Finland: Listen to the fifth song for UMK 2025!

The finnish broadcaster has released the fifth song competing in UMK 2025, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2025.

The song is Puppy by One Morning Left and you can listen to it here:

One Morning Left has been making music for 16 years, and consists of five members from different parts of Finland. The founder and lead vocalist of the band is Mika Lahti, second lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Leevi Luoto, bass player and background vocalist Miska Sipiläinen, drummer Dennis Hallbäck and songwriter, guitarist and background vocalist Juuso Turkki. The story of the band began when Lahti met Teemu Rautiainen from Jyväskylä in the Finnish social media service IRC Galleria. They had a similar taste in music, which led them to found One Morning Left in 2008.

The band’s first EP was released in 2008, and the following year they went on their first European tour. In 2010, the band signed a recording contract with Spinefarm Records and the following year they released their first full-length album, The Bree-Teenz. The album Metalcore Superstars, which was released in 2016, featured the hit song You’re Dead, Let’s Disco. The song became particularly popular in Japan, and the band’s gigs in Tokyo sold out. In 2022, One Morning Left toured Europe with UMK winner Blind Channel and the German band Electric Callboy. Today, the band makes music under the German record company Arising Empire.

The band describe themselves as a hyperactive, boundary-pushing feel-good act. Their unique sense of humour sets them apart from other Nordic metal bands.

“Musically, we rely on the ’80s and ’90s, and we do not take ourselves too seriously. Sometimes, people look at you in a funny way if you mess around too much. You can dance to the beat of our music, and that’s fantastic,” Leevi Luoto says.

The band had been planning to apply for UMK for a long time.

“We already spoke with our previous drummer that UMK would be a great experience. After meeting Kiro, who produced Cha Cha Cha for Käärijä, we began to think about making an UMK song with him,” Mika Lahti reveals.

The UMK song Puppy is exactly what the name suggests. It is, very simply, about a puppy.


We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:

  • Thu, 9 January NEEA RIVER – “Nightmares
  • Fri, 10 January Nelli Matula – “Hitaammin Hautaan”
  • Mon, 13 January costee – “Sekaisin
  • Tue, 14 January VIIVI – “Aina
  • Wed, 15 January One Morning Left – “Puppy
  • Thu, 16 January Goldielocks –  “Made Of
  • Fri, 17 January Erika Vikman – “ICH KOMME

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2025!

Israel: Everything That Happened in the 29th Episode of HaKokhav HaBa!

Last night, the 29th episode of HaKokhav HaBa, Israel’s selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, aired. This popular TV show determines the artist who will represent Israel in the competition.

The Format

As the competition progresses, the judges have chosen a total of 21 contestants. In each episode, several of them perform on The Next Star stage, with the contestant receiving the lowest score of the evening being eliminated.

Out of the initial 21 contestants, 13 have already been eliminated, leaving eight still in the race to represent Israel in Basel.

With eight contestants advancing, this stage of HaKokhav HaBa featured duel challenges. Four pairs competed in the latest episode, with two contestants eliminated by the end of the evening.


Hosts and Judges

The show continues to be hosted by Rotem Sela and Assi Azar, one of the presenters of Eurovision 2019. Assi has been hosting since the show’s first season in 2013, while Rotem joined in the second season and remains a key part of the program.

Judges Panel:

  • Assaf Amdursky
  • Keren Peles
  • Shiri Maimon
  • Eden Hason
  • Ran Danker
  • Itay Levi

Contestants and Performances

In last night’s episode of The Next Star, eight contestants took the stage. Here’s a recap of their performances and scores:

Duel 1: Dolev Mandelbaum vs. Yuval Raphael

  • Dolev Mandelbaum: Performed “Toxic” (Britney Spears), impressing with vocal range and stage presence. Score: 86%.
  • Yuval Raphael: Dedicated “Talking to the Moon” (Bruno Mars) to hostages held by Hamas. Score: 96%, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Duel 2: Moran Aharoni and Red Band vs. Yuval Gold

  • Moran Aharoni and Red Band: Performed “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), scoring 82% and moving on to the quarterfinals.
  • Yuval Gold: Performed “Wake Me Up When September Ends” (Green Day), dedicating it to a friend lost in the Nova Festival massacre. Score: 71%, eliminated.

Duel 3: Amit Sade vs. Daniel Wais

  • Amit Sade: Performed “Skyfall” (Adele). Score: 60%, eliminated.
  • Daniel Wais: Performed “Rise Up” (Andra Day). Score: 65%, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Duel 4: Ido Malka vs. Valerie Hamaty

  • Ido Malka: Performed “The Story of My Life” (One Direction). Score: 75%, eliminated.
  • Valerie Hamaty: Performed “Rise Like a Phoenix” (Conchita Wurst), captivating the audience. Score: 83%, advancing to the quarterfinals.

