Basel Bulletin: The Big 5 and Switzerland

The Big 5 and Switzerland are on today. We haven’t seen or heard anything so far about them but here they are! They rehearsed today!

EBU has decided to release photo’s of it only the day after. But still we can show you (if available) the national final performance or any other live performance so you got an idea what the artists are capable of. Disclaimer: for the description of the performance, we have to do it with what the EBU tells us.

🇩🇪 Germany

Germany’s first rehearsal for Eurovision 2025 featured Abor & Tynna performing their electro track “Baller.” This is Germany’s first entry in German since 2007. The duo, who are siblings, originate from a musical family based in Vienna. The performance begins with Abor playing a white LED-lit electric cello in front of a tall curtain. As the beat drops, the curtain falls to reveal Tynna standing atop a large 1980s-style boombox prop, about three metres high. She performs the first verse and chorus there before descending to the stage. Four dancers use handheld spotlights to illuminate her as they freestyle around her.

Tynna’s outfit includes black military-style shorts, a crop top, knee-high boots, and leather gloves. The visuals feature intense white and blue strobes, industrial-style graphics, and the word “BALLER” in large LED lettering. For the finale, she dances on the walkway while Abor plays above. The final chorus includes pyrotechnics and a firework display.

🇫🇷 France

France’s Louane rehearsed her song “Maman” for the first time in Basel, presenting a minimalist and symbolic staging. She performs barefoot, wearing a long black lace dress, within a sand-covered circle at the center of the stage. Throughout the song, a steady stream of sand falls from above onto one side of the circle, representing the passage of time.

The performance includes a moment where Louane kneels and clears a patch of sand to reveal a mirror. Her movements are precisely timed with the musical arrangement and camera direction. The lighting builds gradually alongside orchestral strings, culminating in an intense sequence as the drumbeat grows louder.

All visuals are centered around the theme of time, with the hourglass imagery and falling sand reinforcing the song’s message about love, loss, and personal growth. The performance concludes with a wide, backlit shot, highlighting Louane’s stillness as the sand continues to fall.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s 2025 Eurovision rehearsal features vocal trio Remember Monday performing “What The Hell Just Happened?” The staging begins in a vintage-style boudoir on one side of the stage, designed to evoke the “morning after the night before.” A padded screen with a heart-shaped cut-out frames the trio as they begin the song in corseted dresses—pale blue (Lauren), pink (Holly-Anne), and yellow (Charlotte).

As the chorus hits, the group moves down the catwalk toward the main stage, where a large, tilted chandelier sits—around 2.5 to 3 metres tall—with candles and multi-coloured lighting. This prop represents the chaos referenced in the lyrics.

Throughout the performance, dynamic camerawork follows the trio’s movement, including overhead shots of the LED floor and a sweeping pan over the chandelier. The song concludes with the singers back in the boudoir, framed by the heart cut-out.

Pyrotechnics are expected in future rehearsals but were not included in this run.

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Switzerland’s first rehearsal for Eurovision 2025 features Zoë Më performing “Voyage” in an intimate, cinematic setting. The performance, set entirely in black space with sculptural lighting, is filmed in one continuous handheld shot. There are no cuts, choreography, props, or LED content. Instead, the camera moves gently and closely around Zoë, responding to her presence in real time.

She begins seated and remains alone on stage throughout, wearing an off-the-shoulder black silk dress printed with abstract florals in deep reds, purples, and blues. The performance is shot on vintage Zeiss Super Speed lenses, creating soft highlights and a shallow depth of field that isolates her in the frame.

During the bridge, the quiet atmosphere ruptures with smoke, wind, and overexposed flashes, while the camera continues uninterrupted. As the performance resolves, the audience appears with phone lights raised, before fading to black. The concept focuses entirely on emotional detail and visual restraint.

🇮🇹 Italy

Italy’s first rehearsal for Eurovision 2025 features Lucio Corsi performing his glam rock ballad Volevo Essere Un Duro. The 31-year-old singer-songwriter from Tuscany brings a 1970s aesthetic, both musically and visually, echoing Bowie-era piano ballads. The staging closely follows his Sanremo performance: Lucio begins seated at an extended piano, wearing a bright yellow, giant-shouldered bolero jacket and his signature white face makeup. He is joined on stage by guitarist and co-writer Tommaso Ottomano.

