Weekly update

weekly update of this week

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. This week brings news on national selections for 2026, Austria’s preparations to host, and a change in Eurovision leadership.

🇪🇸 🇨🇭 Spain and Switzerland gear up for 2026

Spain is already planning its Eurovision 2026 entry. Broadcaster RTVE has named Sergio Jaén as the Artistic Director of Benidorm Fest 2026. At just 23, Jaén has a strong Eurovision résumé – he even staged Austria’s winning performance in 2025. He will design the staging for Spain’s song at Eurovision 2026. Benidorm Fest’s semi-finals are set for 10 and 12 February, with the Grand Final on 14 February 2026. source: RTVE

Melody 📷 Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU

Switzerland has kicked off its search for a 2026 act. Swiss broadcaster SRF will accept song submissions from 4 August to 25 August 2025. Artists, composers, and producers can send in entries during that period. Switzerland will once again choose its Eurovision entry through a multi-stage process with audience and expert juries. The Swiss representative and song will be revealed in early 2026. source: SRF

🇦🇹 Austria announces Eurovision 2026 core team

Host broadcaster ORF has unveiled the core production team for Eurovision 2026. Michael Krön, ORF’s chief producer, will serve as Executive Producer – the overall project leader. Stefan Zechner will be the TV Show Producer, a role he also held when Austria hosted in 2015. The team features several experienced members from Vienna’s 2015 Eurovision, ensuring continuity. With this core team in place, ORF is gearing up to deliver another world-class contest. source: ORF

Core Team, 📷 ORF

🇦🇹 Host city race: Graz out, Vienna pushes forward

Graz has pulled out of the host city race for Eurovision 2026. The Styrian capital decided not to bid due to budget shortfalls and a projected €29.35 million hosting cost. City officials couldn’t secure enough financial support from the regional or federal government. Vienna, meanwhile, is moving full steam ahead with its bid. The Vienna City Council officially ratified a resolution to back the plan, proposing the Wiener Stadthalle as the venue. Vienna boasts around 82,000 hotel beds and excellent transport links to welcome Eurovision guests. Other cities like Innsbruck remain in the running, and ORF will announce the 2026 host city on 8 August 2025.

Martin Österdahl to step down as Eurovision supervisor

The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Österdahl, will be leaving his post in summer 2025. The European Broadcasting Union announced on 27 June 2025 that Österdahl is stepping down, marking the end of his five-year tenure. He has overseen Eurovision since 2020, guiding the contest through five editions and various changes. The EBU is expected to appoint a new Executive Supervisor before the 2026 season begins.

That was it for this week, see you next week with another weekly update!

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After the Eurovision fame: Sandra Kim
After the Eurovision Fame