The Eliminations

At the end of the night, the nominees for elimination were Dolev Mandelbaum, Yuval Gold, Amit Sade, and Ido Malka. The judges ultimately decided that Yuval Gold and Ido Malka would be leaving the competition.


Past Success

Last year’s winner of HaKokhav HaBa and Israel’s representative for Eurovision 2024 was Eden Golan. Her song, “Hurricane”, finished in 5th place in the final rankings.


Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the latest updates!

Source: euromix.il

Poland: The line-up of the Polish preselection for Eurovision 2025 revealed!

Poland is returning to its national final format for the first time since 2023, giving the public the opportunity to choose the country’s representative for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest. Following a live audition round, TVP has just unveiled the ten artists who will compete for the honor of representing Poland in Basel.

The line-up of the Polish preselection for Eurovision 2025

The lineup for the Polish Eurovision 2025 preselection includes the following artists:

How were the ten finalists selected?

TVP launched a submission window back in November for the artists interested. After the closing of the submission window, submissions were reviewed by a professional jury. This panel will consisted of between nine to fifteen members, including representatives from TVP, artists, media professionals, and Eurovision fans.

The jury selected twenty-five songs from all submissions. A casting process was held among these selected artists, with the possibility that some acts could be directly qualified for the final without needing to go through the casting.

From this group, ten artists progressed to the televised national final. Additionally, two reserve entries were also selected in case of any withdrawals or changes.

The Final

The grand final of Poland’s Eurovision 2025 preselection will be broadcast live on February 14th, 2025, in Warsaw. Unlike the previous editions, the winner will be determined entirely by the public, who will cast their votes via SMS.

In the event of technical difficulties with the SMS voting system, TVP has put in place a contingency plan. Should a voting failure occur, the backup jury will select the winner based on their preferences.

After the final, TVP will publish the full results of the SMS voting, ensuring transparency in the selection process.

Last year Poland was represented by Luna with the song “The Tower” without however managing to qualify for the grand final as she finished in 12th place in the first semi-final with 35 points.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: eurowizja

Moldova: Artists competing in Etapa Națională 2025 Auditions announced!

Just a few moments ago, Moldova’s public broadcaster, TRM, revealed the list of artists and song titles set to participate in the Etapa Națională 2025 auditions.

The artists competing in the ETAPA Națională Eurovision 2025 auditions are:

  1. Diana Elmas – Fly Away
  2. Sasha Khanedanyan – Silent Hills
  3. NR.11 – Bye
  4. NORDIKA – Ludmila
  5. Royals ST – Zboară-n Sus
  6. TUDOR BUMBAC – Pace Noi Vrem
  7. Sasha Letty – Haute Couture
  8. AnnaG – Meet Me in the Dark
  9. Dan Alexandrov – Can’t Escape
  10. Nadya Crajevschi – Nota Shodow
  11. Eblansh Band – O, Moldova Mea Dragă!
  12. Sasha Bognibov – All-Night Party
  13. Predein Cristian – Moldovian Dance
  14. Chris Cross – Eu Vin
  15. Vadim Eleni – Mamă, Să Fii!
  16. Rina – Dorințele
  17. Βacho & CARNIVAL BRAIN – Semafoare
  18. Lylu – Pop
  19. POOPS ft Zaffi – Destinul
  20. PRIZA feat Mc MIKE – Kookoo
  21. Lisa Volk – O Lacrimă, Un Dor
  22. Y-gaga Band – Alexia
  23. LODOS – Sentimental
  24. Sasha Bognibov – We Changed Our Gender
  25. Katy Rain – Timpul
  26. Catalina Solomac – Demons
  27. Tanya Tudor – Bring Me Back
  28. Pavel Pașcan – Alăturea De Tine
  29. Zelorielle – Miracle
  30. Valleria – A Picture of Myself

Key Dates to Remember

The live auditions will take place on January 18, while the national final is scheduled for February 22. In the final, ten artists will compete for the honor of representing Moldova at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.

Last year, Moldova was represented by Natalia Barbu, marking her second Eurovision appearance (following her 2007 debut). Her song “In The Middle” failed to qualify for the Grand Final, finishing 13th in the first semi-final with a total of 20 points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evIoGkZXj2s

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates on the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

Source: TRM

Finland: Listen to the fourth song for UMK 2025!

The finnish broadcaster has released the fourth song competing in UMK 2025, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2025.

