Welcome to our new series of posts!
The moment of truth has arrived, and all 37 competing songs for Eurovision 2025 have been revealed.
So we are ready for an extended review of them and a ranking of the songs.
Each post in the series will focus on 5-6 songs.
This 2nd post will focus on 5 of the countries competing in semi-final 1: Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Portugal, and San Marino.
You can find the previous chapters here:
Shkodra Elektronike – “Zjerm“
Shkodra Elektronike is an Albanian music duo formed in 2019. The duo members are Beatriçe Gjergji and Kolë Laca. Their music style is a fusion of traditional Albanian music, electronic and pop music. They are named after the city Shkodër in northern Albania. Both were born in this city but live as immigrants in Italy.
They gained their popularity in 2020, when they started releasing songs and performing in various international festivals.
In December 2021, they were the writers behind the song “E jemja nuse” (performed by Rezarta Smaja) which competed in “Festivali i Këngës 60”, and ended in the 3rd place.
They released their debut EP in 2022.
In December 2024, they won the Albanian national selection “Festivali i Këngës 63”.
They will perform the song “Zjerm”.
Allocation in Semi-Final
Albania was drawn to perform in the second half (songs 8-15) of semi-final 1.
The country will perform in the 12th position, after San Marino and before The Netherlands
Initial Personal Ranking
1st overall, 1st in semi-final 1
Musical Review
- It is an electro-folk song.
- The song opens with an oriental string instrument playing. The female lead singer, Beatriçe Gjergji, has a unique kind of voice. The first verse is based on this instrument, processed backing vocals and a mid-tempo beat. The pre-chorus is based on piano playing and soft-angelic voice.
- The chorus is more upbeat and electronic, but it is also based on piano and orchestral elements. Towards its end, we can hear periodic pre-recorded vocals. Thereafter, a short instrumental part is followed by a spoken-word part performed by Kolë Laca. This part relies on drums and dark production. The second pre-chorus is classical and artistic. The second chorus once again suggests a fusion of oriental and electronic music.
- Overall, it is one of the pearls of this season. The song suggests a unique fusion of modern and traditional. The melody is unique and stands out. It is a song that can work really well with the international public. It is one of the most competitive songs Albania has sent in recent years. The combination of folk and electronic elements works excellently.
Poetry Analysis
The song discusses different social issues, the yearning for purity and simplicity, and the individual struggle to get along in today’s world. The way to convey such a message is by drawing a picture of how the perfect world would seem like: “There’s no paranoia”, “There’s no ambulance around the street”, “we wouldn’t need soldiers, no one would be orphaned” and more.
However, the narrator is also looking forward to her own transformation – “Create a pure heart in me”, she understands that the “perfect world” starts in her personal process.
Knowing this perfect world doesn’t exist, she focuses on appreciating the good things in her life – ” in my heart/ This minute will go on/ Good people and nameless people/ Their souls dance”.
The place she came from will be the source to this endless journey – “my land
Where I was born, I won’t forget you”.
The impact of the allocation in semi-final 1
Among the countries that usually vote for Albania, 7 of them will vote in semi-final 1: Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, San Marino, Azerbaijan, Belgium, and Slovenia
Betting Odds
The song was selected as the Albanian entry for Eurovision 2025 at the end of December 2024.
From the end of December 2024 to February 21st, the song was at the bottom of the table, starting at 35-37 and then going up to 28-32.
Between February 22nd and March 13th, Albania went up to places 15-21.
Ever since March 14th, Albania is around 9th-10th in the odds.
Early Prediction
I think Albania will bring a very competitive and captivating song. It might speak to those who like meaningful texts, folk, electronic elements, or just good vocals.
When qualifying, Albania doesn’t tend to score a lot, but I think this year might be different.
Prediction: 7-13 in the final
Theo Evan – Shh
Evangelos Theodorou (better known as Theo Evan) is a Greek Cypriot singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor. He has shown interest in dance and singing since the age of 7. After graduating from the English school in Nicosia, he moved to the USA, where he studied music and performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
In 2021, he released his debut single “The Wall”.
