Weekly Update

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. We will bring you the latest national selection news, a clarification from an iconic Eurovision winner, updates on who’s in for 2026, and the ongoing debate over Israel’s participation. Here are this week’s top stories:

National Finals News
🇸🇲 San Marino:

Broadcaster SMRTV has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. They will relaunch its national selection as the San Marino Song Contest. The new format will feature two live semifinals and a final to choose San Marino’s act for Vienna. Denny Montesi is appointed as Head of Delegation and four-time Eurovision entrant Valentina Monetta serving as an ambassador source: sanmarinortv.sm.

🇸🇪 Sweden:

A record 3,888 songs were submitted to SVT for Melodifestivalen 2026. That’s over one thousand more entries than last year. The submission window is now closed. A jury will shortlist 30 entries to compete in the televised shows early next year. source: Melodifestivalen instagram

🇦🇱 Albania:

Elhaida Dani, Albania’s Eurovision 2015 representative is now artistic director of Festivali i Këngës 64. She promises a bolder, more modern and “unforgettable” show full of surprises this year. Elhaida revealed a collaboration with renowned songwriters Aida Baraku and Armend Rexhepagiqi as part of the festival’s plans to bring strong entries and restore faith in the national contest. source: revistawho.com.

🇷🇸 Serbia:

RTS has officially opened song submissions for Pesma za Evroviziju 2026, Serbia’s national selection for Eurovision. Entries can be sent in until 10 November 2025. After that a selection committee will choose the finalists. The winner will be decided by a combination of jury and public votes (50/50). source: rts.rs.

🇨🇭 Céline Dion Eurovision Rumours Denied

Eurovision fans were abuzz with speculation about Céline Dion making an appearance at Eurovision 2025. However, the singer’s team has now debunked those rumours. In a statement via her representatives, Dion clarified that she was “never due to attend, perform, or present” at this year’s contest in Basel. Contrary to reports in French media, Céline was not in Switzerland during Eurovision. She had no plans to participate in the show. In reality, the 1988 Eurovision winner’s sole involvement was a brief pre-recorded video greeting. Claims that she cancelled an appearance due to ill health were “entirely false and potentially damaging”, according to her team. The 57-year-old Canadian superstar – who has been battling stiff person syndrome – urges media to fact-check sensational stories. While Dion has expressed she’d love to return to the Eurovision stage someday, for now her focus remains on her health and recovery. source: news.stv.tv

📷 Eric Salard, Wikimedia Commons

🇦🇹 Eurovision 2026 Participation Update

This week marked a key milestone on the road to Eurovision 2026. 15 September 2025 was the deadline for EBU member broadcasters to apply to participate in next year’s contest. Broadcasters that submitted applications now have until mid-December to withdraw without financial penalty. That date coincides with an upcoming EBU vote on Israel’s participation. So far, around twenty countries have already confirmed their intention to compete in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. Several others (such as Belgium and Italy) remain undecided or have not made public statements yet.

A few countries, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovakia, have confirmed they will not return in 2026. Absent broadcasters still have the option to join Eurovision 2026, but any withdrawals after the December cutoff could incur a penalty. All eyes are now on the EBU’s General Assembly in December, when final participation numbers and any special conditions (such as those related to Israel) will become clearer. source: eurovoix.com

📷 Donald Trung Quoc Don, Wikimedia Commons

🇬🇧 🇪🇸 Israel’s Participation Sparks Debate

The question of Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 has become a hotly debated topic. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has confirmed it sees “no reason” to withdraw from the contest, stating that Israel intends to remain an important part of this cultural event and that the Eurovision Song Contest should not be politicised. In the UK, the BBC has also weighed in on the issue. Director General Tim Davie acknowledged the concerns raised by other nations but affirmed that the BBC supports the EBU’s approach to handling the situation. He emphasised that Eurovision should be a celebration of music and culture that unites people, not a political battleground, and said the BBC will await the EBU’s decision while continuing to work within its framework. sources: BBC and nu.nl

📷 EBU/BBC

RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, has officially voted to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to participate. The board of directors approved the motion by an absolute majority. This would make Spain the first of the “Big Five” countries to take such a stand. The decision follows earlier calls from Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who urged RTVE to pull out should Israel remain in the contest, asserting that cultural events should not “whitewash genocide”. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also supported this position. Despite this conditional withdrawal, RTVE declared that its national selection process, Benidorm Fest, will go ahead regardless of the ultimate decision on Eurovision participation. Spain joins the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia in taking a similar stance. source: RTVE

📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

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Blast from the past

🇬🇧 Blast from the past: UK 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 Sandie Shaw brought the first victory to the United Kingdom with “Puppet On A String”. United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest Few countries have a Eurovision pedigree like the United Kingdom. Since debuting in 1957, the UK has won five times: Sandie Shaw (1967), Lulu (1969), Brotherhood of Man (1976), Bucks Fizz (1981) and Katrina & The Waves (1997). The country hosted on nine occasions, most recently Liverpool 2023. t also holds the record for most runner‑up finishes, with 16 second places; the last came in 2022 when Sam Ryder’s “SPACE MAN” topped the jury vote. Recent form has been mixed: in 2023, host act Mae Muller finished 25th with 24 points; in 2024, Olly Alexander placed 18th with 46 points; and in 2025, Remember Monday ended 19th on 88 points.  Such swings epitomise the UK’s roller‑coaster history: long stretches of podiums and wins, punctuated by lean years, yet always central to Eurovision’s story and spectacle.  Sam Ryder, EBU A Song For Europe 1967 The UK national final in those days was called A Song For Europe. One artist sang 5 or 6 songs. Sandie Shaw was chosen to do the job in 1967. The contest was held on February 25. The results were announced one week later.The 5 titles were: Tell The Boys, 2nd place I’ll Cry Myself To Sleep, 3rd place Had A Dream Last Night, 4th place Puppet On A String, 1st place Ask Any Woman, 5th place   “Had A Dream Last Night” was written by another very popular pop star from those days: Chris Andrews. He is known for a lot of hits in the late sixties, “Yesterday Man” and “Pretty Belinda” being the biggest. You can watch a recap of all songs here in good quality. Sandie Shaw Sandie Shaw (born Sandra Ann Goodrich on 26 February 1947 in Dagenham) ranks among Britain’s defining 1960s pop voices. As a teenager, talent scouts noticed her; Pye Records signed her, and in 1964 she hit No. 1 with the Burt Bacharach–Hal David song “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me.” She followed it with a run of singles—“Girl Don’t Come,” “Long Live Love,” and “Message Understood”—that cemented her chart presence. Performing barefoot, she turned a quirk into a signature and a style statement. In 1967, Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom in Vienna with “Puppet on a String,” securing the country’s first victory, and the single topped charts across Europe. In the early 1970s, Shaw stepped away from pop to pursue stage roles and business ventures. She later challenged her recording contracts. In the 1980s she returned to the charts through collaborations with indie admirers, notably The Smiths. Her 1988 album “Hello Angel” showcased a mature voice. Through the 1990s and 2000s she recorded selectively. She curated reissues of her catalogue. Sandie trained as a psychotherapist, mentoring artists and advocating for performers’ rights. She published memoirs and kept performing. In 2017 the UK honoured her with an MBE for services to music. It’s an honour that recognized a career bridging eras while remaining unmistakably hers. I’m going to the toilet Boudewijn Büch (1948–2002) was a Dutch author, poet, bibliophile, and television presenter. He became famous for literary travel programs on VARA, a Dutch public broadcaster. In 1988, Büch invited Sandie Shaw onto his VARA show. He kept the conversation light, comparing music “then and now.” Sandie’s ground rules forbade any talk of the Eurovision Song Contest. When Büch raised the topic anyway, Shaw stood up, said “I’m going to the toilet,” and walked out, almost yanking her microphone cable free. Büch closed the episode in the restroom, singing “Puppet on a String,” and he concluded that the song had gone down the toilet. Puppet On A String “Puppet On A String” is Sandie Shaw’s bright, bouncy slice of 1960s Europop. Lyricist Bill Martin and composer Phil Coulter wrote the song. At Eurovision 1967 in Vienna, Shaw performed barefoot, locking onto the camera with crisp phrasing and a smile. The arrangement rides an oom‑pah, fairground swing with brisk brass and a skippy rhythm. The hook lodges instantly, and the melody aims squarely at continental tastes. The United Kingdom stormed to victory with 47 points. That is more than double the runner‑up. This way the UK its first Eurovision win. The single topped the UK charts, and Shaw recorded versions in multiple languages, cementing its cross‑European appeal. Lyrically, the song toys with the image of a lover manipulated like a marionette, “a puppet on a string”, while the upbeat pop setting turns the drama into perfect television. “Puppet On A String” stands as a defining Eurovision winner and an enduring cornerstone of Sandie Shaw’s catalogue today.      

