ESC 2025: Divas, Dogs, Curses and Hexes

Are you excited Eurovision fans? The first Semi-Final is getting closer! I feel a little better knowing that I have listened to most of the songs in the contest. Even so, there are still some contenders for the trophy I haven’t heard yet. But let’s not get ahead of myself. So what contenders did I check out this week?

Round 3:

• Theo Evan — Shh (Cyprus)
• Kyle Alessandro — Lighter (Norway)
• Tautumeitas — Bur Man Laimi (Latvia)
• EMMY — Laika Party (Ireland)
• Marko Bošnjak — Poison Cake (Croatia)
• VÆB — RÓA (Iceland)
• Gabry Ponte — Tutta L’Italia (San Marino)
• Lucio Corsi — Volevo essere un duro (Italy)
• Melody — ESA DIVA (Spain)
• Mariam Shengelia — Freedom (Georgia)

Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi

Tautumeitas are Latvia’s hope for qualifying for the Grand Final. The 6 women who make up the group are competing with the ethereal entry “Bur Man Laimi.” The magic energy fuelling this song comes from the repetitive chanting and stacked harmonies overtop an insistent drum beat. The lack of unrepeated lyrics does not mean those lyrics do not carry meaning, however. Tautumeitas sing about being empowered and embracing nature over man-made structures. The song cryptically ends with the lines, “I didn’t know my own happiness / Until I met my misery,” which was honestly my favourite lyric.

Many Eurovision fans are rooting for Latvia after Dons’s surprising qualification last year. That being said, the odds seem to be betting against Latvia’s repeat qualification. While I thoroughly enjoyed the hypnotic chanting of Latvia’s entry, others were not as enthused. It reminds me of my excitement for “EAEA,” only for that song to get 5 points from the televote. Considering that “Bur Man Laimi” is currently one of my favourite songs from this year, I am desperately hoping Tautumeitas qualifies.

Melody – ESA DIVA

Representing Spain is Melody with her song “ESA DIVA.” Her entry is a showstopping dance song, complete with a symphonic intro, a pulsating beat, and a classical guitar and castanets for that Spanish seasoning. Melody’s voice soars over this lush orchestration, a perfect centrepiece for this empowering song. While I was entranced by the visuals in the music video, when I saw Melody’s sparkly bodysuit, it reminded me of Rotterdam 2021 where that was all the rage among the female contestants.

Initially, “ESA DIVA” didn’t stand out to me despite its impressive production. On the surface, it’s a catchy dance song with dazzling vocals. However, the lyrics elevate the song to a whole new level. The lyrics conjure up imagery of hurricanes and rose gardens, but more importantly, the song speaks about not needing to bring others down in order to elevate yourself. Melody also subverts the expression “like a fish out of water” to say that divas are the exact opposite. Divas are capable of navigating any ordeal, no matter how rough the waters are. Let’s hope Spain can navigate their way towards the top of the leaderboard this year.

EMMY – Laika Party

Ireland’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest is EMMY, a Norwegian singer-songwriter and graphic designer. You may have heard of Space Man, but how about a space dog? “Laika Party” speaks of the titular dog who went into space in 1957. Specifically, EMMY wishes for an alternate ending to Laika’s story, where she survived the trip and now enjoys herself in space. It’s a painfully optimistic song and quite the pivot from Ireland’s previous entry.

Well, that explains the first half of the song title, but what about the second half? To match the song’s optimism, “Laika Party” is an upbeat track that sounds like something you might hear at a music festival in the early 2010s. In particular, the “Ba ra ram bam bam bam bam bam” section of the song is bound to get the crowd dancing. And to top it all off, the song finishes with a satisfying key change. Overall, EMMY’s entry is delightfully saccharine and straightforward, and it likely won’t leave my head for weeks to come.

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