It’s mid-May, which means Eurovision is upon us once more. Months of internal selections and national finals have led us to a week of three shows that comprise the modern contest: Semi-Final 1 on Tuesday, May 12; Semi-Final 2 on Thursday, May 14; and the Grand Final on Saturday, May 16. All three will be available to stream on Peacock in the U.S., or, for the first time this year, on the Eurovision Song Contest’s official YouTube channel. You may have heard about boycotting this year’s contest — a subject that Pop Heist has covered already. But if you are about to watch Eurovision (or are currently mid-show), you might hear a song in Albanian, or Croatian, or Greek, or even English while you let this year's entries wash over you — and maybe you'll think, “Boy, it’d be nice to know what the heck this song is about.”
Well you’re in luck, as Pop Heist has reached out to me — one of the three hosts of the biggest U.S. Eurovision podcast, Eurovangelists — to give you a quick breakdown of each song. With our help, you can enjoy the performances without doing a crash course in the nearly two dozen languages you'd need to know to understand every song in this year’s contest.
Now, if you’d prefer to let the songs speak for themselves and make your own guesses, don’t let me stop you! This is a perfectly valid way to enjoy the show, and, dare I say, the most popular. But there are some out there who prefer to dance while also being informed. And for those of you enlightened celebrants out there, I present this guide to the 2026 Semi Finals, laid out in running order (mostly) for both shows. You can also watch the music videos for these songs right now via our YouTube playlist of this year’s entrants in alphabetical order by country.
Semi-Final 1
Moldova
Satoshi: Viva, Moldova!
Semi-Final 1 starts with an absolute banger, but these are sick beats with a purpose. Satoshi’s high-energy anthem isn’t trying to bait the Eurovision audience by singing in multiple languages; he’s telling the continent that Moldova wants to embrace Europe. The country is currently in their accession phase for joining the European Union, and they recently strengthened their case by fending off an attempt by a Russia-backed party to assume control of their government. So it’s not just fun to sing along to; it’s also true. Moldova IS on duty.
Sweden
Felicia: My System
The kings and queens of pop in Sweden have sent another earworm in the form of this EDM-tinged pop song by masked artist Felicia. She tells the story of a lover that just won’t leave her head, her heart, or indeed any of her body parts, no matter how hard she tries to forget them. It’s a relatable jam about not being able to let someone go, even if they’re wrong for you, and as the chorus suggests, you won’t be able to shake this one out of your mind for weeks to come.
Croatia
Lelek: Andromeda
OK, strap in, because this history lesson is worth the trip. Lelek’s song reaches back to the 1600s, when the Ottoman Empire was expanding further into Europe. The tattoos on the faces of the performers are inspired by real tattoos from that time period, called sicanje or bocanje. Their ancestors would get these tattoos as a sign of their faith, and to potentially discourage Ottomans from kidnapping them, as tattoos are forbidden in Islam. “Andromeda” is a testament to resisting oppression through your sacred traditions, fighting for your freedom, and refusing to live under a tyrant — still pretty relatable, for some strange reason!
Greece
Akylas: Ferto
“Ferto mu,” the repeated phrase in the chorus of Akylas’ ethnobop, translates to “Bring it to me.” But before you accuse him of being greedy and wanting all the fancy cars, clothes, and food for himself, consider the bridge: Akylas invokes his mother, saying he’ll finally be able to buy her all the things they lacked when he was young, and they’ll never want for anything again. What a sweetheart. But, as Akylas himself says after these touching verses, “Whatever, you get it.” FERTO MU FERTO MU FERTO
Portugal
Bandidos do Cante: Rosa
This tender love song by the boys from Portugal fits right in with the sort of thing the country loves to send: songs that are undeniably Portuguese, and most of the time, beautifully arranged and calming to listen to. Rosa is a classic heartsick ballad in which a garden full of roses conjures up the memory of a past love and her beauty — which, oddly enough, makes it one of the two rose-based love ballads this year.
Georgia
Bzikebi: On Replay
The name of this group out of Tbilisi translates to “Wasps,” which makes sense if you consider they got their start winning 2008’s Junior Eurovision with the hyperactive song, “Bzzz.” But they’ve grown up — while still keeping to their black-and-yellow roots — and (mercifully) dropped the onomatopoeia in favor of this dance track that urges their partner not to forget them but instead keep them on replay. If their precise choreo from the video comes to the stage with them, this one is likely to be the dance standout in Semi-Final 1.
