision stage in 2025 marks a significant moment, as she becomes the Polish artist with the longest interval between two Eurovision appearances. ​

Edyta Gorniak

A Random Polish Entry

Reflecting on Poland’s Eurovision history, random.org chose the song that never entered the Eurovision stage: “Empire” by Alicja. In 2020 the contest was canceled due to COVID19. While other countries chose the same artist again the other year, Poland did not. Alicja did another attempt in the 2023 national final, but failed. Maybe we will see her back in another Eurovision final…

​

Betting Odds

As of now, Justyna Steczkowska’s “Gaja” has garnered a 24th place in the odds to win the contest. It looks like she will not win. However, in the end any surprise is possible. ​

We eagerly await the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel and look forward to witnessing Justyna Steczkowska’s performance on the grand stage.

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Blast from the past

Blast from the past: Germany 1967

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1967 when Inge BrĂĽck represented Germany with the song “Anouschka”. Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest Germany has a long Eurovision history, having competed since 1956 and won twice: in 1982 with Ein biĂźchen Frieden (Nicole) and in 2010 with Satellite (Lena). Being part of the “Big Five”, Germany is always in the final. Recent entries have had mixed success. In 2022, Malik Harris sang Rockstars and ended up 25th with 6 points. In 2023, Lord of the Lost performed Blood & Glitter, finishing 26th (last) with 18 points. The year after, Isaak represented Germany with Always on the Run, placing 12th with 117 points, a much stronger showing. For 2025, Germany was represented by Abor & Tynna with Baller. They were selected through the national competition Chefsache ESC 2025 – Wer singt fĂĽr Deutschland? and finished 15th in the final, scoring 151 points. Internal selection for Germany Germany selected their song internally. 145 songs were submitted to the Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), the broadcaster responsible for the German entry. The winning song was sung by Inge BrĂĽck. The titles of the top-3 are known: Anouschka (lyrics and music by Hans Blum) Die Nacht hat viele Gesichter (lyrics and music by Fred Strittmatter) Das GlĂĽck dieser Welt (lyrics and music by Hubert Wolf) Inge BrĂĽck Inge BrĂĽck, born on 12 October 1936 in Mannheim, Germany, passed away on 8 September 2025 in Meschede, at the age of 88. She began her career in the 1950s as a singer with the Erwin Lehn dance orchestra, where pianist Horst Jankowski discovered her talent. After a television appearance with Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff she was offered a record contract. In 1957, she scored her first hit with “Peter, komm heut’ abend zum Hafen”, the German version of Green Door, which reached number seven in the German charts. Her international breakthrough came in 1966 when she won the International Song Festival in Brazil with the song Frag den Wind. A year later, in 1967, German broadcaster NDR internally selected her to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with the song Anouschka. She finished in shared eighth place with 7 points. After Eurovision, BrĂĽck increasingly turned to acting. In 1970 she starred in the ZDF television series Miss Molly Mill, playing the lead role of a cleaning lady turned amateur detective. The show was a huge success, often attracting more than 20 million viewers per episode. From the 1970s onwards, she shifted her focus to religious music and joined the group KĂĽnstler fĂĽr Christus (“Artists for Christ”), together with other well-known German performers such as Katja Ebstein and Peter Horton. Inge BrĂĽck leaves behind a rich legacy: as a popular singer of the radio and television era, as an actress on screen, and later as a performer of religious music. Her voice and versatility made her a beloved figure in German culture. Anouschka Anouschka was the German entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1967 in Vienna, performed by Inge BrĂĽck. The song was written and composed by Hans Blum. It finished in eighth place, scoring seven points. Musically, Anouschka followed the classic schlager style that was popular in Germany during the 1960s. The arrangement featured a melodic, light orchestral backing, with a clear emphasis on BrĂĽck’s warm and emotional vocals. The song had a gentle rhythm and a traditional structure, making it easy to follow and appealing to a broad audience of the time. The lyrics told a story of longing and heartbreak. The singer addresses Anouschka, a woman who left, and asks why she had to go, leaving behind sadness and emptiness. The combination of its melodic charm and emotional theme gave the song a nostalgic quality, typical of many Eurovision ballads of the era.  

Read More »
Blast from the past
Martijn

Blast from the past: Germany 1967

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1967 when Inge BrĂĽck represented Germany with the song “Anouschka”. Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest Germany has a long Eurovision history, having competed since 1956 and won twice: in 1982 with Ein biĂźchen Frieden (Nicole) and in 2010 with Satellite (Lena). Being part of the “Big Five”, Germany is always in the final. Recent entries have had mixed success. In 2022, Malik Harris sang Rockstars and ended up 25th with 6 points. In 2023, Lord of the Lost performed Blood & Glitter, finishing 26th (last) with 18 points. The year after, Isaak represented Germany with Always on the Run, placing 12th with 117 points, a much stronger showing. For 2025, Germany was represented by Abor & Tynna with Baller. They were selected through the national competition Chefsache ESC 2025 – Wer singt fĂĽr Deutschland? and finished 15th in the final, scoring 151 points. Internal selection for Germany Germany selected their song internally. 145 songs were submitted to the Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), the broadcaster responsible for the German entry. The winning song was sung by Inge BrĂĽck. The titles of the top-3 are known: Anouschka (lyrics and music by Hans Blum) Die Nacht hat viele Gesichter (lyrics and music by Fred Strittmatter) Das GlĂĽck dieser Welt (lyrics and music by Hubert Wolf) Inge BrĂĽck Inge BrĂĽck, born on 12 October 1936 in Mannheim, Germany, passed away on 8 September 2025 in Meschede, at the age of 88. She began her career in the 1950s as a singer with the Erwin Lehn dance orchestra, where pianist Horst Jankowski discovered her talent. After a television appearance with Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff she was offered a record contract. In 1957, she scored her first hit with “Peter, komm heut’ abend zum Hafen”, the German version of Green Door, which reached number seven in the German charts. Her international breakthrough came in 1966 when she won the International Song Festival in Brazil with the song Frag den Wind. A year later, in 1967, German broadcaster NDR internally selected her to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with the song Anouschka. She finished in shared eighth place with 7 points. After Eurovision, BrĂĽck increasingly turned to acting. In 1970 she starred in the ZDF television series Miss Molly Mill, playing the lead role of a cleaning lady turned amateur detective. The show was a huge success, often attracting more than 20 million viewers per episode. From the 1970s onwards, she shifted her focus to religious music and joined the group KĂĽnstler fĂĽr Christus (“Artists for Christ”), together with other well-known German performers such as Katja Ebstein and Peter Horton. Inge BrĂĽck leaves behind a rich legacy: as a popular singer of the radio and television era, as an actress on screen, and later as a performer of religious music. Her voice and versatility made her a beloved figure in German culture. Anouschka Anouschka was the German entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1967 in Vienna, performed by Inge BrĂĽck. The song was written and composed by Hans Blum. It finished in eighth place, scoring seven points. Musically, Anouschka followed the classic schlager style that was popular in Germany during the 1960s. The arrangement featured a melodic, light orchestral backing, with a clear emphasis on BrĂĽck’s warm and emotional vocals. The song had a gentle rhythm and a traditional structure, making it easy to follow and appealing to a broad audience of the time. The lyrics told a story of longing and heartbreak. The singer addresses Anouschka, a woman who left, and asks why she had to go, leaving behind sadness and emptiness. The combination of its melodic charm and emotional theme gave the song a nostalgic quality, typical of many Eurovision ballads of the era.  

Read More »
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