The song is Aina by VIIVI and you can listen to it here:

Music has been a part of VIIVI’s life since childhood. Originally from Joroinen, VIIVI studied music actively and stepped onto the stage whenever she could. She gave her first performances in singing competitions.

At the age of 18, VIIVI signed a recording contract with Capitol Records, and her first song was released three years later. The same year, Lääke ranked third on Finland’s official singles list. VIIVI’s debut album Parisuhdehautausmaa, published in early 2022, won three Emma awards (Finnish Grammy Awards) and VIIVI won the newcomer of the year award. In the same year, Ihana kipu, a duet with Robin, a previous UMK contestant, broke Spotify Finland’s daily streaming record for this decade. At the beginning of 2024, VIIVI joined Warner Music Finland.

VIIVI has collaborated with many artists, including AhtiAni and JVG. Her career has taken significant turns, but its core has remained the same.

“Writing songs is really important to me. When I’m involved in making the songs myself, the songs look like me and you can clearly hear my voice in them. My hobby has become my life’s work, and that’s really cool,” says VIIVI.

VIIVI had been planning to apply for UMK for a long time, but she wanted to wait for the right song.

“The song must have a “douze points” vibe! Aina is loaded with such an indescribable emotion that it requires an arena to perform it. I feel like this is the most important song in my career,” VIIVI concludes.


We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:

  • Thu, 9 January NEEA RIVER – “Nightmares
  • Fri, 10 January Nelli Matula – “Hitaammin Hautaan”
  • Mon, 13 January costee – “Sekaisin
  • Tue, 14 January VIIVI – “Aina
  • Wed, 15 January One Morning Left – “Puppy
  • Thu, 16 January Goldielocks –  “Made Of
  • Fri, 17 January Erika Vikman – “ICH KOMME

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2025!

Belgium: Snippets of the first 4 songs of Eurosong 2025 and the names of the jury members revealed!

Belgium’s Dutch-language national broadcaster, VRT, has released snippets from the first four songs of Eurosong 2025, the national competition through which Belgium is going to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in Basel, on May 13, 15 and 17.

The snippets released by VRT concern the first four songs that are going to compete in the first semi-final of Eurosong 2025, which is going to take place this Saturday, January 18.

The fist four songs of the frist semi-final of Eurosong 2025 are the below:

  • Grace – “Pull up”
  • Lenns – “Air balloon”
  • Le Manou – “Fille à papa”
  • LEEZ – “Perfectly imperfect”

Below you can watch the repsective snippets.

Furthermore, the broadcaster revealed the names of the 15 members of the jury of Eurosong 2025. which are aas per below:

  • Gustaph – Winner of Eurosong 2023 and finished 7th at Eurovision 2023
  • Bart Cannaerts – Spokesperson at Eurovision 2023
  • Merol – Dutch singer
  • Emmelie de Forest – Winner of Eurovision 2013 for Denmark
  • André Vermeulen – Former commentator for VRT between 1991 and 2013
  • Els Germonpré – music coordinator VRT1
  • Leslie Cable – Head of Delegation for RTBF at Eurovision
  • Stephan Monsieur – Chairman of OGAE Belgium
  • Jasper Van Biesen – Song Contest expert and author of “65 Years of Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest”
  • Indy van Cauwenbergh – Choreographer
  • Kim Debrie – Radio 2
  • Anja Daems – Radio 2
  • Laura Govaerts – MNM
  • Imane Boudadi – MNM
  • Nona Van Braeckel – Studio Brussel

The studio versions of all entries will be released upon completion of the second semi-final of Eurosong 2025 on January 25. The final of Eurosong 2025 is going to take place on February 1 in the city of Vilvoorde.

Source: VRT

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

Follow us on all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

Israel: All the highlights from the 29th episode of HaKokhav Haba!

Last night, Sunday 12th of January, the 29th episode of HaKokhav Haba, the song contest through which Israel will select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, on May 13, 15 and 17, 2025, was broadcast.

The next phase of HaKokhav Haba began with 8 contestants, which is the duel challenge. Four duets competed in this episode, where two of the contestants left the competition at the end of the competition process.

Hosts and Judges

Rotem Sela continues as the host of the show, alongside Assi Azar, one of the hosts of Eurovision 2019. Azar has been a host since the first season of HaKokhav Haba in 2013, while Rotem Sela began hosting from the second season, a role she still holds today.

The judging panel includes:

  • Assaf Amdursky
  • Keren Peles
  • Shiri Maimon
  • Eden Hason
  • Ran Danker
  • Itay Levi

The duets

Dolev Mandelbaum vs. Yuval Raphael

Dolav Mandelbaum opened the night with Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” The cover perfectly suited Dolav’s vocal range. It started out softly, and as the song progressed, so did his vocal abilities. All judges gave a positive vote, receiving an 86% score.

