Eurovision 2025 Reviews: Part 5

With twenty-two songs down and only fifteen more to go, I'm racing against time to finish reviewing all 37 songs before the madness of Eurovision week fully descends. Let's take a look at today's offerings, which come from Albania, Germany, Greece, Norway and Slovenia.

Norway: Kyle Alessandro - "Lighter"

It's probably safe to say that Norway's national selection, Melodi Grand Prix, wasn't at its best this year. Over the last few years, we've become used to seeing a strong final from Norway, with several songs that could succeed at Eurovision, however this year's selection felt somewhat half-baked. Maybe after Gåte's disappointing result last year, NRK wanted to send something more palatable to the rest of the continent, which gave us a slightly unusual collection of songs in that none of them really brought us anything new. To the credit of the Norwegian public, they did send forward arguably the best package of the lot, in Kyle Alessandro's "Lighter". Kyle is the youngest performer at this year's contest at the age of nineteen, and is no stranger to MGP, having previously appeared in 2023 as part of the group Umami Tsunami, making it to the final with the song "Geronimo". This year's effort is a slick, catchy pop song that Kyle delivers with a certain sincerity that does endear you to him when you watch the live performance. As the song's title may suggest, there is a lot of fire, and Kyle performed this at MGP dressed as a knight (for no discernible reason). It's visually impressive, bound to get people on the dance floor, and Kyle is strong vocally. However, to me this comes across lyrically as being clunky. It's not entirely clear what this song actually means. Is Kyle singing about setting himself on fire? Something illuminating the way forward? Nobody seems to be entirely sure except for Kyle himself, who, as I've said, performs with a clear conviction. Having said that, I do think this is the kind of song that allows you to relax into the tune and hook, which I think is among the strongest of the year - it's a song I will listen to all the way through if it comes on, and do find myself humming from time to time. First-time listeners are likely to look at this and see an enthusiastic young man with dancing, fire and a fancy outfit - and maybe that will be enough.

My other main issue with this package is its message - or lack thereof. Kyle has claimed that he wrote this song to honour his mother after a battle with cancer. Maybe this is the case - perhaps when Kyle sings "nothing can burn me now", he's saying that nothing could be as bad as what he and his family have been through. However, I'm personally not sure how you begin with that thought and end up with lyrics such as "Golden girl dressed in ice, a heart as dark as night [...] I really think I bought your lies, did anything to keep you mine" This comes off as a generic break-up song, and I think that's fine, but I find it strange that Kyle has chosen to give us this story alongside it. Again, I don't doubt that this has been a dreadful time, but it feels to me that this sad anecdote has been added to the package to provide an element of relatability that doesn't exist in an otherwise fairly standard performance. I think the best Eurovision songs are those that feel real and authentic, and to me, this inconsistency threatens that for Norway. The story Kyle is telling us isn't easy to see within what he gives us on stage - and I think there are ways of incorporating it without putting the audience in the unique position of trying to work out what his dance breaks have to do with his mother's cancer diagnosis. As I've said, this is a strong song in and of itself, and I almost wish Kyle had just let it be, because I think it stands on its own as a competent package. It's catchy, well-crafted and in theory should stand a chance with both the juries and televoters if it reaches the final. Yes, it's not trying to change the world, yes, it may be more suited to a contest five years ago, but we must remember that the vast majority of the viewers on the night won't have scrutinised the meaning of the lyrics to the extent that I have above, and I think this comes in with enough of a running start that we could be in for a surprise in Basel.

My Score: 7

Slovenia: Klemen - "How Much Time Do We Have Left"

Slovenia were one of the first countries to participate individually in Eurovision following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, making their debut in 1993. Since then, they've seen a variety of results - never reaching any higher than seventh in the final, however they don't have a bad qualification record, having got through the semi-final in both 2023 and 2024. Both of those entries were selected internally by the Slovene broadcaster, but this year Slovenia moved back to their national selection EMA, which gave us "How Much Time Do We Have Left", performed by Klemen. Klemen is an actor, comedian and singer who has been involved with Eurovision before in a number of ways, including presenting EMA and acting as the spokesperson for the Slovene jury. He's also performed various Eurovision medleys, one of which created a controversy after his selection this year when it emerged that he had performed in blackface when recreating Dave Benton's winning song from 2001.This, however, died down fairly quickly when Benton said that he was not offended by the performance. Klemen's song, "How Much Time Do We Have Left", is more or less what the title would suggest, a heartfelt ballad about his wife's journey with cancer. Comparing it to Norway's song, the message of this song is much clearer and should be accessible to a first-time audience. However, I do think this means it lacks a bit of subtlety. Lyrics like "you read a diagnosis, it said that you'd be dyin' soon" and "a man in white, with a room full of diplomas trying to get it right" leave you in no doubt what Klemen is singing about, but I would argue don't do as much to build the emotional connection that a song like this needs to have.