He made his debut TV appearance in the American series “Euphoria”.
Recently, he returned to live in Cyprus.
In September 2024, he was announced as Cyprus choice for Eurovision 2025 (in internal selection). He will perform the song “Shh”, which was released on March 11th:
Allocation in Semi-Final
Cyprus was drawn to perform in the second half (songs 8-15) of semi-final 1.
Cyprus was allocated to close the semi-final in position 15th, after the automatic qualifier Switzerland.
Initial Personal Ranking
26th overall, 10th in semi-final 1
Musical Review
- It is an EDM song
- The song starts with a short electronic intro. The first verse is based on drum beats and synths. Theo’s voice is processed with some digital effects. He sings this part in a mid-tone of voice; the “shh” element starts appearing already here. The melody samples “broken” chords with a contemporary production. The first pre-chorus is based on electric keyboards and a sampled beat, which sounds more like a wind instrument. The singing is kind of half reciting. The first chorus starts with a more emotional singing. He sings in a higher tone of voice. The melody is based on fading beat and synth elements; in the beginning the melody is more “hidden”. We get a drop of the word “secret” and then the electronic drop takes over the melody. The second half of the chorus is much more danceable and upbeat. It ends with a thin and high tone of voice.
- The second verse reminds me of the first one, but it is more sassy, and the beat is faster. The melody is based on several cross-electronic beats and elements. The second pre-chorus is shorter and feels simpler, towards the end, we get an echo and layers over his voice. The second chorus follows. It is based on a percussion beat with dance club production. Towards the end, we can hear pre-recorded masculine backing vocals, while Theo sings high and long notes.
- The bridge starts with keyboards playing and a mysterious sound. It continues as the end of the chorus.
- Overall, I feel that the chorus and pre-chorus are stronger than the verses. The song is catchy and memorable. Its biggest competition will be Belgium, which also suggests an EDM genre song. Personally, I have two issues here: The first is that the song sounds over-produced which makes in a bit unnatural. Second, in some cases his voice reached to uncomfortable places.
Poetry Analysis
The song discusses the two coin sizes of beauty and confidence and the identity struggle.
In the beginning, the narrator acknowledges his beauty – “I’ve got golden looks and eyes so captivating”. However, it seems that not everything goes so smoothly for him – “Who am I ? shh.” – This phrase suggests that the narrator either goes through an identity crisis or wants to hide his identity. This feeling might be related to the expectations that come due to his beauty. The repetition of the word “shh” emphasizes the secrecy.
The gap between his look and uncertainty gets bigger and bigger, until the day it might explode – “I’ve been told I am a little overconfident/ And this will be my downfall”.
The tension gets tighter in the pre-chorus – “I’m falling deep/ I lost my heartbeat/ Stuck in between/ Heaven and hell in me.” – the narrator feels like sinking into depression or confusion. He is bound between the hell of expectations and identity crisis and the heaven of beauty and external confirmation.
He feels like ho lost himself – “lost my heartbeat”.
His desire for privacy and secrecy continues – “Hush, hush/ If you know my name/ …” – It can either mean that he wants to be defined by his character, and not only by name and beauty. It is also possible that he wants to hide his identity. due to social norms.
Later on, the song delves into the unknown, dark, and mysterious side of attraction and love – “My desire and my love got me in trouble / I’m decay and I’m revival”. Even though he looks attractive, this might lead him to trouble and he seeks renewal.
The narrator describes himself in different locations – “in the crowd, in the sky, in the afterlife”. What is is common to all of them is that in each of them, he feels disconnected and isolated.
I can also see this song as telling the story of someone coming out of the closet. The bloodstream represents the way that sexuality takes over healthy thinking. The identity crisis is rooted in gender identity. The secret might be the identity itself.
The impact of the allocation in semi-final 1
Among the countries that usually vote for Cyprus, 3 of them will vote in semi-final 1: Albania, San Marino, and Croatia.
Betting Odds
Cyprus revealed its song for Eurovision 2025 on March 11th.