After the Eurovision fame: Sandra Kim

Sandra Kim, born Sandra Caldarone in Montegnée (Liège, Belgium) on October 15, 1972, won the Eurovision Song Contest in Bergen (Norway) at the age of 13.5 in 1986, making her the youngest winner in the history of the festival.   J’aime la vie Her single, “J’aime la vie,” quickly achieved double platinum status. With over 350,000 copies sold in Belgium and 1.4 million worldwide, it topped the Belgian Top 50 for weeks. The following year, she participated in the Yamaha Tokyo Festival, finishing in fourth place alongside Eros Ramazzotti. Together with the Italian singer, she embarked on a tour of Japan. A few months later, Sandra was asked to sing the theme song for the animated series “Il était une fois la vie,” composed by Michel Legrand. She then enjoyed success with numerous singles, albums, gold records, and television appearances in Belgium and internationally. Her fame extended to the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Romania, Israel, Japan, and the United States. Personal life Sandra Kim is of Italian descent. Her parents came to Belgium in the 1950s. In 2001 she married Jurgen Dlanghe.The singer also really wanted children, but, as she said: “Mother Nature didn’t grant them to me”. And the singer is still very sad about that. Furthermore, Sandra Kim is very discreet about her private life. The media attention is mainly focused on her work as an artist National Career Since 1990 she has focused mainly on her national career: she performed a patriotic song “J’aime mon pays” (I love my country)  before the Belgian royal family for King Boudewijn’s 60th birthday and his 40 years on the throne. That same year, she co-presented the music show “10 qu’on aime” on RTL-TVI. Her TV presence continued with her role as a jury member on “Pour la Gloire” in 1996 and singing “Song for Kosovo” in 1997 with Helmut Lotti and Paul Michiels. She then joined the cast of “Les Misérables” in Antwerp as Éponine. In the early 2000s, she performed as a soloist in musical revue shows touring Flanders and the Netherlands. In 2003, to celebrate Belgium’s monarchy’s 10th anniversary, Sandra and other artists recorded “Mon Pays.” ( My country).  In 2005, she performed “No n’ho l’eta” at Eurovision’s 50th anniversary gala. From 2006, she explored soul music with “The SouldivaZ,”   In 2011, she sang the Belgian national anthem in three languages at the Spa- Francorchamps F1 Grand Prix, and a documentary about Eurovision, “L’Autre vie,” ( The orher life)  was produced. The following years saw her sharing her life on TV, performing for national celebrations, and releasing new singles reflecting her Italian roots. In 2017 and 2018, she participated in Télévie and paid homage to Maurane. She collaborated on the “Bella Italia” project with Marco Z and Bejir, celebrating Italian culture. In 2022, she released the single “Gravity,” marking her 50th birthday, with a special concert and new song “Take me as I am.” In 2023, she performed at “The Masked Singer,” “Night of the Proms,” and celebrated her career milestones. She’s also involved in holiday projects and special commemorations. Sandra Kim is still active. Her current schedule can be found here Share

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Martijn

Weekly update

weekly update of this week It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. This week brings news on national selections for 2026, Austria’s preparations to host, and a change in Eurovision leadership. 🇪🇸 🇨🇭 Spain and Switzerland gear up for 2026 Spain is already planning its Eurovision 2026 entry. Broadcaster RTVE has named Sergio Jaén as the Artistic Director of Benidorm Fest 2026. At just 23, Jaén has a strong Eurovision résumé – he even staged Austria’s winning performance in 2025. He will design the staging for Spain’s song at Eurovision 2026. Benidorm Fest’s semi-finals are set for 10 and 12 February, with the Grand Final on 14 February 2026. source: RTVE Melody 📷 Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU Switzerland has kicked off its search for a 2026 act. Swiss broadcaster SRF will accept song submissions from 4 August to 25 August 2025. Artists, composers, and producers can send in entries during that period. Switzerland will once again choose its Eurovision entry through a multi-stage process with audience and expert juries. The Swiss representative and song will be revealed in early 2026. source: SRF 🇦🇹 Austria announces Eurovision 2026 core team Host broadcaster ORF has unveiled the core production team for Eurovision 2026. Michael Krön, ORF’s chief producer, will serve as Executive Producer – the overall project leader. Stefan Zechner will be the TV Show Producer, a role he also held when Austria hosted in 2015. The team features several experienced members from Vienna’s 2015 Eurovision, ensuring continuity. With this core team in place, ORF is gearing up to deliver another world-class contest. source: ORF Core Team, 📷 ORF 🇦🇹 Host city race: Graz out, Vienna pushes forward Graz has pulled out of the host city race for Eurovision 2026. The Styrian capital decided not to bid due to budget shortfalls and a projected €29.35 million hosting cost. City officials couldn’t secure enough financial support from the regional or federal government. Vienna, meanwhile, is moving full steam ahead with its bid. The Vienna City Council officially ratified a resolution to back the plan, proposing the Wiener Stadthalle as the venue. Vienna boasts around 82,000 hotel beds and excellent transport links to welcome Eurovision guests. Other cities like Innsbruck remain in the running, and ORF will announce the 2026 host city on 8 August 2025. Martin Österdahl to step down as Eurovision supervisor The Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Österdahl, will be leaving his post in summer 2025. The European Broadcasting Union announced on 27 June 2025 that Österdahl is stepping down, marking the end of his five-year tenure. He has overseen Eurovision since 2020, guiding the contest through five editions and various changes. The EBU is expected to appoint a new Executive Supervisor before the 2026 season begins. That was it for this week, see you next week with another weekly update! Share

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