Another peculiarity of this song for me is in the bridge. It starts off with Klemen telling his wife "I admire your power, I admire your will ... your ability to heal", almost suggesting that her recovery was a result of her being more determined than other patients. Whilst it is of course fantastic that she has recovered and is now healthy, this feels like an unusual way for Klemen to be describing it. Then as the bridge progresses, it only becomes more confusing as Klemen says of his wife "you never gave up, until you grew wings and you learned how to fly ... you landed right into my arms" The first time I heard this song, before I had properly researched the story behind it, I thought - perhaps with good reason - that Klemen's wife had passed away and then returned to him as an angel. Again, she has recovered from her cancer, but it feels like another strange choice of wording from Klemen, who seems to have relied on more generic lyrical tropes in this instance. Both of these inconsistencies do cast a bit of a shadow over a song that is otherwise deeply moving and emotional, and whilst they may not have the biggest impact on the night, I'm not sure what it may give people to take away. To distract from this, Klemen performed part of the song at EMA upside down, a trick that is apparently going to be repeated in Basel. I'm not entirely sure what this adds to the package other than possibly giving it a moment to stand out in a crowded field. The song should stand on its own, and I think it's another curious choice for Klemen to make this moment about himself in what is ostensibly a song about his wife's struggle. Overall, I'm not entirely sure how this is going to do when we get to Basel. I think it has a chance to qualify, but don't think it will get off the ground in the final. The package has a lot more potential than what we have ended up with, and it's currently being damaged by a series of choices that I find difficult to understand.

My Score: 4.5

Greece: Klavdia - "Asteromáta"

Greece has been a fairly reliable country in Eurovision since the turn of the century. They've finished in the top ten twelve times, the top five four times, and of course won the whole thing in 2005 with Helena Paparizou. This decade, their record remains strong - apart from a blip in 2023 - and this year Greece held a national selection for the first time since 2018, which saw Klavdia emerge victorious with the song "Asteromáta". There's no mistaking where this song comes from. It has that undeniable Mediterranean flavour, and let's face it, is too adventurous to be a Cypriot entry. This national flavour is complemented perfectly by lyrics about affinity for one's homeland, considering that relationship through the lens of displaced people. It's authentic, though not necessarily in the most accessible way, and it definitely isn't in the same league as Salvador Sobral's winning song from 2017, which could be reasonably argued to be another example of this genre. I do like this song, and much like Portugal's "Grito" last year, I feel an overriding respect for this song as it is a highly competent musical package with a strong vocalist. I can appreciate that this is a good song, however, I think my enjoyment of it is capped somewhat because it almost feels like it's not made for me. That sounds silly, but I suppose what I mean is that this year, I feel like Greece have (as Portugal themselves often do) chosen a song to represent them, without trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator across the continent - a strategy that I do have a lot of admiration for. Klavdia performs this with grace, elegance, poise and class. Her voice carries the song very well, and it builds, slowly but surely, without ever breaking out any Eurovision tropes such as an ill-timed drop or big key change at the end - and again I think this deserves respect. "Asteromáta" is an earnest song that isn't trying to be anything else or fit into any particular landscape.

I would, however, like to see a slightly elevated performance when we get to Basel. At Ethnikós Telikós, this year's Greek national final, the whole thing came across a bit X Factor - by which I mean soulless. Klavdia was alone on stage, quite unassuming but wearing her trademark glasses - and the main 'wow' moment of the song came when she opened her mouth to sing for the first time. The problem with that is of course that you then need to keep a first-time audience engaged for another two minutes and fifty seconds. Without the presence of a jury vote in the semi-finals, I think this will be on the borderline for qualification as it is, and if we don't see an improved visual package from what we've seen so far, this song could struggle to connect. We've seen over the past couple of years that similar songs like Alika's "Bridges", Teya Dora's "Ramonda" and the aforementioned "Grito" haven't qualified by the biggest of margins, and in a semi-final as competitive as hers this year, Klavdia really will need to step it up a notch. I do think this is entirely possible - the Greek selection show was quite shambolic from start to finish and I'm sure Klavdia did her best with what she was given; and I do think Greece tend to stage their entries quite well (again, with the exception of 2023). There is also definitely an audience for this song, and there's nothing quite like it among its competitors - in fact, I think it's biggest threat comes from France's Louane performing in exhibition not too long after Klavdia on the night with another example of a similar song but done better. It should pick up a few diaspora votes along the way, with the use of the Greek language helping it out in this regard, but without the guaranteed support it usually has from Cyprus, its position is a lot less clear. Overall, this is a package that Greece need to treat carefully. If executed well, it has the potential to make the country very proud, however, if it doesn't come together on the night, I fear it may be forgotten.