The song started at 10th place for 3 days; later on, it spent 10 days in the 15-17 place.
As of March 25th, Cyprus has been in the 19-21 place.
Early Prediction
I believe Cyprus will qualify for the final easily. It seems they prepared a huge staging concept. However, EDM songs don’t tend to do well. Therefore, I believe Cyprus will end in the 12-18 place in the final
Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
Tommy Cash (real name: Tomas Tammemets) is a 33-year-old Estonian rapper, singer, and visual artist. dancer and producer.
Tommy was born in Tallinn, Estonia, but has Russian, Ukrainian, Estonian and Kazakh roots.|
He dropped out of school, preferring to focus on painting and dancing.
During his teens, he got in trouble with the local police. The singer confessed he used drugs in those years
He started releasing his music on SoundCloud in 2012.
In 2013, he released his first music video.
So far, the singer has released 2 studio albums and 3 Eps, the latest is “High Fashion” in 2024.
He is well known for his music collaborations with artists like Käärijä and Oliver Tree.
In February 2025, he won the Estonian selection for Eurovision 2025 – “Eesti Laul 2025”
He will perform “Espresso Macchiato” at Eurovision 2025:
Allocation in Semi-Final
Estonia was drawn to perform in the first half (songs 1-7) of semi-final 1.
Estonia was allocated to perform in the 4th position, after Slovenia, and before Spain (AQ)
Initial Personal Ranking
37th overall, 15th in semi-final 1.
Musical Review
- It is a fusion of Latin and Italian music from the 1950-1960s.
- The song opens with classic guitar and keyboards playing. Thereafter, the keyboards are in the center. Tommy enters with a low-tone of voice, resembling a tenor singing (even though it isn’t). Later on, the bpm gets higher, with a drum beat. The intro and the chorus are identical lyric-wise. The bridge is based on backing vocals and trumpet playing. The first verse has more swing, and the flow is more theatrical. The lyrics are full of cliches. The melody is based on monotonous trumpet playing. The chorus brings a slightly more “serious” direction to the song, but this time in a more danceable.
- The second verse is served with an exaggerated accent and broken Italian. The melody is uniform, and towards the end we get the guitars back. The song ends with one last chorus, which is followed by some “lalala” singing.
- I am addicted to coffee, but I dislike drinking this Espresso Macchiato. There is something infantile about this song, which I strongly want to avoid.
- I found the “broken” Italian questionable and even disrespectful. Vocally, it has to go a long distance to sound professional. As a so-called “Joke entry”, it will have many buyers in the public vote.
Poetry Analysis
I couldn’t find something worth writing
The impact of the allocation in semi-final 1
Among the countries that usually vote for Estonia, 4 of them will vote in semi-final 1: Sweden, Poland, Portugal, and Iceland
Betting Odds
Estonia selected Tommy Cash For Eurovision 2025 on February 15th, 2025.
During the first 3 weeks, Estonia was ranked 4th-6th by the bookies.
Since March 6th, it has been around 6th-8th place, mostly around 7th in the odds.
Early Prediction
Estonia will qualify for the final, mainly due to the fact jury doesn’t vote in the semi-final.
The final result depends on the gap between the jury and the public in the final.
I can see it in the top 7 of the public, and at the same time in the bottom 10 of the jury.
Prediction: 7-12 in the final
NAPA – Deslocado
NAPA is a Indie Rock Pop Portuguese band that was formed in 2013. The 5 band members are: Diogo Góis, Francisco Sousa, João Guilherme Gomes, João Lourenço Gomes, and João Rodrigues.
The group started its activity under the name “Men On The Couch”, with music influences from Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Beatles.
In 2019, they released their debut album “Senso comum”. The project was fund by crowdfunding campaign. In 2023, they releases their second album Logo se vê, this time under the name NAPA.
In 2024, they went on their first national tour.
In 2025. they won the national selection for Eurovision 2025 – “Festival da Canção 2025”.
They will perform the song “Deslocado”:
Allocation in Semi-Final
Portugal was drawn to perform in the first half (songs 1-7) in semi-final 1.
