Five countries will act tonight

No less than five countries will show at least something today.

Moldova starts today. You can watch the live auditions at 14:00 CET here, where 35 artists will perform, in order to make a selection for the national final. 35, while 36 songs are in the race: Angel Kiss perform to songs. 

Norway continues with their semifinals. The show will start at 19:50 CET and can be watched here. The fourth one will contain four songs again, performed in duels:

  • Hege Bjerk, “Pang”
  • Magnus Bokn, “Over the sea”
  • Nordic Tenors, “In this special place”
  • Oda Loves You, “Love who we love”

At 20.00 CET also Israel will have another show: a semifinal of  Hakokhav Haba l’Eurovizion! You can watch it here. Four artists will perform and only two of them will head to the final….   The four artists performing tonight are:

  • Eden Alene
  • Ella-Lee Lahav
  • Lali Kolishkin
  • Ohad Shragai

Lithuania will also have a semifinal at 20:00 CET, which can be watched here and here.  It’s the first of three semifinals. The contestants tonight are:

  • KaYra, “Alligator”
  • Viktorija Miškūnaitė, “The ocean”
  • Baltos Varnos, “Namų dvasia”
  • Rūta Loop, “We came from the sun”
  • Gabrielus Vagelis, “Tave čia randu”
  • The Roop, “On fire”
  • Kristina Jure, “My sound of silence”
  • Alen Chicco, “Somewhere out there”
  • Aistė Pilvelytė, “Unbreakable”

And last, but not least: Melodifestivalen, the Swedish national final.  This contest also starts at 20:00 CET and can be watched here. Seven songs compete. Two will head directly to the final, while two other songs will go to “Andra Chancen”, the second chance festival of Melodifestivalen.

  • The Mama’s, “Move”
  • Suzi P, “Moves”
  • Robin Bengtsson, “Take a chance”
  • Malou Prytz, “Ballerina”
  • OVÖ, “Inga problem”
  • Sonja Aldén, “Sluta aldrig gå”
  • Felix Sandman, “Boys with emotions”

The Mama’s and Robin Bengtsson already have been at the Eurovision stage: The Mama’s last year as the backing choir of John Lundvik, Robin Bengtsson represented Sweden in 2017 with the song “I can’t go on”.  Malou Prytz became last in the final in 2019. Sonja Aldén has taken part as a songwriter several times, but as a singer we saw her in 2007 and 2012. Felix Sandman was in the final twice before: in 2017 with the boyband FO&O, in 2018 he was the runner up as a solo singer.

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Vienna 12 points: Live music at Eurovision 2026

📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett Live music at Eurovision 2026 is making an unexpected return for Finland. The EBU has given Linda Lampenius special permission to play her violin live during the live shows in Vienna. Why Finland asked for live violin Lampenius represents Finland together with singer Pete Parkkonen. Their song, “Liekinheitin”, means “Flamethrower” in English. The act is built around a strong musical dialogue between Parkkonen’s voice and Lampenius’ violin. For that reason, the Finnish team asked the EBU to allow real violin playing on stage. A rare Eurovision exception This is a remarkable decision. Since 1999, Eurovision performances have mostly used pre-recorded instrumental tracks. Artists may sing live, but instruments on stage are usually not heard live. They are often used as part of the visual show. The rule helps the production team, because Eurovision has many acts and very quick stage changes. However, Finland’s request has been approved. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, the live violin was tested first. After that test, the EBU accepted the plan. The news is important because live music at Eurovision 2026 could give Finland a more natural and emotional performance. It also makes the act stand out in a year full of big staging ideas. Lampenius has said she is happy with the decision and sees it as a historic moment. There was a small exception in 2025, when Italy’s Lucio Corsi played harmonica on stage. That was possible because the sound could be picked up through the vocal microphone. Finland’s case is different, as Lampenius has official permission to play her violin live. What happens next? Finland will perform in the first semi-final on Tuesday 12 May. The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna on Saturday 16 May. The decision does not mean that all countries can now use live instruments. For now, it looks like a special exception for Finland. Still, many fans will watch closely. If the live violin works well, it may start a new discussion about the future of live music at Eurovision.

Read More »
Eurovision 2026
Martijn

Vienna 12 points: Live music at Eurovision 2026

📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett Live music at Eurovision 2026 is making an unexpected return for Finland. The EBU has given Linda Lampenius special permission to play her violin live during the live shows in Vienna. Why Finland asked for live violin Lampenius represents Finland together with singer Pete Parkkonen. Their song, “Liekinheitin”, means “Flamethrower” in English. The act is built around a strong musical dialogue between Parkkonen’s voice and Lampenius’ violin. For that reason, the Finnish team asked the EBU to allow real violin playing on stage. A rare Eurovision exception This is a remarkable decision. Since 1999, Eurovision performances have mostly used pre-recorded instrumental tracks. Artists may sing live, but instruments on stage are usually not heard live. They are often used as part of the visual show. The rule helps the production team, because Eurovision has many acts and very quick stage changes. However, Finland’s request has been approved. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, the live violin was tested first. After that test, the EBU accepted the plan. The news is important because live music at Eurovision 2026 could give Finland a more natural and emotional performance. It also makes the act stand out in a year full of big staging ideas. Lampenius has said she is happy with the decision and sees it as a historic moment. There was a small exception in 2025, when Italy’s Lucio Corsi played harmonica on stage. That was possible because the sound could be picked up through the vocal microphone. Finland’s case is different, as Lampenius has official permission to play her violin live. What happens next? Finland will perform in the first semi-final on Tuesday 12 May. The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna on Saturday 16 May. The decision does not mean that all countries can now use live instruments. For now, it looks like a special exception for Finland. Still, many fans will watch closely. If the live violin works well, it may start a new discussion about the future of live music at Eurovision.

Read More »
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