My Score: 6

Germany: Abor & Tynna - "Baller"

Germany don't have the most impressive track record in Eurovision of late. Since Lena's victory in 2010, they have finished last four times, and second-last another three. Last year, Isaak's "Always on the Run" did, however, manage to make it to the left-hand side of the board thanks to a substantial jury vote, and this year Eurovision heavyweight Stefan Raab was brought in to revolutionise the national selection. He immediately came out with the bold statement that "Our goal is and remains victory ... Nothing less than victory justifies such a collaboration." which prompted much derision from fans, particularly when the format of the selection was downright confusing and meant that the public only got a choice at the last possible moment, between the five songs that Raab and his fellow jurors had chosen for them - out of the 24 that participated in total. The eventual result was that siblings Abor and Tynna won the ticket to Eurovision with their hip-hop number "Baller", which is the first song Germany are sending in their native language since 2007. It's slick and catchy, though I do find it a bit annoying after a while. The song doesn't quite seem to know what it wants to be - it's not overly shouty, nor is it particularly melodic, meaning that the whole thing comes off a bit one-note. The reception in the fan community has been positive, and many people think it's the best German Eurovision entry for a number of years, but I struggle to work out who the target demographic will be on the night. 'Alternative' entries tend not to be rewarded by the juries, and as I've said, I don't think it leans enough into any particular area to gain many televotes.

Another issue with this package seems to come in the form of Tynna's vocals, which have been less than impressive so far. To be fair, she has been suffering from laryngitis, however, has relied heavily on pre-recorded backing vocals and doesn't seem to be able to carry the song. This also won't help it when it comes to the jury vote on the night, and I do fear that circumstances are conspiring against Germany this year. The package feels lumpy, and Abor doesn't seem particularly fussed by the whole thing, meaning that I don't think it has any defining element. It all feels quite frenetic, and the way Tynna performs to the camera occasionally comes across as a bit aggressive. That being said, with a bit of refining, the staging could make for an enjoyable three minutes. It's a song that isn't particularly revolutionary, but should be performed energetically with a fun moment when Abor's cello is smashed - if everything comes together, it could be one to get people up and dancing. That being said, I think there's too many unknowns about this package and I don't think it works. It feels like rather than going in any specific direction, we've got a little bit of everything, which has given us a song that nearly works, but feels very busy and lacks something to bring it together. I do think it's nice that Germany are sending a song in German, and that they are taking a bit of a risk in sending a song outside of the mainstream pop sphere. In terms of a wider question on Germany's trajectory in Eurovision, this is a step forward, but I don't think this will be their year, unfortunately.

My Score: 5.5

Albania: Shkodra Elektronike - "Zjerm"

Albania are always one of the first countries to select their Eurovision song, and this year was no exception, with Festivali i Këngës reaching its conclusion before Christmas. The fan favourite was Elvana Gjata with the song "Karnaval", however, it was "Zjerm" by the relatively unknown quantity Shkodra Elektronike, that was victorious in the end. Shkodra Elektronike describe themselves as a folktronica duo, and "Zjerm" incorporates many different emotions, with a central message of hope and the titular motif of 'fire', which the group has said symbolises power and renewal. The song's lyrics, written by the duo, are described by singer Beatriçe Gjergji as exploring human compassion, and mixing traditional Albanian elements with modern sounds. I think this is the best Albanian entry since the country debuted in Eurovision in 2004. The regional sound has been made accessible to a continental audience, with a charismatic lead singer who brings a certain attitude to the song that should draw the audience in. With a slightly elevated stage performance in Basel, I do think this has potential to bring in support from most countries, although I think it loses a portion of its charm by not having the orchestra behind it as it did at FiK. Kolë’s part of the song provides an incredible contrast to Beatriçe, making the song more dynamic and giving it a moment of solemnity to balance the exuberance. This subdued section, with its gloomy, dour lyrics, is intriguing and mysterious, and will certainly be remembered by most of the viewers.

This has had an incredible reception from Eurovision fans, particularly for an Albanian entry, and the Albanian delegation must have recognised this, as they've set aside more money than ever before for the promotion and stage show of "Zjerm". This may have been somewhat premature, as I don't think we'll be heading to Tirana next year. Albania have done well in the televote in recent years, benefitting particularly from diaspora votes in 2023, and I think this song will appeal to the juries, however, I think it does have a slightly harsh edge, which along with the lack of mutual recognition carried by the Albanian language, could stop it from getting over the line. In a just world, this should be in the top ten however, with potential to creep into the top five if it comes together on the night. My only other concern lies with Kolë’s part of the song, which does run the risk of getting lost on the big stage if things like costume and lighting aren't planned carefully, however, I still think this should stand out as there really isn't anything else like it and with the right sound mixing, the atmosphere this has the potential to create is off the charts. "Zjerm", in contrast to Germany's "Baller", manages to combine its various elements in a way that allows all of them to shine - I think both the folk and electronic sections are good enough to win over their respective audiences, whilst still remaining unique and arresting. This is a song that steadfastly refuses to be moulded and re-shaped for Eurovision - Shkodra Elektronike are staying authentic to themselves, and at a time when so many Eastern European countries are withdrawing from Eurovision, I think we desperately need a song like this to succeed.

My Score: 9

And with that, we finally have a new leader! With the highest score so far, Albania overtakes France as my personal favourite, but of course there are still two more sets of reviews to come, and another ten songs that could yet put a cat among the pigeons. Both of those should be out within the next week, after which point I will be digesting all the rehearsal content coming out of Basel in preparation for the big shows themselves. See you soon!