The country was allocated to perform in 7th position, after Sweden and before Norway.
Initial Personal Ranking
35th overall, 13th in semi-final 1
Musical Review
- It is an Indie song.
- The song starts with the first verse. Its comforting and warm melody is composed of keyboards and guitar. The lead singer effortlessly performs the first verse in a dreamy voice. This part ends with the same line repeating while he sings in a slightly huskier voice. The first chorus follows it starts with guitar riffs, and the melody sounds like a throwback to soft rock from the 1960s and 1970s. We can heat some backing vocals in the background.
- While the chorus isn’t impactful enough, we get the second verse right afterward. The second verse is based on a simple acoustic direction. The lead singer sings more theatrically, with some manners. The second half of this verse is faster, as the melody is also based on electric guitar and drums. The last part is performed with some falsetto. The second chorus starts with a chilling vibe, where the keyboard and acoustic guitar are more dominant, Later on. the lead singer sings in a beautiful fragile voice. Then. the electronic guitar and drums are back. The melody starts to be more crisp. Guitar riffs leads us to the bridge. The bridge is more laid back, and based mainly on humming and keyboards
- While the song is a nice radio-friendly song, that’s where it stays. I found it quite forgettable and non competitive enough
Poetry Analysis
The song discusses topics like longing for home, belonging, and the impact of distance. The first line spans his feelings in front of us with actual visuals of a suitcase – “I count the days to myself/ With my packed suitcase”. The suitcase is also a metaphor for the emotional baggage and burden of longing. As the narrator takes the flight, he looks over the window and describes his childhood view – From out of the blue, I see the garden/ Even from behind the wing”. He is still the tiny child looking for his mom’s love – “Mom, look at the window/ I’m coming home”.
The phrase “I am coming home” repeats and emphasized the deep willing to return home, to feel at the right place, rounded by the right people.
In the second verse, the narrator tells us about his struggle to other places in the past – “I’ll never belong/ To that city/ The sea of people, the different sun/ The concrete mountain”. It is a metaphor to describe the big city where he feel lost in. It isn’t about a calming sea, but a sea of people. Even the sun feels different, less warming and comforting.
Later on, he further continues to describe his connection to nature, which isn’t possible in the “cold” city – “Because I came from afar/ I came from the middle of the sea/ I have my whole life/ In the middle of the ocean”.
His deep connection to the nature, family and local views can’t be explained, its volume is bigger than we can realize – “If I explain it word by word/ You’ll never understand/ The pain that silences me/ The loneliness that haunts my hour of departure”
The impact of the allocation in semi-final 1
Among the countries that usually vote for Portugal, 5 of them will vote in semi-final 1: Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, The Netherlands, and Poland
Betting Odds
The song was selected to represent Portugal at Eurovision 2025 on March 9th.
It went from 16th place to 22nd place in one day. Then, it spent a week in the range of 23rd-26th place. Since March 21st, it has moved in the range of 27th and 28th place,
Early Prediction
Portugal has gained a row of 4 qualifications between 2021 and 2024.
However, this song feels less competitive or memorable.
I feel like the chances are more toward non-qualification
Gabry Ponte – Tutta l’Italia
Gabry (Gabriele) Ponte is a 52-year-old Italian DJ and producer.
In 1998, he produced Blue (Da Ba Dee), Eiffel 65’s debut single, which became a worldwide hit.
Later on, he produced more songs for other artists.
In 2005, he announced separation from Eiffel 65, and opened his record label “Dance and Love”, which became one of the independent Italian music labels.
In 2012, he collaborated with Pitbull on the song “Beat on My Drum”. He also produced the international hit “Tacata'” by Tacabro.
In 2014, his single “Buonanotte Giorno” became a hit in Italy.
In 2021, he collaborated with Lum!x, Prezioso and Aloe Blacc.
In 2022, he was one the cowriters of “Halo”, Austria’s entry for Eurovision 2022
In 2025, he won “San Marino Song Contest 2025” with “Tutta l’Italia“:
Allocation in Semi-Final
San Marino was drawn to perform in the second half (songs 8-15) of semi-final 1.
