Get the full coverage from the dress rehearsal of the first semi-final, currently taking place on the Eurovision 2025 stage in Basel. One by one, Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Ukraine, Sweden, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Albania, The Netherlands, Croatia and Cyprus will take the stage. We will be providing updates throughout the rehearsal with all the details received by our editorial team.
Today at 15:30 CET, the first dress rehearsal began for the live broadcast of the first semi-final, which will take place tomorrow at 22:00 (Tuesday, May 13).
Just before another dress rehearsal takes place this evening at 22:00, we’re here to report everything happening on stage in real time from Basel. As a reminder, this year the countries automatically qualified for the final will also perform during the semi-finals, but their songs will not be eligible for voting at this stage.
In the first semi-final, Spain (between Estonia and Ukraine), Italy (between Belgium and Azerbaijan), and Switzerland (between Croatia and Cyprus) will perform.
The show opens with breathtaking nature shots from Switzerland accompanied by dramatic music, as purple and blue hearts flood the screen.
Next, the Eurovision stage appears, with dancers performing in a modern style. A singer dressed in traditional attire enters, along with musicians standing on rocks, playing long wind instruments that reach the floor. The dancers perform acrobatic movements, and more performers in traditional costumes join the stage, moving toward the front.
Later in the performance, the singers perform parts of “The Code” by Nemo, the winning song of Eurovision 2024.
The show’s hosts, Sandra Studer and Hazel Brugger, then take the stage, welcome the audience in the venue and at home, and explain the voting rules—faithful to Eurovision tradition.
First Semi-Final – Initial Overview:
1. Iceland
The duo Vaeb takes the Eurovision stage dressed in silver outfits, accompanied by three dancers.
The dancers form the shape of a boat and wear bucket hats, which they remove and toss at the beginning of the performance. Midway through, a half-boat prop enters, with the dancers and the duo “sailing” in it, while LED screen effects in the background enhance the illusion. One member of the duo rides a skateboard to the front of the stage, followed by the rest of the performers.
There is pyrotechnics involved—smoke rises from the stage floor—and at the end of the performance, the dancers pull out silver violins and play them.
Vocally, the duo sounds rather shouty, though this may be due to the venue’s acoustics.
2. Poland
Justyna Steczkowska’s performance closely resembles her national selection show.
She begins the performance surrounded on all sides by four dancers, who perform acrobatic movements around her. She joins in the choreography, including her iconic spin and a mid-song violin solo. While singing, she runs to the main stage and grabs two cords that lift her into the air—without any visible harness!
She then sprints at full speed to the front of the stage and continues dancing with the dancers as flames rise from the stage floor.
Vocally, she sounds strong, and the slightly shouty quality is likely due to the venue’s acoustics.
A stunning rehearsal.
3. Slovenia
Klemen begins his performance with a hood over his head and videos of his wife projected on the screen behind him, surrounded by countless golden stars.
From the very start, the emotional intensity is at its peak. Midway through the performance, two dancers tie him with two cords and turn him upside down—while he continues to sing. He then lowers himself and detaches from the cords.
His vocals grow stronger as the song progresses, with golden lighting descending from the ceiling. His wife walks around him with the cameraman (she is not visible in the frame), and stands back-to-back with Klemen. They embrace and kiss at the end of the performance.
An emotionally moving performance—our reporter Shahar Asido shed a tear.
4. Estonia
Tommy Cash opens his performance with several off-key notes, as the LED screens behind him display the words “Winners Cafe.”
He holds a coffee cup in his hand, which he throws away, and is surrounded by four “security guards” (dancers) who dance alongside him. Throughout the performance, the vocals remain very weak. The staging is very similar to his performance at the Estonian national selection.
At one point, he sits on one of the security guards, and during the act, a “fan” runs on stage holding a sign and even dances with him during part of the performance.
At the end of the show, Cash declares: “Coffee for everyone!”
He’s undoubtedly headed to the final, but it remains unclear whether he’ll place high.
Spain
Melody begins her performance wearing a massive black ruffled dress and a black hat that covers her eyes.