Finland
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen: Liekinheitin
Finland has come extremely close to winning Eurovision this decade, but this song, whose title translates to “Flamethrower,” might just be the one to do it. This power ballad pairs the heat of Pete (peh-tuh) Parkkonen’s impassioned vocals with the cool technical brilliance of Linda Lampenius’s virtuoso violin, which she successfully petitioned the EBU for the right to play live. So you can marvel at Linda’s shredding skills live while Pete despairs at her cold exterior, despite the fire they feel inside. (Fun but irrelevant fact: Linda Lampenius was on Baywatch playing a violinist almost 30 years ago.)
Montenegro
Tamara Živković: Nova Zora
Tamara’s female empowerment anthem, which translates to “New Dawn,” boldly imagines a better future for women — while also having a beat you can dance to. The chorus, beginning with “No shackles, no shackles, none / A woman born as if from thunder,” makes Tamara’s belief that feminine power will change the world feel electric, and her stage show is likely to reinforce this as well.
Estonia
Vanilla Ninja: Too Epic to Be True
Despite their somewhat baffling name, Vanilla Ninja are beloved in their native Estonia, and they represented Switzerland in 2005 with the song “Cool Vibes.” In fact, they’re so big in Estonia that they have their own ice cream bar, the sign of true fame for a rock band. While their pop-rock track about the incredible chemistry found with a new partner isn’t doing anything different from their 2005 entry, it is bouncy fun — and it probably goes down even better with a Vanilla Ninja bar in hand.
Israel
Noam Bettan: Michelle
In the interest of keeping this one short to focus on other artists, might I recommend some light reading instead?
Belgium
Essyla: Dancing on the Ice
Essyla is, unsurprisingly, singing about dancing on ice — a famously precarious place to do so, especially with the slightly off-kilter rhythm of this arty pop song. But this one’s in English, so it’s pretty easy to follow the metaphor. While dancing on unstable surfaces may be dangerous, this is where Essyla feels the most alive, so she’ll continue doing so, the risks be damned.
Lithuania
Lion Ceccah: Sólo Quiero Más
Lion Ceccah, an artist bursting with talent and incredible staging ideas, nearly went to Eurovision last year, finishing second in 2025’s Eurovizija.LT with his song “Drobė.” But he came back even stronger (and silver-er) this year with “I Only Want More,” where he implores the universe for more than just survival, more than just the bare minimum in these crazy times. We’re right there with you, Lion, as we all deserve a lot more than we’ve been getting from the universe lately.
San Marino
Senhit ft. Boy George: Superstar
Senhit, a now four-time selection by San Marino, brings a slightly predictable pop girlie jam with a side of Boy George. Yes, inexplicably, that Boy George. While Superstar is a fun ride and decent enough, it’s not particularly deep, so instead we continue to stan her 2020 ode to sexual freedom that sadly never got to compete, “Freaky.”
Poland
Alicja: Pray
Alicja’s our third returning act in a row in Semi-Final 1, having also been denied the chance to perform in 2020 with her song, “Empires.” After years trying to return, at last she’s back with this whiplash-inducing gospel/hip-hop number. While we’re glad to see Alicja performing at Eurovision at long last, there’s been a recent trend of rap breakdowns in songs at national finals, and we’re here to say: Your song does not need a rap breakdown if you can sing gospel music like this.
Serbia
Lavina: Kraj Mene
Lavina’s drawn the final spot for Semi-Final 1, but it’s pretty a decent closer when it comes down to it. “By My Side” explores what the idea of what “for better or worse” really means: The singer’s partner abandoned them in their time of need, and they’re now haunted by the memory of them. The lament “The more I give, the less you want me” acts as a good snapshot of the song as expertly howled into a broadsword by Lavina.
Semi-Final 2
Bulgaria
Dara: Bangaranga
The incredibly fun-to-sing “Bangaranga” translates to “Riot,” and Dara would like to make it clear that she’s not causing the riot: she is the riot. It’s a classic “let’s get crazy, y’all” dance track, but the beat and Dara’s star power help sell that she is about to party all night long, as she’s had more than twenty top 5 singles in her native Bulgaria since 2017.
Azerbaijan
Jiva: Just Go
Jiva competed to represent Azerbaijan back in 2011, but she didn’t make the cut. She did get the nod this year, via internal selection, with an entry that feels fresh out of the AI ballad machine. But Jiva’s giving it her all. She’s got a fine voice, but it’s hard to bring a fresh take to lyrics like “Go, no more tears will ever flow / I'm begging you, just go,” which sound like lines we’ve heard dozens of times before.
Romania
Alexandra Căpitănescu: Choke Me
Semi-Final 2’s nu-metal rocker is a little more in-your-face than your average Eurovision song, as you may have noted from its provocative title. Alexandra herself claims that the song is about desperation, and the title refers to wanting to choke herself with self-love and care. (She’s made it clear she isn’t encouraging sexual violence among young women when the act of choking is becoming increasingly common, despite the many risks.) It does also rock pretty hard, and we do love that.
