Basel Bulletin: The day after the first semifinal

Leak

Today is the day after the first semifinal. Ten countries, ten artists, know they will be in the final. The show, however, was not completely new to many people. The entire show (except the results) was leaked already. Martin Green (EBU) explained that the Monday evening show has to be broadcast to the jury in every country. That is a backup jury for if something goes wrong with the televote. However, it seems possible to hack the sattelite that does the job. EBU tried to get all the videos offline and put their lawyers to work on it. However, the damage had been done already.

Reactions

Happiness and sadness are so close to eachother. We collected all the reactions for you of the participation artists; the ones who qualified and the ones who did not.

🇮🇸 Iceland – VÆB (Qualified)

Iceland’s brother duo VÆB celebrated their qualification with joy and gratitude. In a post-show interview, they were visibly thrilled, thanking everyone who voted. One of the brothers exclaimed: “I didn’t know what happened. Imagine that your mind explodes!”. “That was me, actually”, his brother added. About the shiny sunglasses they added: “More sparkles, more votes! And it worked”.

🇵🇱 Poland – Justyna Steczkowska (Qualified)

Polish icon Justyna Steczkowska took to social media to reflect on her historic return. “Darlings, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible support!” she wrote, noting a special milestone: “Exactly 30 years ago today, I stood on the Eurovision stage for the very first time. Today, I return with the song ‘Gaja’ – stronger, more…” (she said, trailing off emotionally). Justyna made Eurovision history with the longest gap between appearances, and she expressed how grateful she was to be in the final again after three decades. She thanked her team and fans for believing in her and promised to give everything in the final.

🇸🇮 Slovenia – Klemen (Did Not Qualify)

Slovenia’s Klemen Slakonja remained upbeat and gracious despite not advancing. In his immediate reaction just minutes after the show, Klemen said the entire team “gave everything, but it was not enough.” He admitted they had hoped for even “more than just [reaching] the final, but in the end reality is what it is.” Still, he remained positive: “We have to accept this reality now and move on with our heads held high,” he added. The singer, known for his humor, even joked that he felt “like [it’s] after a football match”. Klemen congratulated the qualifiers and thanked everyone in Slovenia for their support, vowing to continue with pride. source: reporter.si

🇪🇪 Estonia – Tommy Cash (Qualified)

Estonia’s provocateur Tommy Cash was ecstatic after qualifying. “This is insane!” he shouted about reaching the final, adding that waiting for the results “was nerve-wracking.” He told Estonian media that “we gave it our all. We worked so hard for this, and here we are — we’re in the final, baby!”. Tommy also made a point to thank supporters back home: “Estonia, we’re here, just like I promised. Thank you for being with us! … Our voice is heard all around the world. Thank you!”. His exuberant reaction showed how much representing Estonia meant to him and his team. source: news.err.ee

🇺🇦 Ukraine – Ziferblat (Qualified)

Ukrainian band Ziferblat overcame immense pressure to keep the country’s qualifying streak alive. After the results, lead singer Daniil Leshchynskyi shared his feelings: “We gave our all in this semifinal – both emotionally and technically. I am satisfied. The emotions are there, but you cannot always express them in words. Everything is fine; the next step lies ahead.” (translated from Ukrainian). Daniil thanked everyone for supporting “Bird of Pray,” the song many had doubted, and proved the critics wrong. “We have shown our voice, and we will carry Ukraine’s music to the final,” the band echoed, expressing relief and gratitude to their fans for believing in them. source: zn.ua

🇸🇪 Sweden – KAJ (Qualified)

Sweden’s comedic trio KAJ (who sang the sauna-themed “Bara Bada Bastu”) were unsurprisingly overjoyed. “It was absolutely magical, we are so satisfied!”, the members of KAJ told Swedish Radio – “It was absolutely magical, we are so satisfied!”. They had been heavy favorites, yet remained humble. KAJ thanked the Swedish delegation and fans for “baxat bastun vidare i Basel” (bringing the sauna to the final in Basel). The group promised a spectacular show on Saturday, still in disbelief at how “not even close” the result was – in fact, it “wasn’t even suspenseful” because they sailed through. Their gratitude was palpable as they looked forward to representing Sweden once more.

🇵🇹 Portugal – NAPA (Qualified)

Against the odds, NAPA from Portugal (a Madeiran band) clinched a final spot, and they reacted with pure euphoria. In a video message shared by RTP, lead singer Guilherme Gomes shouted, “Muito obrigado a todos, muito obrigado do fundo do coração. Uma loucura, vemo-nos no dia 17, no sábado. For the win!” – “Thank you so much everyone, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This is crazy – see you on Saturday the 17th. For the win!”. The band’s Instagram showed them cheering and hugging, clearly stunned by their own qualification “contra todas as odds”. They thanked the Portuguese public and diaspora for voting and dedicated this success to all who believed in “Deslocado.”

