Ilay Gaist, Author at EuroMix

Austria: “Vienna Calling 2026” Contestants Revealed!

December 15, 2025 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Austrian national broadcaster ORF announced today the participants of “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich 2026”, which will determine Austria’s entry for Eurovision 2026. The Austrian national broadcaster ORF revealed today (Monday) the 12 artists who will participate in "Vienna Calling 2026" through which the Austrian entry for Eurovision 2026 will be chosen. Among them are several familiar names within Austria’s music scene. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); After a preliminary screening that included over 500 applications, a panel of judges selected artists to progress to the auditions held in November. Today, the “Vienna Calling” contestants and their song titles were officially unveiled. The lineup includes one former contestant, several well-known names, and fresh newcomers. One of the songs has already been published on YouTube, while the others will be released at a later stage. “Vienna Calling 2026” Contestants Anna-Sophie – "Superhuman" Bamlak Werner – "We Are Not Just One Thing" Cosmó – "Tanzschein" David Kurt – "Pockets...

HaKokhav HaBa – Episode 16: Saar Hadar Is the First Contestant Eliminated From the Show

December 13, 2025January 12, 2026 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Saar Hadar is the first contestant to bid farewell to HaKokhav HaBa. 20 contestants remain in the race, including Agam Hazan, Elior Shemesh, Daniel Azar, Portrait Band, Gili Tsanaani, and Alona Erez. Full recap of Episode 16. Last night’s special episode revealed the 21 contestants who made it into the finalists’ team of "HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2026. The decision was made after a tense evening of repeated performances before the season’s five judges — with one clear goal: only one contestant will represent Israel at Eurovision. The selection process dramatically narrowed the competition, officially positioning the remaining contestants in the opening lineup for the battle to represent Israel at Eurovision. Tonight, seven contestants took the show’s main stage, facing off head-to-head. According to the format, the contestant receiving the lowest score would be eliminated at the end of the episode — marking the immediate end of their Eurovision journey. This first elimination round heightened the tension and made one thing clear: the road to Eurovision...

Tonight at 17:00 CET: Junior Eurovision 2025 Live from Tbilisi!

December 13, 2025January 12, 2026 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Watch: Tonight at 17:00 CET, the 23rd edition of Junior Eurovision will kick off live from Georgia's capital, Tbilisi! 18 countries will compete tonight for first place! Below is a link to watch the broadcast. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place this evening at 17:00 CET in Tbilisi, Georgia, at the Gymnastic Hall of Olympic City. Georgia, the winner of the 2024 contest, earned the right to host Junior Eurovision 2025 after its victory at the 2024 edition held in Madrid. The slogan for 2025 aligns with the main Eurovision theme and will be “United By Music”. Participating Countries and Notable Changes 18 countries will compete this year for the top spot: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Ukraine, and host country Georgia. Estonia and Germany have withdrawn from the contest, while Azerbaijan, Montenegro, and Croatia are returning after several years of hitaus. (adsbygoogle...

Israel at Eurovision: Noa Kirel Criticizes the Withdrawn Countries – “Ignoring Reality”

December 12, 2025December 13, 2025 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Noa Kirel opens up in an interview about the criticism directed at Israel, the withdrawal of five countries from Eurovision in protest of Israel’s participation, and various other hot topics related to the contest. Noa Kirel, Israel’s 2023 Eurovision representative with the song “Unicorn” — which earned third place — gave an emotional interview to the British national broadcaster BBC television program “The World Tonight”. Speaking openly, she reflected on the major changes in Eurovision since her performance, particularly in light of the ongoing Israel–Gaza conflict and the shifting attitudes toward Israeli participants over the past two years. Kirel highlighted the importance of Israel’s confirmed participation in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, set to take place in Vienna, Austria. She also commented on the decision by Iceland, Spain, The Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to withdraw from the contest in protest. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Kirel expressed her deep disappointment at the decision of the five countries to boycott Eurovision, citing accusations...

Nemo Against Israel’s Participation: “I’m Returning the Trophy to the EBU”

December 11, 2025December 13, 2025 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Eurovision 2024 winner Nemo Mettler announces they are returning their trophy, protesting Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026. A week after the historic conference held by the EBU in Switzerland - approving Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 - the controversy continues to escalate. Eurovision 2024 winner Nemo Mettler posted a statement on Instagram today (Thursday), declaring that they will return the trophy awarded for their victory. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “I’ve decided to send the trophy back” "Last year I won Eurovision, and with it came the trophy, [...] Although I’m immensely grateful for the community around this competition and everything this experience has taught me - both as a person and an artist - today I no longer feel that this trophy belongs on my shelf. Eurovision claims to stand for unity, inclusion, and respect for everyone. These values are what made the contest meaningful for us. Yet Israel’s participation - while, according to the UN Independent...

