A Musical Blender
Christer Björkman, the competition co-ordinator for many editions of Melodifestivalen, returns for his seventh edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, where he is the curator of the running order.
For Christer, it has always been important to separate songs by their different energies and styles, to create a dynamic and engaging show that ebbs and flows through genres and styles at breakneck speed. If Christer Björkman likens creating a running order to “building a musical”, then this year’s musical theme is a potpourri of Europe’s music in one big blender.
Where Nothing Is The Same
What is striking about Eurovision 2025 is the incredibly large number of more diverse entries than ever before. The language diversity of the 2025 Contest is well known. With only ten nations without English as a native language singing their entry in English this year, there is a clear shift that shows broadcasters, artists, and songwriters that there is less need to switch to English for international success today than ever before.
It isn’t just that, though. Musically, this show offers up so many different genres that are incomparable to each other. Usually, at this point in a running order analysis, I look for the two ballads that had to be stuck side by side or the two dance numbers that feed off each other. This year, they don’t exist. The idea of comparing two performances in the same genre does not happen anywhere in either Semi-Final.
Openers Are Uptempo
Iceland opens Semi-Final One with ‘Róa,’ a modern take on a classic Eurovision sound with key changes and fiddles in all the right place. Looking through the list of other entries on offer to Björkman, if you are looking for a crowd-pleasing yet expectations-setting track to kick off the competition, there was only ever really one choice.
Perhaps less expected was the choice of ‘Milkshake Man’ opening the second Semi Final, when there were choices of ‘Laika Party’ or perhaps even ‘Survivor’ representing Armenia in the mix. ‘Milkshake Man’ is distinct from these two for its innuendo-driven approach, call-and-response plays to the audience and a music video that suggests staging that would be more psychedelic than the average Eurovision number. It’s imperative not just for the success of the song but the success of the show that the crowd are warmed up and ready to engage in their “yum, yum” lines in response to Go-Jo, so I’m hoping that the Semi Final Two Opening number is an engaging, crowd-pleasing affair.
Number Twos in Common
Any song chosen to perform in second will invariably be viewed with a defeatist vision in the Song Contest. However, it’s prudent for us all to remember that Ukraine finished 3rd at Eurovision 2024 from this slot in the Grand Final, with nine sets of douze points (two juries, seven televoting), so there are reasons to dismiss how curse-ridden the slot is.
The songs in slot 2 are not anywhere close to the favourite billing of Ukraine’s ‘Teresa & Maria’, however. While unlikely to be in contention for Eurovision victory, both Poland and Montenegro this year do share one trait with each other—being previous Eurovision contestants. Perhaps their choice in second is more for the purpose of the commentator? Something to latch on to during the postcard to heighten interest in the next act on stage and set high expectations.
Good Draws For The Bookies’ Favourites
Betting markets are open for the Semi-Finals, and both currently show odds-on favourites, with Sweden the expected winner of Semi Final one and Israel the winner of Semi Final two. Both have been placed late in their respective halves of the draw, with crowd-pleasing songs from Ukraine and Luxembourg leading into them.
Yet winning a Semi Final or not is irrelevant; both of these nations would qualify for the Grand Final, whatever running order witchcraft was performed midweek.
So Who Benefits?
When evaluating a Eurovision running order, I always look for later draws, moments of crescendo, and side-by-side comparisons. While comparing songs in similar styles isn’t straightforward, this year, there are moments of fresh air in this eclectic musical circus that stand out for all the right reasons.
I think ‘C’est La Vie’ on paper might be concerned about coming after Albania’s much-appreciated entry ‘Zjerm’ this year, but they shouldn’t be worried. The back-to-back comparison here works for the Dutch entry, and the clarity of Claude’s vocals really shines in the recap video compared to the wall of noise that Albania’s entry is all about. In Eurovision, one rarely votes for walls of noise, they vote for a character, and there’s a good chance for the Dutch act to acquire lots of appreciation here from across the continent.
I also felt the same when hearing ‘Mila’, Serbia’s entry, snuggled in second last in Semi Final Two. It comes after Germany’s dance-y number and Erika Vikman’s showstopper from Finland. Yes, Erika’s placing here is epic beyond all consideration, but there’s something refreshing about the Balkan ballad in this penultimate slot that elevates its charm and makes qualification more likely.
What is Sergio Jean hiding?
The man-of-the-moment in the Eurovision community at the moment is Sergio Jean. Springing to attention in our world for a stunning creative concept that elevated ‘Doomsday Blue’ to sixth place in Malmö, numerous countries have booked Sergio to help with stage direction this year.
Now Sergio has already had a hand in Finland’s national selection this year, working as a creative and multicam consultant at the competition that eventually crowned ‘Ich Komme’. One wonders more with a save-the-best-to-last draw for Finland if there’s something else or something new added to Erika’s make-you-gasp performance.
Sergio Jean is working with other nations this year, one of which is Cyprus. We know very little about Theo Evan’s ‘Ssh’, an entry that was selected internally months ago but only released as a music video after the submission deadline. While demonstrating a budget beyond what many countries can bring, that music video doesn’t give any direct clues for how a staging may present itself.
And now, this number is drawn last in Semi Final One. That decision means that for the next six weeks, we will be speculating ad infinitum about what Cyprus may have up its sleeve.
The Big 5 Sandwiches
As the Reference Group agreed for last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the Semi Finals will feature full performances from the Big 5 and host country, performed in the same block of the show as the Semi-Finalists. We had concerns last year that this would break up the flow of the competitive and non-competitive aspects of the Semi-Finals, but such a worry didn’t materialise.
What I will note, though, is that in these smaller-than-usual 15- and 16-song Semi-Finals, the Big 5 nations have been pushed later in the draw rather than equally spread out. While on paper, the Swiss ballad ‘Voyage’ is a classic Björkman second-to-last song to choose before the big finale, how does that flow work when it’s a non-competitive entry coming before Cyprus, all alone in the show flow in Song 15?
It is pushing the envelope as to what it means to include the Big 5/Host Country performances. Will it affect the show? The only possible example is the decision to move the advert breaks of Semi Final one back in 2008, due to the intricate staging that both Greece and Russia brought to Belgrade that year. That run meant Greece closed the show but with an ad break separating it from the pack.
How did that end up? Oh, Greece won the Semi Final by a 19-point margin, only to stumble in the Grand Final, finishing back in third—a Grand Final that Russia won.
Good news for Cyprus fans.
Azerbaijan’s Heavy Lifting
The temptation must have been there to be really funny. You have to sandwich the Italian song somewhere in Semi Final one, as they are voting in that show. In that show, you have Estonia’s ‘Espresso Macchiato’ with all its Italian stereotypes, and San Marino’s ‘Tutta l’Italia’ with all its Italian stereotypes. Having an Italian entry next to either of those would be a commentator’s dream.
Alas, it’s not the case, and we will have the three minutes of Azerbaijan’s entry separating Italy’s Eurovision entry and San Marino’s music to signal an advert break for Italy’s Eurovision selection.
It’s sensible. Having it back to back would have overshadowed the competitive part of the Song Contest. But I wonder if it is still too close, and the Contest’s biggest in-joke might still overshadow Azerbaijan’s chances.