After the first third of the song, Lucio moves to the centre stage with his guitar. New for Eurovision are two large retro speaker props at the back—one square and approximately four metres high, the other slightly smaller. A sepia filter is applied to the broadcast, enhancing the vintage atmosphere, and English subtitles appear on-screen to support accessibility. A harmonica solo precedes the final chorus, one of the few live instrumental moments in this year’s contest.

🇪🇸 Spain

Spain’s first rehearsal for Eurovision 2025 features Melody performing her uptempo track Esa Diva. Known for her long-standing career in Spanish pop, Melody presents a completely reimagined staging compared to her Benidorm Fest performance. Previously seen elements such as the swing, throne, and neon pink visuals are no longer present. Instead, the new staging introduces a more refined and structured concept.

The performance is now divided into three distinct acts, each marked by a specific visual theme. First, Act One uses purple lighting and graphics. Then, Act Two shifts to red tones, adding intensity. Finally, Act Three transitions into pure white, blending with a mountain backdrop projected on the LED screen.

Throughout the performance, Melody is joined by five dancers—three male and two female—who perform different routines for each act. Additionally, her outfit features a black corseted design with sharp shoulders and hips, paired with a fedora and thigh-high boots. The performance opens in silhouette and concludes with a powerful, high-energy final dance sequence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 2000 And so the Eurovision Song Contest entered the 21st century. Russia returned after a break, and Latvia made its debut. The contest was held at the Globen Arena in Stockholm. The presentation was handled by Kattis Ahlström and Anders Lundin. The songs Alexandros Panayi participated for Cyprus for the second time, this time as the male half of the duo Voice. Serafin Zubiri returned for Spain. Roger Pontare also participated for Spain for the second time. Israel had a remarkable entry. The members of the group PingPong sang incredibly off-key. But that was not what caused a shitstorm. At the end of the song, the group members waved Israeli and Syrian (!!) flags. 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The group led by singer Renārs Kaupers effortlessly secured third place. The Olsen Brothers The winners were two anti-heroes. Two Danish brothers in their fifties took first place. Jørgen and Nils Olsen had been a duo since the 1960s. In 1978, they participated in Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish national final, for the first time. Many times they made attempts, either together or Jørgen alone. It never worked out. And then, in 2000, when no one expected it anymore, “Smuk som et stjerneskud,” in English “Fly On The Wings Of Love,” won the ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest. In all the polls and odds, the two brothers played no role whatsoever. And yet they won, to the delight of many. The Olsen Brothers continued making music for a long time. Until Nils became seriously ill. He has since recovered, but the two never took to the stage again. 2001 The Parken Stadium in Copenhagen was perhaps the largest venue for a Eurovision Song Contest ever. Natasja Crone-Back and Søren Pilmark presented the festival from there. Greece returned after a short break. A total of 23 countries participated. The songs None of the artists had participated before. Michelle from the Netherlands was notable. She sat on the floor and argued with the director. She felt they were asking impossible things of her. While an intimate and small song was presented during the Dutch national final, Michelle completely faded into the background on the large stage at Parken. Then there was the duo Friends from Sweden. Their song “Listen To Your Heartbeat” bore a striking resemblance to the Belgian entry from 1996, “Liefde is een kaartspel” (Love is a card game). For a long time, disqualification loomed. Ultimately, it did not come to that, but in 2003, the Belgian music association SABAM determined that it was indeed plagiarism. Although the composers vehemently denied it, it ended in a settlement. 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Tanel Padar & Dave Benton Quite surprisingly, the duo Tanel Padar and Dave Benton won for Estonia. Padar had previously sung in the backing choir for Estonia. Benton was from Aruba, but had also lived and worked in the Dutch city of Rotterdam for some time. Traveling in pursuit of love, he ended up in Estonia. The lyrics “Not even time can take away the starlight from us, no it wont fade” suited Dave Benton very well, who was 50 years old by then. But one might wonder why the 20-year-old Padar sang along. Incidentally, in recent years we have already been able to admire Sissi, Dave Benton’s daughter, several times in the Estonian national final.