Luxembourg
Eva Marija: Mother Nature
Luxembourg returned to Eurovision three years ago after a long absence, and so far, has only sent women in their early twenties. But all three have been fantastic singers with solid pop songs, and this year, Eva Marija adds in a side of lively violin in honor of her hero, past Norwegian winner and violin master Alexander Rybak. While she doesn’t have quite as storied a career with the violin as Linda Lampenius of Finland quite yet, Eva’s optimistic song that looks to the natural world for guidance is the feel-good jam of the year, and boy, is it welcome.
Czechia
Daniel Žižka: Crossroads
This is the second year Czechia’s done an internal selection after ending their national final, ESCZ, and it’s the second year in a row they’ve sent an underwhelming ballad by a male singer with a great voice. (At least last year’s had a fun dance break.) This meandering song about feeling lost, both personally and societally, doesn’t hit, and ends up being a poor showcase for an obviously talented vocalist like Daniel Žižka.
Armenia
Simón: Paloma Rumba
Simón is another artist who nearly made it to Eurovision last year, with his song “Ay Paparey Bye.” But now he’s back with a pretty irresistible ethnobop, whose title roughly translates to “The Dove’s Dance.” The music video does a great job portraying Simon’s displeasure with office life as described in the lyrics, urging listeners to break free of the nine-to-five and hit the dance floor instead. Also, if we’re talking about the video, this one has every indication of being the dance performance of 2026, so keep your eye on Semi-Final 2.
Switzerland
Veronica Fusaro: Alice
While perhaps not a standard Eurovision song in genre or content, the meaning of Veronica Fusaro’s rocking lovelorn tune, about watching a failing relationship from the outside, is only compounded by its excellent video, which is like a great three-minute short film. How the story of “Alice” will be rendered on stage is another question, but the slow, blues-y riffs are likely to find fans regardless of their deeper meaning.
Cyprus
Antigoni: Jalla
Fans of Love Island UK’s Season 8 might already be familiar with Antigoni, but it turns out she had slightly bigger ambitions than reality TV stardom. Antigoni’s chant-along song is all about people calling for more when she starts dancing (“Jalla! Jalla!”), and the infectious rhythm of this track might have your watch party calling for the same. It’s the most distinctively Cypriot-sounding song they’ve sent in years, and the most fun since the much beloved “Fuego” of 2018.
Latvia
Atvara: Ēnā
While Atvara does an admirable job of communicating the meaning of her song all on her own through her passion and the simple visuals behind her, “Ēnā” (“In The Shadow”) is about how people are forced to hide themselves, literally and metaphorically, to accommodate the behavior of struggling addicts of drugs, alcohol, or anything else. As the people around them retreat, they’re forced to move little by little into the periphery, and Atvara’s song handles the pain of this slow retreat with real weight and dignity.
Denmark
Søren Torpegaard Lund: Før Vi Går Hjem
As part of our parade of “Artists Who Came Back Stronger After Losing Their National Final,” Søren bounced back from his 2023 loss at Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, with “Lige her,” by absolutely crushing it in 2026. Those years have served him well. This dark, driving song in his native Danish, about an intense physical connection, is one of this year’s sexier tunes. Søren is caught up in the moment and asks his partner to make the most of it with “før vi går hjem” (“before we go home”).
Australia
Delta Goodrem: Eclipse
The phrase “Céline Dion of Australia” gets thrown around a lot in reference to Delta Goodrem — but when you hear this song, it makes sense. It's a pretty standard Eurovision power ballad about the moment when the singer and her love are perfectly in sync, but Delta’s voice is anything but standard. No guarantee she’ll be playing the piano at her performance, but a 100% certainty that everyone will be hearing Delta just fine in the cheap seats once she starts to belt this one out.
Ukraine
Leléka: Ridnym
Ukraine hasn’t had the luxury of sending a light, silly song for many years, but luckily, they’re one of the countries that always seems to know how to perfectly stage their songs (serious or not). Leléka’s earnest appeal, “To the Loved Ones,” imagines life in Ukraine after the conflict. But its chopped, harsh drum sounds call to mind gunfire and explosions, reminding the listener that Ukraine is still very much in the middle of a war with Russia, and there’s currently no end in sight. But we hope, for Leléka’s sake, that when the conflict ends, she’ll be able to “stitch together a new destiny” for her loved ones, as she sings in the chorus.