70% of Britons: Boycott Eurovision Because of Israel’s Participation!

December 11, 2025January 12, 2026 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 82% of Britons say Israel should be disqualified from Eurovision 2026 after the EBU ruled it may participate. What do party leaders in the United Kingdom think? A survey conducted in Britain found that seven out of every ten people in the United Kingdom support boycotting Eurovision 2026 because of Israel’s participation. The EBU convened a committee on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at which it was decided that Israel will continue to participate in the contest. Countries such as Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and The Netherlands – and yesterday, December 10th, 2025, also Iceland – announced that they will boycott the contest after calling for Israel to be disqualified because of the military operation in Gaza, and even accused Israel of using unfair voting methods at Eurovision 2025. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 70% of Britons support boycotting Eurovision 2026 because of Israel’s participation, according to a survey conducted in the country. The EBU ruled last...

Armenia Is Expected to Participate in Eurovision 2026!

December 11, 2025 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Eurovision supervisor, Martin Green, announced that five countries are expected to withdraw from the contest. From this it can be inferred that Armenia has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria. After the contest supervisor, Martin Green, revealed the estimated number of participating countries in the upcoming contest, it was confirmed that Armenia will take part in Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria. Armenia is the 35th country expected to participate in Eurovision 2026, following Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the host country, Austria. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Armenian national broadcaster AMPTV has not yet officially announced its confirmation, and the assumption that it will participate stems from cross‑checking Green’s statement with the fact that the final date to confirm participation or withdraw from the contest...

Artists’ Revolt in Festival da Canção: “We Won’t Represent Portugal Because of Israel”

December 10, 2025December 10, 2025 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); An unprecedented number of contestants in "Festival da Canção" declare they will refuse to represent the country if they win, protesting Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026. During the past weekend, Portugal’s national broadcaster RTP announced that it had voted in favor of the new contest regulations and supported Israel’s participation during the General Assembly of the EBU. The broadcaster has since faced internal backlash from its employees over this decision. Now, 11 out of 16 songwriters participating in the Portuguese Eurovision preselection “Festival da Canção 2026” have jointly declared that they will refuse to represent Portugal at Eurovision following the decision that Israel will take part in Eurovision 2026. This stance was made possible by a newly added clause in the festival’s regulations stipulating that the local winner is not obligated to represent Portugal at Eurovision - a contrast to previous years. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In their joint statement, the eleven participating artists expressed unusually strong criticism of Israel, saying...

Iceland Withdraws from Eurovision 2026 Over Israel’s Participation

December 10, 2025January 12, 2026 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Iceland joins the boycott against Israel: The Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV has officially withdrawn from Eurovision 2026. A total of 35 countries are expected to participate in the contest in Vienna. In recent minutes, the Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV announced Iceland’s official withdrawal from Eurovision 2026. The decision was reached this evening following a decisive discussion by the broadcaster — just before the final registration deadline for the contest. Iceland is now the fifth country to announce its withdrawal from the upcoming contest, which will be held in Vienna, Austria and joins Spain, The Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia, all of which made similar decisions last week due to Israel’s participation. The official withdrawal statement read: “In light of the ongoing public debate in Iceland and the reactions to the EBU’s decision last week, it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail around RÚV’s participation in Eurovision. Therefore, RÚV concludes that it must inform the EBU today that it will not take part in next...

Sissal Hints: A Surprising Comeback to DMGP 2026 on the Way?

December 10, 2025 by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Danish singer Sissal Hansen, who represented Denmark at Eurovision 2025, sparks speculation after hinting at "secret plans" for 2026, suggesting a possible comeback to Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. The "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix" is intensifying as several countries reveal their 2026 candidates - including familiar names from the Eurovision community - vying for another chance to compete in Vienna, Austria. Among those potentially joining the list is none other than Sissal, Denmark’s 2025 Eurovision representative, who performed the song “Hallucination”. Sissal recently appeared on the morning show "Go' morgen Danmark" (in English: “Good Morning Denmark”) where she performed her latest single, “I’m Not Crying, I’m Dancing”. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In the interview, Sissal discussed the meaning of her new song and subtly teased a return: “2026 may be even bigger than 2025”. She mentioned her 2026 calendar is filling up quickly, with much of her time dedicated to studio work. Recently, she has been collaborating with Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, and Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt —...