Bror

I still don't know who that woman is

Confirmed for real now. Now just two other song contests to find songs for which have popped up since this one started!

I imagine they make more money from UK fans doing it this way. No reason they should care about UK chart statistics really - in their main market of the US they are racking up more than enough chart accomplishments (they release very frequently and seem to be locked in for an easy #1 every time, at this rate they might beat the record for most #1 albums there before Taylor Swift does!)

I know, just making an observation!

Final YouTube playlist 2 hours 53 minutes, so only 17 minutes longer than the Semi-Final 2 playlist despite having 10 additional songs. x Listenthrough on Monday? (I guess we can maybe also have a listenthrough for The Best Song Contest In The World... Ever! this week).

Have a feeling this would not have been the theme Rob would have chosen if he had hosted ddd. (no complaints from me ofc x)

Qualification streak update (underlined nations have matched or beaten their longest streak to date, streaks that are longer when counting non-consecutive participations are in italics where applicable): 01 67 Hendinia (non-consecutive: 72) 02 32 Aeroche 03 29 Danæviia 04 24 Neliönoir 05 23 Cor Lupus 06 22 Kluminican Republic 07 12 Fljótavík 08 10 The Spodic Empire 09 7 Bøtanikkä (non-consecutive: 8) * 09 7 Trifoski 11 6 Freidland 12 5 Bronzil 12 5 Jadakissnia 12 5 République d'Áskorza 12 5 Skall 12 5 Terra Avium 17 4 Elëdan 17 4 Kathaldazia 17 4 Land of DW 17 4 Sovarasma 21 3 Greenfroze 21 3 Herbilore 21 3 N DNTN 24 2 Aesthetica (non-consecutive: 3) 24 2 FARC 24 2 Lentyll 24 2 Lookylion 24 2 New Helvetica 24 2 Ojnoj 24 2 Taahino 24 2 Yehesi 32 1 Altyr Muunilinst 32 1 Deandria 32 1 East Rukahavian (non-consecutive: 5) 32 1 FSR Rontvia 32 1 Harmonica 32 1 Jupiterdonia 32 1 New Lexico 32 1 Pagasa 32 1 POPHub 32 1 Séyetana 32 1 Zanmatony xx (4) Pestolia xx (3) Aelandor xx (3) Dobago xx (3) Flynnonda xx (3) Zephyra Continuum xx (2) Ajanaeda xx (2) Cheiron xx (1) A-Konohagakure xx (1) Ben's Sanctuary xx (1) Cumulonimbia ** xx (1) Juranabaijan * Bøtanikkä's mid-contest withdrawal from BJSC 180 is not counted as a DNQ for the purposes of this list ** did not enter this contest so may resume a non-consecutive streak in the future No particularly long streaks ending this month, the biggest loss was Pestolia after a run of 4 qualifiers. So it's all non-movers in the top 10 - Hendinia's consecutive and non-consecutive records expand to 67 and 72 respectively, Aeroche still 2nd, Danæviia and Neliönoir still 3rd and 4th and expanding their records to 29 and 24 respectively, Kluminican Republic and The Spodic Empire also expanding their records to 22 and 10 respectively with the latter now making it 8 countries currently on a double-digit streak. Freidland remain just outside the top 10 and expand their record to 6. Below that, Herbilore finally make it to 3 in a row for the first time after getting to 2 in a row for the fourth time last month, New Helvetica get a proper streak for the first time right off the bat as they are 2 for 2 on qualifying so far and East Rukahavian's return after just a one contest gap gives them another qualifier which makes 5 in a row in non-consecutive contests, matching their previous record, also non-consecutive (BJSCs 58-60 & 70-71) - their consecutive record remains at 4 as set in BJSCs 182-185.

'BRAT' is her only album that has more than 4 weeks in the top 75. And this album is blatantly not 'BRAT'.

For what it's worth the very obvious AI did not escape notice during the veto process (actually I didn't post about it but I did remark about it to Rob x). Although there is no rule against AI entries anyway, just send at your own risk and face the public ridicule. x (ofc we had AI entries which were at least slightly less obvious before and in fact they had a good track record of qualifying - including one that I don't recall if the AIvestigation ever leaked onto the site itself so not sure if the sender even knows to this day that it is highly likely to be AI... - but this was certainly an interesting ~social experiment~ to see what happens if we have a blatant Facebook boomer grindset motivation slopfest in the contest, and it turns out the answer is it gets points from 1 in 6 participants!)

Where are the pickles with my mushrooms tho :'(

I might still chance sending it to BJSC at some point then hehe (unless they have been reconfirmed with a third song here)

Just listening to 'Aeropickles' again and weeping that it came last. Unmatched whimsy Lady Carrot to replace Lady BuzzJack in solidarity (for like a day x).