Albania
Alis: Nân
There’ve been quite a few songs in recent years about the effects of “brain drain” in Europe, which is when talented young people leave their homes for better opportunities in wealthier countries. Baby Lasagna’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” and Napa’s “Deslocado,” both from the last couple of years, focused on the young person. But Alis sings from the heartbreaking perspective of those left behind: his mother, in this case. Powerful, dramatic, heartfelt — this is the song Alis was spurred to write after his song “Mjegull” (“Fog”) came in second to “Zjerm” last year at Albania’s national final, and his growth as a songwriter and a performer is impressive.
Malta
Aidan: Bella
Sometimes, Eurovision songs are simple, and when executed well, as Malta's Aidan does with this romantic ballad, they just work. It’s certainly not reinventing the wheel, but his ode to a beautiful memory shared with an old friend feels like vintage Eurovision as the rose petals fall (Aidan qualified months before Portugal’s “Rosa,” so there’s no beef here). A well-sung standard like this wouldn’t feel out of place in the contest even back in the ’50s. (Aiden’s leather cowboy outfit? Now that’s a different story.)
Norway
Jonas Lovv: Ya Ya Ya
Eurovision is mostly pop, though there have been a lot more flavors in the last ten years than in the decades before. But sometimes, you just want a straight-ahead rock song, and that’s where Norway’s Jonas Lovv comes in. It’s as deep as any Black Keys song is, but Jonas’s swagger made him the obvious choice at their national final. So maybe lock in with him and just bang your head for a few minutes — he’s a good draw for the closer of Semi-Final 2 to end on a high note.
Automatic qualifiers
These songs by last year's Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom will be performed throughout the semis as well, the first two in Semi-Final 1 and the following three in Semi-Final 2. This setup is a new development as of a couple years ago. But by long-standing contest rules, all five of these are already through to the Grand Final, so they’ve got nothing to worry about until Saturday. Austria gets the traditional free pass as they won in 2025 and thus are hosting this year. The other countries are known as the Big Four (normally the Big Five, but Spain is boycotting this year's contest) for putting up a larger portion of the funding for Eurovision, and for that they’re given a pass to the Grand Final. It ain’t totally fair, but a show like this ain’t free either.
Italy
Sal Da Vinci: Per Sempre Si
Sal Da Vinci (born in New York City, raised in Naples) is here with the ultimate wife-guy anthem, “Always Yes.” It’s quite literally a song about how his life is worth bupkis without his amazing wife, and how he’s going to be saying yes to being with her for eternity. It’s clear Sal is trying to become the premiere wedding singer of Italy for the next 20 years with this disco-inflected ballad. It’s pretty fun, and if it came on at a wedding? We’d be saying yes. Maybe not forever, but at least for three minutes.
Germany
Sarah Engels: Fire
“Fire” is another one of those track like Azerbaijan's “Just Go” that feels as though they were written by copy-pasting earlier, better Eurovision songs. Sarah Engels has quite a climb ahead of her with this tired track that only lightly roasts an unfaithful ex. The only interesting lyric is the one that asserts “Like a vampire, you hide / And come out at night,” a behavior not usually attributed to exes. But are we likely to see this vampire come out at night on stage? Not a chance.
France
Monroe: Regarde !
Monroe actually grew up in Utah, but her mother Martine is a French immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who later moved to the U.S. So in addition to learning French at home, she’s been singing at her Mormon church since she was a child … well, even more of a child (she’s only 17 years old). The lyrical content of “Look!” speaks of a love that helps a lost soul find their way, which is definitely well-worn territory in Eurovision. But the pipes on this chanteuse américaine cannot be denied — especially when her ballad, with its operatic flair, might appeal to the many fans of JJ’s “Wasted Love” and Nemo’s “The Code,” the previous two winners.
Austria
Cosmó: Tanzschein
Cosmo is another teenage competitor, at 19, but like any good Austrian, he’s already dreaming of improving the world through the power of bureaucracy. Specifically, he wishes there were such a thing as a “Dance License.” Chill people who had them could freely enter clubs and get down in safety and comfort, and aggro creeps who annoy people and misbehave would be banned from entering. This minimalist raver is hardly the most profound song this year, but we do hope to see Cosmo’s good vibes continue on the dance floor at the afterparty.
United Kingdom
LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER: Eins, Zwei, Drei
All of Scandinavia sent normal songs this year, so someone had to make up the difference. Thankfully, the delightfully bonkers “One Two Three” by YouTube music maker and Furby hacker Sam Battle, aka LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, is proper British and picking up the weirdness slack with his massive modular synths, as he rails against the humdrum workaday world. It’s also great to hear lines like “All my pounds they feel counterfeit / I need some euros to counter it” coming from the UK in LMNC’s oddball techno banger, which may just mean they get enough good will to earn themselves a single televote point this year (unlike last year).