The dancers are positioned underneath her ruffles and help remove them. To the audience’s applause, the dancers strip away the rest of the dress, revealing a short silver outfit. Melody moves to the front of the stage, emerging from a purple curtain. The curtain drops from the ceiling during the performance, and she dances with her five dancers, climbing a staircase toward a raised platform at the back of the stage.
At the end of the song, golden fireworks fall from the ceiling, and a dancer lifts her in an acrobatic move.
The performance was energetic and fun to watch, though vocally it lacked precision.
Spain automatically qualifies for the final as part of the “Big 5.”
5. Ukraine
The Ukrainian performance opens with a backing vocalist hitting a high note, surrounded by a dreamlike aura — a visual mirrored around the lead singer of Ziferblat, who immediately begins walking toward the front of the stage.
The three backing vocalists have flashlights attached to their fingers, which they use throughout the performance.
Vocally, the execution is far from accurate, and fireworks shoot from the ceiling of the arena.
The stage is lit in shades of pink and purple, and toward the end of the performance, a particularly jarring off-key note is heard (well, more than one, actually).
The overall performance feels messy, as the lead singer runs back and forth repeatedly from the front to the back of the stage.
6. Sweden
The band KAJ sticks closely to their performance from the Swedish national final — staying true to tradition.
At the start of the act, we see a campfire and a sausage roasting, surrounded by dancers singing live, fir trees, and firewood. The group performs their iconic dance with the dancers, after which the dancers lift a sauna structure, and the band members sit on top of it.
The dancers quickly reappear in the background, now dressed in towels and bucket hats. The camera angles shift frequently, and large flames rise from the stage floor.
The stage colors transition to a more colorful and cheerful palette, enhanced by green lasers that look fantastic on screen. The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. The vocals sounded entirely decent, and the number was highly entertaining to watch.
Is this a winning song? That remains to be seen.
7. Portugal
The performance by the band NAPA begins with yellow lighting around the stage, as the band members play guitars, drums, and piano while the lead singer performs.
At one point, an airplane and a calm beach-sea atmosphere appear on the LED screens. The singer and two of the musicians move toward the front of the stage and then return to the back.
The stage floor turns blue, and white lighting accompanies the end of the performance.
It’s not a particularly engaging performance, and the chances of this song qualifying for the grand final are extremely slim.
Vocally, the performance was passable.
8. Norway
Kyle Alessandro begins his performance inside a structure made of two long gray segments.
He steps out as the stage floor turns red, with a campfire visible on the left side of the stage, and two dancers join him. Fire effects appear on the LED screens. Kyle and the dancers move toward the front of the stage, and in front of the stage frame, flames rise at floor level.
The performance is very similar to the one from the national final, though with a longer pause before the dance break. One of the dancers performs an acrobatic line at the front of the stage while Kyle attempts a high note — which isn’t particularly accurate.
In our opinion, he’s definitely headed to the final, though the performance could still pack a bigger punch.
9. Belgium
True to his name, Red Sebastian’s performance is entirely red!
The red lighting is so blinding it’s making it hard to write this article!
The performance begins at the front of the stage, with framed images of eyes displayed in red frames. Red lies on the stage floor, where his reflection is visible beneath him. Three dancers, styled to look like him, join him on stage and mirror his movements.
Thankfully, the stage floor turns white at some point and not just entirely red. Red runs to the main stage and hits a high note, while the LED screens behind him show countless Red Sebastians dancing in unison.
There was major disagreement among our team regarding the quality of the performance.
Italy
Lucio Corsi opens his performance playing an unusually long piano, with English subtitles for the song appearing on screen — a rare sight on the Eurovision stage.
Behind him are two oversized electric guitar amplifiers and an electric guitar player. Lucio walks to the front of the stage, plays the guitar, and sings together with the guitarist.
Despite the ban on live instrument playing on the Eurovision stage, it appears that he plays the harmonica live at the end of the performance.
Following the Italian performance, there is an intermission during which the hosts toss small animal plush toys toward the audience and showcase past Eurovision performances that featured special and grandiose props.
10. Azerbaijan
The band Mamagama kicks off their performance with bass that resonates throughout the entire arena, orange lighting, and the three band members facing one another.
Three dancers join them on stage, while animated dancers performing the same moves appear on the LED screens.
Lead singer Asaf plays a traditional string instrument. Flames rise from the stage floor toward the end of the performance.
Vocally, the performance is mostly decent but features some off-key moments at the beginning.
Unfortunately, despite the energetic staging, the song is likely to remain in the semi-final.
11. San Marino
Gabry Ponte begins his performance at the DJ booth in the center of the stage, accompanied by fireworks, with three vocalists and two instrumentalists performing alongside him.
The LED screen features a highly amusing animation of Michelangelo’s statue looking angry and chewing pink gum. Throughout the performance, various iconic Italian symbols appear, including the Colosseum—and even the Vitruvian Man makes an appearance on the screen.
The performance is filled with flames and fireworks, and this is likely to be San Marino’s best Eurovision result to date.
12. Albania
Shkodra Elektronike open their performance with the lead singer at the front of the stage, moving backward as the male vocalist drums on geometric shapes.
She performs her signature dance during the chorus, followed by a staged “battle” on stage, marked by a clash of colors—red for the singer, and black-and-white for the male vocalist.
Leke’s vocals do not sound good; his voice is very weak, possibly due to a sound issue or hoarseness. The red background alternates with black and white during the second chorus, and fire jets erupt from the stage.
The lead singer returns to the catwalk, dances her iconic moves again, and delivers a high note not heard earlier in the performance.
The song ends with a red beam of light rising from LEKE’s direction.
13. The Netherlands
The performance begins with a close-up of Claude, reminiscent of Slimane, the French representative from last year.
The entire act is filmed in a single camera shot. The singer walks toward the main stage, accompanied by two dancers and three violinists.
Countless flowers appear on the LED screens and also frame the stage.
At the end of the performance, Claude dances in front of a mirror that reflects the image of his younger self. The performance concludes with deep emotion, though vocally it includes several off-key moments.
There’s no doubt he’s qualifying for the final.
9. Croatia
Marko Bošnjak opens his performance wearing a massive coat, with lighting in green, red, and black—remind you of a certain flag?
He is joined on stage by four female dancers. At one point, video art of a giant snake appears across part of the stage.
During the “happier” segments of the song, the stage lighting shifts to pink and purple.
As the performance ends, accompanied by flames rising from the stage floor, the singer removes his coat.
The overall vibe is aggressive and strongly reminiscent of Ireland’s Bambie Thug from last year—in every possible sense.
Switzerland
Zoe Me also performs her song in a one-shot take.
The performance feels intimate and emotional, with clever use of focus, lighting, and more—looking fantastic on screen.
The singer remains seated until near the end of the song, when she stands up and the lighting rapidly shifts to blue and purple tones.
At the end of the performance, the audience is asked to turn on their phone flashlights. The result is nothing short of breathtaking and truly elevates the song.
We completely understand why Switzerland is ranked 9th in the odds—and in our opinion, she deserves an even higher position.
10. Cyprus
Theo Evan opens his performance by recreating the Vitruvian Man pose together with two of his dancers, using two scaffold-like structures.
Theo sounds excellent, the choreography is well synchronized, and there is extensive interaction with the scaffolding throughout the performance—dancers and Theo move, lift, climb, and dance on them.
He’s undoubtedly qualifying for the final, and this is one of the most surprising performances of the night.
The hosts return to the stage and present a recap of all the songs. The journalists were then asked to leave the hall.
Curious to know who we think will qualify for the final? (In random order)
Avi: Sweden, Cyprus, Belgium, Netherlands, Estonia, Poland, Albania, Norway, San Marino, Ukraine.
Ofek: Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, San Marino, Albania, Netherlands, Cyprus.
Shachar: Slovenia, Sweden, Albania, Cyprus, Ukraine, Poland, Netherlands, San Marino, Norway, Estonia.
Ronnie: Cyprus, Albania, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, Norway, Ukraine, Belgium, Netherlands, Estonia.
Tal: Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, San Marino, Albania, Netherlands, Cyprus.
Thank you for staying with us!
Join us at 21:00 CET for the second dress rehearsal!
Eurovision 2025: This will be Switzerland’s 65th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Switzerland joined the competition in 1956, being one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Its most recent victory was at the last Eurovision in 2025, with Nemo’s song “The Code.” This win follows Switzerland’s previous victory in 1988 with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi,” performed by international singer Céline Dion.