San Marino was allocated to perform in the 11th position, after Azerbaijan and before Albania.
Initial Personal Ranking
16th overall, 4th in semi-final 1.
Musical Review
- It is a fusion of traditional Italian music with dance and electronic music.
- The song opens with a festive instrumental part. featuring accordion to the beats of the tarantella The first verse is based on a mid-bass beat and electronic keyboards. The lead singer (who got no credit at all, why?) sings in a mid-low, raspy voice. The first pre-chorus relies on keyboards, guitars, and fragmented riffs and the dance beats build up gradually. Toward the end, the tempo is slowed and we get more vocal emphasis. The first chorus opens with dense drum beat. His raspy voice shines, and the melody is based on dance beats. The vibe is of a stadium hymn with some humming and backing vocals. The chorus is quite repetitive lyrically.
- Thereafter, we get a short instrumental break (similar to the intro), which is composed of accordion and string elements. The second verse is based on a different direction of melody, a more laid down synth melody with a kind of “spoken word”/reciting as singing. The second pre-chorus follows and it is quite similar to the first one. This time, we get additional folk elements in the shape of strings. The second chorus follows, it is festive, danceable and contagious. The melody is based on electronic and dance elements. Thereafter another short instrumental part.
- It ends with a more laid-back part, where the melody is based on the accordion and keyboards with humming in the background.
- The song encapsulates traditional folk with more modern dance in a sophisticated way. Magically, the song lies on the intersection of several genres, which makes it accessible to many listeners.
Poetry Analysis
- The song explores different topics, such as youth and freedom. In the beginning, the narrator approaches his mother and tells her he won’t return home tonight. He isn’t about to leave, but just wants to have fun with people around his age – “Mom, tonight I won’t come back/ but for sure I’m going to end up in some bed, then I’ll sleep”. He tries to calm her by ensuring he will go to sleep. This part also includes the uncertainty of going out at night.
He tries to comfort his mother with mentioning some Italian traditions elements, ensuring he still remember who is he – “Spaghetti, wine and pater noster”. - Later on, he says, “Monalisa smiles / It’s ok, but she’s in Paris.” – This is a mention of Italian beauty and culture, which is appreciated but at the same time distant. He talks about the complexity of creating a passionate love story – “Forbidden kisses in black streets/ Sad but happy eyes, how many friends of a friend”. One may also understand it as the thin limit between friendship to attraction.
- The phrase “All Italy” repeats to demonstrate the global experience of the young generation. All of them have the same challenges, wishes, and feelings. They just want to have fun – “All Italy, all Italy, all Italy/ Let us dance with a glass in our hands”. He admits that for them, enjoying the moment sometimes wins over being honest – “Tomorrow we’ll regret saying ‘I love you’/ As here, we’ll be heard by”.
- The song ends by adding some critical voice over the most important things in the culture, which sometimes get more place than they should – “Football is being kicked/ Fashion is making rags”.
The impact of the allocation in semi-final 1
Among the countries that usually vote for San Marino, 5 of them will vote in semi-final 1: Albania, Azerbaijan, Poland, Spain, and Italy.
Betting Odds
San Marino selected the song for Eurovision 2025 on March 8th.
The song started at 22nd place in the odds and then has moved in the range of 15th-17th with the bookies.
Early Prediction
This is a statement I could barely say in the past, but San Marino stands a chance this year. The song “ Tutta l’Italia” has proven itself as a local hit in Italy. It is catchy and mixes traditional elements with a contemporary production. One of the biggest advantages here will be the Italian language. Relying on the fact that the semi-final is the weaker of the two, it seems very possible that San Marino will qualify. The only open question for me is the way it will be stage. We need much more that the DJ booth.
With the right arrangement, this can be their best result to date (which is 19th in the final).
Prediction: 13-17 in the final. However, if the vocals won’t be on point, it can be a surprsing non-qualifier.
In the next chapter, we will review an additional 5 countries from semi-final 1
Eurovision 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland, on the 13th, 15th, and 17th of May 2025
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