Read More »
November 2, 2025 No Comments
Blast from the past
Martijn

🇬🇧 Blast from the past: UK 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 Sandie Shaw brought the first victory to the United Kingdom with “Puppet On A String”. United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest Few countries have a Eurovision pedigree like the United Kingdom. Since debuting in 1957, the UK has won five times: Sandie Shaw (1967), Lulu (1969), Brotherhood of Man (1976), Bucks Fizz (1981) and Katrina & The Waves (1997). The country hosted on nine occasions, most recently Liverpool 2023. t also holds the record for most runner‑up finishes, with 16 second places; the last came in 2022 when Sam Ryder’s “SPACE MAN” topped the jury vote. Recent form has been mixed: in 2023, host act Mae Muller finished 25th with 24 points; in 2024, Olly Alexander placed 18th with 46 points; and in 2025, Remember Monday ended 19th on 88 points.  Such swings epitomise the UK’s roller‑coaster history: long stretches of podiums and wins, punctuated by lean years, yet always central to Eurovision’s story and spectacle.  Sam Ryder, EBU A Song For Europe 1967 The UK national final in those days was called A Song For Europe. One artist sang 5 or 6 songs. Sandie Shaw was chosen to do the job in 1967. The contest was held on February 25. The results were announced one week later.The 5 titles were: Tell The Boys, 2nd place I’ll Cry Myself To Sleep, 3rd place Had A Dream Last Night, 4th place Puppet On A String, 1st place Ask Any Woman, 5th place   “Had A Dream Last Night” was written by another very popular pop star from those days: Chris Andrews. He is known for a lot of hits in the late sixties, “Yesterday Man” and “Pretty Belinda” being the biggest. You can watch a recap of all songs here in good quality. Sandie Shaw Sandie Shaw (born Sandra Ann Goodrich on 26 February 1947 in Dagenham) ranks among Britain’s defining 1960s pop voices. As a teenager, talent scouts noticed her; Pye Records signed her, and in 1964 she hit No. 1 with the Burt Bacharach–Hal David song “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me.” She followed it with a run of singles—“Girl Don’t Come,” “Long Live Love,” and “Message Understood”—that cemented her chart presence. Performing barefoot, she turned a quirk into a signature and a style statement. In 1967, Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom in Vienna with “Puppet on a String,” securing the country’s first victory, and the single topped charts across Europe. In the early 1970s, Shaw stepped away from pop to pursue stage roles and business ventures. She later challenged her recording contracts. In the 1980s she returned to the charts through collaborations with indie admirers, notably The Smiths. Her 1988 album “Hello Angel” showcased a mature voice. Through the 1990s and 2000s she recorded selectively. She curated reissues of her catalogue. Sandie trained as a psychotherapist, mentoring artists and advocating for performers’ rights. She published memoirs and kept performing. In 2017 the UK honoured her with an MBE for services to music. It’s an honour that recognized a career bridging eras while remaining unmistakably hers. I’m going to the toilet Boudewijn Büch (1948–2002) was a Dutch author, poet, bibliophile, and television presenter. He became famous for literary travel programs on VARA, a Dutch public broadcaster. In 1988, Büch invited Sandie Shaw onto his VARA show. He kept the conversation light, comparing music “then and now.” Sandie’s ground rules forbade any talk of the Eurovision Song Contest. When Büch raised the topic anyway, Shaw stood up, said “I’m going to the toilet,” and walked out, almost yanking her microphone cable free. Büch closed the episode in the restroom, singing “Puppet on a String,” and he concluded that the song had gone down the toilet. Puppet On A String “Puppet On A String” is Sandie Shaw’s bright, bouncy slice of 1960s Europop. Lyricist Bill Martin and composer Phil Coulter wrote the song. At Eurovision 1967 in Vienna, Shaw performed barefoot, locking onto the camera with crisp phrasing and a smile. The arrangement rides an oom‑pah, fairground swing with brisk brass and a skippy rhythm. The hook lodges instantly, and the melody aims squarely at continental tastes. The United Kingdom stormed to victory with 47 points. That is more than double the runner‑up. This way the UK its first Eurovision win. The single topped the UK charts, and Shaw recorded versions in multiple languages, cementing its cross‑European appeal. Lyrically, the song toys with the image of a lover manipulated like a marionette, “a puppet on a string”, while the upbeat pop setting turns the drama into perfect television. “Puppet On A String” stands as a defining Eurovision winner and an enduring cornerstone of Sandie Shaw’s catalogue today.      

Read More »
November 2, 2025 No Comments
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