🇳🇴 Norway – Kyle Alessandro (Qualified)

Norway’s Kyle Alessandro let out an emotional and candid reaction. “a thousand tons off my shoulders and such a good feeling,” he told the press – about what qualifying felt like. He then exclaimed in typical Norwegian frankness, “Damn, it’s so insanely cool and such a huge honor!”. Kyle, only 19, thanked the Norwegian team and fans for their votes, saying he had “worked so hard for this moment”. He acknowledged the strong competition and expressed pride in performing “Lighter.” “We did it together – tusen takk Norge!” he wrote, meaning “a thousand thanks, Norway!” in gratitude. source: dagbladet.no

🇧🇪 Belgium – Red Sebastian (Did Not Qualify)

Belgium’s Red Sebastian (Seppe Herreman) responded graciously on Instagram despite the disappointment. “First and foremost, I want to congratulate all the qualified finalists. You were all amazing!” he wrote. He went on to thank those who voted for him: “Thank you for voting, I appreciate your support so much.”. Seppe expressed pride in himself for his performance: “I showed myself to the world exactly how I wanted, but sometimes there’s simply no explanation for how things turn out”. He thanked his entire team (without whom “it wouldn’t have been possible to stand on the world’s biggest stage”) and ended on a hopeful note: “This is only the beginning. Lots of love, Seppe.” source: songfestival.be.

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan – Mamagama (Did Not Qualify)

Azerbaijan’s rock band Mamagama struck a positive tone even after bowing out. On their social media, they wrote a heartfelt message to fans: “I want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported and cared for us; it truly means the world.” They acknowledged that “life presents us with tough choices, and [this was] one of those moments,” but emphasized that they “gave everything” on stage for “Run With U.” The band congratulated the finalists and encouraged Azerbaijani fans to keep faith. “Biz hər şeyimizi verdik və çox sağ olun dəstəyinizə görə,” they added in Azeri – “We gave our all, and thank you so much for your support.” (This was shared via the band’s official Instagram).

🇸🇲 San Marino – Gabry Ponte (Qualified)

San Marino’s star DJ Gabry Ponte (of Eiffel 65 fame) was ecstatic after securing a spot in the final with “Tutta l’Italia.” He posted a celebratory video on his channels shouting, “We did it!” – amid cheers from his team. Ponte thanked the Sammarinese delegation and joked, “We’ll bring tutta l’Italia to the final – and San Marino too, of course!”. He acknowledged the pan-Italian support that helped the microstate: “Grazie di cuore a tutti, especially my Italian fans who got behind San Marino’s song”. His official statement included a promise to throw an “Italian party” in the grand final, signing off with “Grazie a tutti – and see you Saturday!”.

🇦🇱 Albania – Shkodra Elektronike (Qualified)

Albania’s electronic-folk ensemble Shkodra Elektronike reacted with tears of happiness. In a post-show interview, the lead vocalist expressed immense pride: “We are so happy and proud. Thank you, Europe!” She noted that Albania hadn’t been certain to qualify this year, so hearing their name was like a dream. The group took to Facebook to thank the Albanian diaspora for voting:“We thank you from the heart for the support. ‘Zjerm’ came alive on that stage tonight thanks to you”. ‘Zjerm’ came alive on that stage tonight thanks to you”. They dedicated their performance to the people of Albania and promised to “bring the fire” again in the final.

🇳🇱 Netherlands – Claude (Qualified)

Dutch singer Claude was emotional and grateful after making it through. He posted a photo of himself from the green room with tears in his eyes and wrote: “Thank you everyone! We did it – the Netherlands is in the final!” In interviews, Claude said he was “incredibly humbled” that “C’est la vie” resonated with voters. He thanked the Dutch team, his francophone songwriters, and the international jurors who supported him. “I’m proud to represent the Netherlands”, he said – and promised to “give my very best performance one more time on Saturday.” His heartfelt thanks extended to fans in both the Netherlands and France (as his song is in French), for embracing his music.

🇭🇷 Croatia – Marko Bošnjak (Did Not Qualify)

Croatia’s Marko Bošnjak handled his elimination with grace and optimism. “Although we didn’t make the final, I am endlessly happy and proud that we had the chance to represent Croatia at Eurovision!” he shared. Marko thanked his entire team and every person who supported and voted: “Thank you to my team, thank you to everyone who supports me, thank you to everyone who gave us their vote and believed in us.” He added, “I hope we met expectations; we truly gave it our all…”. In a very sportsmanlike move, Marko publicly wished “good luck to all the finalists. We’ll be watching and cheering.” source: dan.co.me.

🇨🇾 Cyprus – Theo Evan (Did Not Qualify)

Cyprus’s Theo Evan did not immediately issue a detailed statement after the show, but he did share a brief message of gratitude. On social media, Theo thanked the Cypriot team and fans, saying he was “proud of what we delivered on that stage”. He congratulated the ten qualifiers, and noted that even though “Shh” didn’t advance, he was “eternally grateful for the love and support” the entry received. “We didn’t manage to get through, but I am proud and thankful”, he wrote. He promised that this experience was just the start for him, ending with a heartfelt “Thank you, Cyprus – efcharistó Kýpros!” to all who stood by him.