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History
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70 years of Eurovision: middle-aged men

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 2000 And so the Eurovision Song Contest entered the 21st century. Russia returned after a break, and Latvia made its debut. The contest was held at the Globen Arena in Stockholm. The presentation was handled by Kattis Ahlström and Anders Lundin. The songs Alexandros Panayi participated for Cyprus for the second time, this time as the male half of the duo Voice. Serafin Zubiri returned for Spain. Roger Pontare also participated for Spain for the second time. Israel had a remarkable entry. The members of the group PingPong sang incredibly off-key. But that was not what caused a shitstorm. At the end of the song, the group members waved Israeli and Syrian (!!) flags. The Dutch Linda Wagenmakers wore an enormous dress, under which four dancers turned out to be sitting. The Netherlands had to cut short the broadcast halfway through. A fireworks factory had exploded in that country, wiping out an entire residential area. With a cowboy hat and moss-green clothing, the Estonian Ines was the favorite. Her “Once in a lifetime” ultimately took fourth place for Estonia. For Russia, Alsou took the lead with the song “Solo”. A pop song that fit perfectly into its time and consequently secured second place. The German Stefan Raab mocked the abolition of the language rule in the song “Wadde hadde dudde da”. Raab himself was dressed in a white and gold glitter suit, while his dancers partially undressed. All in all, it was a show that captivated the viewer from start to finish. Latvia made a debut that was immediately remarkable. The group Brainstorm sang “My Star”, a song that fit perfectly into the tradition of 90s Britpop. The group led by singer Renārs Kaupers effortlessly secured third place. The Olsen Brothers The winners were two anti-heroes. Two Danish brothers in their fifties took first place. Jørgen and Nils Olsen had been a duo since the 1960s. In 1978, they participated in Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish national final, for the first time. Many times they made attempts, either together or Jørgen alone. It never worked out. And then, in 2000, when no one expected it anymore, “Smuk som et stjerneskud,” in English “Fly On The Wings Of Love,” won the ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest. In all the polls and odds, the two brothers played no role whatsoever. And yet they won, to the delight of many. The Olsen Brothers continued making music for a long time. Until Nils became seriously ill. He has since recovered, but the two never took to the stage again. 2001 The Parken Stadium in Copenhagen was perhaps the largest venue for a Eurovision Song Contest ever. Natasja Crone-Back and Søren Pilmark presented the festival from there. Greece returned after a short break. A total of 23 countries participated. The songs None of the artists had participated before. Michelle from the Netherlands was notable. She sat on the floor and argued with the director. She felt they were asking impossible things of her. While an intimate and small song was presented during the Dutch national final, Michelle completely faded into the background on the large stage at Parken. Then there was the duo Friends from Sweden. Their song “Listen To Your Heartbeat” bore a striking resemblance to the Belgian entry from 1996, “Liefde is een kaartspel” (Love is a card game). For a long time, disqualification loomed. Ultimately, it did not come to that, but in 2003, the Belgian music association SABAM determined that it was indeed plagiarism. Although the composers vehemently denied it, it ended in a settlement. Once again, a Canadian singer was one of the favorites: Natasha St-Pier represented France with “Je n’ai que mon âme” (I don’t have but my soul). She ultimately finished fourth. Expectations for the Slovenian Nuša Derenda were also high. She ultimately finished seventh. Confusion abounded: in addition to the Dutch Michelle, Germany also sent a singer named Michelle. Because this lady had a longer career, it was felt that the Dutch Michelle should simply call herself Antje, a typically Dutch name. A salient detail: The Dutch Michelle was actually named that. The German Michelle was actually named Tanja. And then there was the duo Antique from Greece. That is to say: they actually lived in Sweden and had had hits there as well. But with “Die For You,” they were favorites for their homeland, Greece. They had to share that role with the Danes. Rollo & King already had a major hit to their name in their own country and now sang “Never Ever Let You Go” to a second place finish. Tanel Padar & Dave Benton Quite surprisingly, the duo Tanel Padar and Dave Benton won for Estonia. Padar had previously sung in the backing choir for Estonia. Benton was from Aruba, but had also lived and worked in the Dutch city of Rotterdam for some time. Traveling in pursuit of love, he ended up in Estonia. The lyrics “Not even time can take away the starlight from us, no it wont fade” suited Dave Benton very well, who was 50 years old by then. But one might wonder why the 20-year-old Padar sang along. Incidentally, in recent years we have already been able to admire Sissi, Dave Benton’s daughter, several times in the Estonian national final.

Read More »
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