Yuval Raphael chose to perform Bruno Mars’ “Talking to the Moon.” Yuval dedicated the song to the Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas, especially her friend Matan Tzengauker, who is still being held hostage in Gaza. All judges also gave a positive vote, receiving a 96% score, ensuring her qualification to the next round.

Moran Aharoni and Red Band vs. Yuval Gold

Moran and Red chose to sing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” As usual, Moran and Red managed to surprise us with another unique, precise and amazing performance. Once again, Moran and Red proved that their combination is relevant and correct. Ran Danker was the only member of the jury to give a negative vote, receiving 82%.

Yuval Gold chose to sing Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” dedicating it to his good friend Daniel Sheinkerman who was murdered in the Nova Festival massacre. Two of the judges, Eden Hason and Itay Levi, gave a negative vote, receiving 71%, and thus Moran and Red moved on to the next round.

Amit Sade vs. Daniel Wais

Amit chose to sing Adele’s “Skyfall”. Amit is so captivating and touches the soul with her unique and soulful vocal tone. Itai, Ran, and Keren gave negative vote, receiving 60%.

Daniel chose to sing Andra Day’s “Rise Up”, along with artists from the “Shoofuni” project. Eden and Asaf gave negative vote, receiving 65%, ensuring her qualification to the next phase.

Ido Malka vs. Valerie Hamaty

Ido chose to perform “The Story of My Life” by One Direction. The song suits him perfectly. Ido sounded great in the song, as if it was written for him. Keren and Asaf voted against it, receiving 75%.

Valerie chose to sing “Rise Like a Phoenix”, by Conchita Wurst, who represented Austria and won Eurovision 2014. All judges voted in favor, receiving 83%, ensuring her qualification to the next phase.

At the end of the competition part, the jury decided that Amit Sade and Ido Malka would leave the competition.

Last year’s winner of HaKokhav Haba and thus the country’s representative at Eurovision 2024 was Eden Golan. Eden Golan, with her song “Hurricane”, finished in fifth place in the final ranking.

Source: euromix

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

Follow us on all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

Ukraine: Voting for the Vidbir 2025 Wildcard Has Begun!

The Ukrainian broadcaster, UA:PBC, has officially opened the voting for the Vidbir 2025 wildcard.

On the official YouTube channel, you can now find the songs of the ten artists competing in the online vote. The winner will secure the final spot in Ukraine’s national selection for Eurovision 2025, Vidbir.

The ten artists participating in the online vote are:

  1. BRYKULETS – “Kristali”
  2. ENLEO – “Supernova” 
  3. FIЇNKA – “Kultura”
  4. GRISANA “Kohoney”
  5. MON FIA “Dive Inside”
  6. Ranrawi “Anymore”
  7. Starykova Hrystyna – “Rise”
  8. YAGODY “Bramaya”
  9. Muayad – “Amnesia”
  10. Sluchay Sashu “Zivi”

One of these artists will join the nine pre-selected finalists in the grand final, set to take place on February 8. They will compete for the ticket to represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.

Voting will remain open until January 17.

The nine finalists already confirmed for Vidbir 2025 are:

  • Future Culture“Waste My Time”
  • Khayat“Honor”
  • Krylata“Stay True”
  • Molodi“My Sea”
  • Ziferblat“Bird of Pray”
  • Abiye“Dim”
  • DK Enerhetyk“Sil’”
  • Masha Kondratenko“No Time To Cry”
  • Vlad Sheryf“Wind of Change”

In 2024, alyona alyona and Jerry Heil won Vidbir and represented Ukraine at Eurovision with their song “Teresa & Maria,” securing an impressive 3rd place.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the latest updates!

Source: Suspilne

Finland: Listen to the third song for UMK 2025!

The finnish broadcaster has released the third song competing in UMK 2025, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2025.

The song is Sekaisin by costee and you can listen to it here:

costee, whose real name is Jussi Tiainen, grew up in the Turku region and started his music hobby at the age of 8. He got a drum set as a gift from his father, but soon changed his instrument to a guitar as the desire to compose his own music grew. Now, 7 years into his solo career, he has over 100 million streams, three hit albums and a large number of sold-out gigs behind him. He has become known as a pioneer in alternative pop.

costee’s solo career escalated quickly and the pace has been fast. In 2017, he signed a recording contract with Etenee Records, and in March 2018, he released his first single Pakoon pahaa oloo. In 2019, he was chosen as one of YleX’s breakthrough artists, and his debut album Ehkä joskus tääl viel naurattaa was released in May. The following year, costee was nominated as the newcomer of the year and the audience’s favourite at the Emma Gala (Finnish Grammy Awards). He released his second album Kaikki loppuu aina in the same year. In 2022, costee released his third album Kaikki vampyyrit ei juo verta and founded his own record company, Tuhma Music. This allows him to share his expertise with new artists.

costee strives to be as honest as possible in his art. As a performer, costee is full of energy and captivates the audience with his mystery. His performances often involve an element of darkness.

