LexC

Six finalists have qualified and I think this is the best option that Iceland has available Ew2jcSIkk-c Studio of the English version which I think she'll switch to for the final brYYdqsXTJI

I just...don't get it. Unless there's something truly off the wall that Tommy Cash has planned for the performance in Basel, I don't really see anyone getting it outside of Estonia and its immediate neighbours...all of whom (Finland, Latvia, Lithuania) are in the other semi final.

In case anyone doesn't feel like slogging through all the finalists in full: U_SYNx3jWJE What a load of dreck! Black Biceps are the only vaguely interesting ones but they were tanked by the jury in the heats so not expecting that one to go through.

Team anyone but Tommy Cash tonight!

Tone Damli and Erika Vikman both in Eurovision in the same year would be a major battle of the BJSC darlings (which Erika would win hands down sorry Phil!) Nataleen or Tone are the best competitive options but I feel like Norway are going to go with Kyle Alessandro.

The performance is a bit #TeamTooMuch but earth mother is earth mothering!

Justyna takes the win! ON92aOS8QQ8

It was in BJSC 124 Spreadsheet's here (plus it only DNQ'd by virtue of non-voting so I guess that's a great "what could've been" counterfactual of BJSC history!)

So Sanremo is the same exhausting mess it always is (sorry I know some fans love it but give me a tightly produced nordic production any day of the week). Some good tracks in there as always but the most likely winner is probably Giorgia. lYrjLt9cn0Y With Achille Lauro (of San Marino 2022 fame) a possible dark horse -VDE0aoVDxo

Pink Pony Club DNQing in early 2020 is probably the biggest post-BJSC blow up if we're comparing contest performance and size of the eventual smash into consideration.

New Lexico are back and we are hungry!

01 Finland: Erika Vikman - Ich Komme 02 Belgium: Red Sebastian - Strobe Lights 03 Albania: Shkode Elektronike - Zjerm 04 Malta: Miriana Conte - Kant 05 Spain: Melody - Esa Diva 06 Luxembourg: Laura Thorn - La poupee monte le son 07 Ireland: Emmy - Laika Party 08 Slovenia: Klemen - How Much Time Do We Have Left? 09 Greece: Klavdia - Asteromata 10 Montenegro: Nina Zizic - Dobrodosli 11 Latvia: Tautumeitas - Bur men laimi 12 Ukraine: Ziferblat - Bird of Pray Ukraine is the only one so far that I actively dislike.

KANT is being SERVED!

(he says in full knowledge that someone might find that the drummer once bought a pink of milk in Russia and they're therefore disqualified or something)

Easily Ukraine's weakest entry for a while - will be interesting to see if just "being Ukraine" is enough to get this higher than five other songs in Semi One.

Erika absolutely killed it - surely the obvious winner!

Get her Jade!

Love this - and probably the best chance Ireland had of qualifying from a televote only Semi Final.

Loving Klara's song (as would be expected) but Erik is in a very strong second for me. Hopefully they're the two direct qualifiers tomorrow.

Obviously it all comes down to the choice of song but there's definitely an audience for melodic country-pop and they definitely seem capable of a strong vocal performance which could do well in a way that runs up a high score with juries and a middling public vote in that way that The Netherlands/Portugal seem to have worked out how to do successfully (think: Douwe Bob, OG3NE, S10, MARO, iolanda).

Congrats Cody! Welcome to the very exclusive tiebreak winners club x Blissfully surprised to have stormed my way to 13th and as high as 5th on the leaderboard at one point on the back of a good number of 18s as well (Rob it's about time you paid me back for all those points over the years x)

3 minutes late but New Lexico have voted

01 Belgium: Red Sebastian - Strobe Lights 02 Albania: Shkode Elektronike - Zjerm 03 Spain: Melody - Esa Diva 04 Luxembourg: Laura Thorn - La poupee monte le son 05 Slovenia: Klemen - How Much Time Do We Have Left? 06 Greece: Klavdia - Asteromata 07 Montenegro: Nina Zizic - Dobrodosli Don't hate anything picked so far (Slovenia a bit of a guilty pleasure for my musical theatre loving ass)

Approximately one sixth of the entries have now been declared so it's time for the rankings thread! (maybe I'll actually post in it this year :o)

Melody wins - Hot mess express Benidorm to Basel is now boarding!