Oh I assumed from your PM that it was a different song sent by them!

Would have been denied the song I half-confirmed anyway then even if the artist hadn't already been taken! (probably better start looking for another song x)

Swapped medals with @!!! in the semi, now that's true taste <3 thanks for being my consolation gold of the month (these last three DNQs have each managed one - in fact quickly looking back at the semi scoreboards of the year so far 'Dearly Missed' is my only 2026 entry so far that didn't get a 12 in the semi even though it went on to be my biggest hit of the year so far...!) Thanks @Chez Wombat for the silver as well, was a shame you weren't there for the listenthrough aw. Gracias to @pavi, @AllStarBySmashMouth, @jakee (bumped up 1 point by the voting error I see hehe), @CowTzy, @Jacob- and @dhwe for the other points too, 8 voters is a small step up from the 6 each that PAON and Butch Kassidy got at least. x

Ennea was the winner of the 8 way tussle for my 1 pointer but that really turned out to all be even more inconsequential than I could have predicted - out of those 8 songs literally only 1 of them qualified 💀 (and I couldn't have made any of the others qualify even if I'd given them 12 points let alone 1 haha). Trifoski is a fine last qualifier (not quite up to the standard of most of their 2026 entries to date for me but still time for it to grow on me more), a bit gutted for Mothertopia though as they're also on an unfortunate DNQ streak and this felt like quite a bold change of direction from them, admittedly I wasn't totally sure what to think of it on first listen but it was one of the biggest growers for me on the second listen. From my votes then: 12 Q 10 Scotland 2 8 Q 7 Q 6 Q 5 Q 4 Q 3 Q 2 Q 1 Ennea 11th A-Konohagakure 12th Aelandor 13th Wholune 14th Mothertopia 16th Numayania (12 points in our hearts though <3) 17th Vaskla 29th Kylienips It's kind of satisfying in a way that the DNQs are all right there bunched in the upper middle apart from one at the very top and one at the very bottom. (and me x) And lost from my ranking of semi 2: 6th Zephyra Continuum 12th Cheiron 13th Dobago 16th Flynnonda 17th Ben's Sanctuary 18th Pestolia 21st Juranabaijan 25th Ajanaeda 29th Lotunia 30th Baleghde A bit more evenly spread out, good to have only lost the one of my top 10 here. I thought my final votes were going to be very semi 1 dominant but the mass death of those songs I ranked 10th-17th there will make a bit of room for more of the second tier semi 2 songs to creep in. Thanks for the hosting anyway Harve, I accepted my fate early on which made the stringing along bother me a little less! And I guess we end up with a final that should be a pretty manageable length for all hopefully, I shall look forward to spectating from my increasingly worn out sideline seat x (have now had more DNQs than qualifiers this year oops!)

I did post about this already! (I couldn't be bothered to figure out how to upload to YouTube myself xo)

38 points seems ok considering the unenthusiasm was palpable all week (and Dobago even sucked away the long song outrage discourse) 😎 The curse of Skall hosting = me DNQing remains intact over a span of the best part of a decade and a half, Harve I luh u but I may have to intervene if you're ever looking like hosting again xx I've never had 4 DNQs in a row (in consecutive contests anyway) so uncharted territory coming if I can't get my act together x (I do have a song that I could send that I'd be genuinely shocked if it didn't qualify but I have reasons for not wanting to send it. Maybe I will anyway tho. x) A-Konohagakure was another one that only barely missed out on my points (it was basically a coin flip between that in 11th and my eventual 1 pointer, still highly unlikely but not impossible that this was decisive x). Ah well... back on the bright side, Lentyll is another essential <3

Pagasa

Those two were both in the chasing pack of songs contending for my 1 pointer but not getting it unforch - Aelandor were very close (12th). Disappointing to see Vaskla out as I thought this was a much stronger entry than their debut, third time lucky? x I see I have at least matched the number of points Dobago got, I will chalk this up as another small victory regardless of how the remainder goes x

Congrats on the 3 streak Herbs! (still awaiting to see if I'll also get a 3 streak but the bad kind x)

I thought I was done with my constantly editing the capital L out of the middle of Lookylion that kept coming back every time you edited the OP. Oop xx I guess those last two qualifiers check out but aw at Cheiron narrowly missing out, though they also narrowly missed out on my own top 10 unforch (not that I was voting in their semi anyway). I had a good time with Dobago on the first listen, a little bit less on the second, it certainly doesn't need to be 37 minutes long but it made my top 15 anyway. The other two DNQs there were both decent too.

Hoping Cheiron will be one of the remaining two. And I can go for chaos in rooting for Dobago too why not (I don't think they will have made it though).

Were Baleghde 21st before the deduction though, that is the question!