“I want to be a mysterious performer in my own way. I want some of that darkness on the stage, but I also like strong lights that create contrast,” says costee.

costee and his fans have a particularly close relationship and community. Many fans have had tattoos of the titles, lyrics and illustrations of his songs.

costee is aiming to win UMK first and then the Eurovision Song Contest. As soon as the UMK song Sekaisin was completed, costee realised that it had to become a UMK and Eurovision song.


We remind you that the artists/songs competing to represent Finland will be revealed in this order:

  • Thu, 9 January NEEA RIVER – “Nightmares
  • Fri, 10 January Nelli Matula – “Hitaammin Hautaan”
  • Mon, 13 January costee – “Sekaisin
  • Tue, 14 January VIIVI – “Aina
  • Wed, 15 January One Morning Left – “Puppy
  • Thu, 16 January Goldielocks –  “Made Of
  • Fri, 17 January Erika Vikman – “ICH KOMME

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 10 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2025!

Israel: Everything That Happened in the 28th Episode of HaKokhav Haba!

Yesterday, on Saturday, January 11th, the 28th episode of HaKokhav Haba was broadcasted, the song competition through which Israel will select its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, on May 13, 15, and 17, 2025.

The HaKokhav Haba competition continues with 9 artists remaining in the battle. Yesterday’s task continued the Kokhav Nolad (translated: “A Star is Born”) challenge from the previous episode—a tribute to singers who emerged through HaKokhav HaBa, with contestants performing a song by one of the program’s alumni. Five contestants took the stage to perform their pieces, with the two lowest-scoring contestants facing elimination, leaving the decision to the judges.

Hosts and Judges

Rotem Sela continues as the host of the show, alongside Assi Azar, one of the hosts of Eurovision 2019. Azar has been a host since the first season of HaKokhav Haba in 2013, while Rotem Sela began hosting from the second season, a role she still holds today.

The judging panel includes:

  • Assaf Amdursky
  • Keren Peles
  • Shiri Maimon
  • Eden Hason
  • Ran Danker
  • Itay Levi

Performances

Ido Malka

Ido opened the evening with the song “Emtza HaLayla BaKfar” (translated: “Midnight in the Village”), originally by Harel Moyal, the winner of the second season of HaKokhav HaBa. The song seemed tailor-made for Ido, who showed a deep connection with the lyrics. He impressed the judges and scored 93%.

Valerie Hamaty

Valerie chose to sing “Shalchat” (translated: “Autumn Leaves”), originally performed by Izhar Cohen and covered by Harel Skaat, who finished second in the second season of HaKokhav HaBa and represented Israel in Eurovision 2010. Unfortunately, she did not manage to satisfy the judges and received only 64%.

Amit Sade

Amit chose to sing “Now That You’re Gone”, originally performed by Shiri Maimon, a judge on HaKokhav HaBa, who finished second in the first season of Kokhav Nolad and also represented Israel in Eurovision 2005. Amit impressed the judges and scored 92%.

Nati Livian

Nati chose to sing “Leylot Ve Klalot” (translated: “Nights and Curses”), originally by Omer Adam, who participated in the auditions of the seventh season of HaKokhav HaBa. Nati brought the song to his own style as only he knows, however, he did not particularly satisfy the judges, scoring 71%.

Daniel Wais

Daniel chose to sing “Rak ShLo Tipol HaRuach” (translated: “Just Don’t Let the Spirit Fall”), originally performed by Ninet Tayeb, the winner of the first season of HaKokhav HaBa. Daniel mesmerized the judges with his performance and scored 92%.

Elimination of the Night

At the end of the evening, the judges decided that Nati Livian‘s journey in the competition would end here.

The HaKokhav HaBa Grand Final will take place on Wednesday, January 22nd! Out of the eight contestants remaining in the competition, only four will make it to the Grand Final. There, the Israeli public and the Eurovision judging panel will decide together who will be the next representative of Israel at Eurovision!

The winner of HaKokhav HaBa last year, and therefore Israel’s representative in Eurovision 2024, was Eden Golan. Eden Golan, with her song “Hurricane”, finished in 5th place in the final ranking.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2025 in Basel!

Source: euromix