This Saturday, May 17, 2025, we'll finally know the name of the newEurovision winner. For the moment, two candidates are the favorites: KAJ and JJ. But like every year, the final could hold a few surprises.
While the artists will perform their songs in the semi-finals and finals (for the 26 finalists), the Eurovision Song Contest is also announcing the presence of several other artists on stage, in this case former contestants, winners or public favorites.
In keeping with tradition, Nemo will take to the stage at Basel's St. Jakobshalle to perform his song " The Code ", which won him the 2024 edition of the contest.
Two other artists, acclaimed by the public in 2023 and again in 2024, will also be taking part. They are Croatian Baby Lasagna, famous for his song " Rim Tim Tagi Dim ", and Finnish Käärijä, who competed in 2023 with his hit " Cha Cha Cha ". Although both artists came second in the contest, they nevertheless won over the ears of viewers, and are therefore invited to return to theEurovision stage this spring in Switzerland.
Eurovision will also welcome former Swiss participants who will also be singing. Paola (1969 and 1980), Peter, Sue and Marc (1971, 1976, 1979 and 1981), Luca Hänni (2019) and Gjon's Tears (2020 and 2021) have been invited to take part in a " special performance celebrating Switzerland's Eurovision heritage ".
Also announced are former participants, who were excluded from the 2020 competition due to Covid-19, such as Destiny (Malta), Efendi (Azerbaijan) and The Roop (Lithuania). Other artists present in Basel this spring? Jerry Heil (Ukraine), Marina Satti (Greece), iolanda (Portugal) and Silvester Belt (Lithuania), all candidates last year.
And we haven't forgotten Jørgen Olsen. The Danish artist, half of the Olsen Brothers, will also be present, 25 years after the duo won the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm in 2000.
We now know the official list of artists invited to perform live in Basel this year. However, we still don't know when these performances are scheduled. Semi-final? Final? That'll be the surprise!
And there are more last-minute surprises in store. For several days now, rumors have been swirling around the possible participation of Céline Dion. The Quebec artist won Eurovision for Switzerland in 1988 with her song " Ne partez pas sans moi ".
As revealed by the Swiss newspaper Le Matin, a video of Céline Dion was shown in the hall on Monday May 12 during the dress rehearsal. In this video message, the star addresses the Swiss in particular. " Switzerland will always have a special place in my heart. It's a country that believed in me and gave me the chance to be part of something so extraordinary. Winning Eurovision was a life-changing moment for me, and I'm so grateful to everyone who supported me," said the Canadian singer in her message, according to Le Matin. But according to the Swiss newspaper, this sequence may not be broadcast on Tuesday evening during the first semi-final. According to the Swiss newspaper, Eurovision organizers are still in contact with Céline Dion, so her presence in Basel is still a possibility.
Official website
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