Wanna know more about your Eurovision Song Contest 2025 artists? Before the show goes live, here’s some extra insight into the artists performing in the First Semi-Final.

The greatest music competition on the planet is about to begin, and the artists competing in the First Semi-Final are getting ready to put on the show of their lives. We know their songs , and we’ve had a glimpse at the staging and costumes . But there’s plenty more to know about the Class of 2025.

Wanna impress your Eurovision party guests with all your in-depth knowledge of everyone's fave new popstars? While you're waiting to see those performances unfold on stage at St. Jakobshalle, here are all the juicy facts about the stars of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.

🇮🇸 Iceland | VÆB – RÓA

The 2025 Contest might be the first time VÆB have set sail for the Eurovision stage, but it’s not the first time they’ve tried their luck. They were hoping to represent Iceland in 2024, and took their song Bíómynd (A Movie) to the country’s national final, Söngvakeppnin. They brought a strong game – classic VÆB energy, complete with an astronaut, princess and gorilla.

🇵🇱 Poland | Justyna Steczkowska – GAJA

Recognise Justyna? If you were watching the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995, you might just have seen her performing Sama. It’s been 30 years, and she’s back stronger than ever. She’s been using her time wisely and has released an impressive 19 albums, which might even make her the official queen of Polish pop.

🇸🇮 Slovenia | Klemen – How Much Time Do We Have Left

Klemen has an unusual dog - a Peruvian Inca Orchid Dog called Olivija. But the exotic breed is not even the most unusual bit – whilst the Peruvian Inca Orchid is known for being hairless, Olivija actually has hair. Maybe Moroccanoil is her secret?

🇪🇪 Estonia | Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato

Eurovision is just the latest stop on the career rollercoaster for Tommy Cash – he’s known for his distinctive videos and edgy sense of humour. He’s toured the USA, China, and Europe, and performed at festivals including Glastonbury in the UK, Sziget in Budapest, and Roskilde in Denmark. He loves a musical collab too – he’s performed with Charlie xcx, Diplo, and Bones.

🇺🇦 Ukraine | Ziferblat – Bird of Pray

Taking part in a televised music contest is familiar territory for Ukrainian trio Ziferblat – they took part in The X Factor Ukraine in 2019, where they were mentored by Andriy Danylko. If that name rings a bell, it might be because Andriy is better known as Eurovision legend Verka Serduchka. She came second for Ukraine in 2007 with Dancing Lasha Tumbai – can Ziferblat go one better?...

🇸🇪 Sweden | KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu

KAJ are friends Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård, and they’re well known for performing songs that celebrate Nordic culture. But whilst they’re representing Sweden at Eurovision, they’re not actually Swedish – they all come from Vörå, in the Swedish-speaking region of Ostrobothnia in Finland.

🇵🇹 Portugal | NAPA – Deslocado

5-piece band NAPA are from the beautiful archipelago of Madeira, which is over 800 km from mainland Portugal, and is actually geographically closer to Africa than it is to Europe. Their island home has inspired many of their songs, including Deslocado , which translates as ‘displaced’. It’s a song about the pain of feeling far away from home, but also the reassurance of knowing you can always return. We’re already booking flights.

🇳🇴 Norway | Kyle Alessandro – Lighter

This isn’t Kyle’s first attempt to represent Norway at Eurovision - back in 2023, aged just 16, he tried his Eurovision luck as a member the band Umami Tsunami and their song Geronimo . They lost out to Alessandra and Queen of Kings , so it clearly wasn’t his time to shine. But now he’s his own lighter!

🇧🇪 Belgium | Red Sebastian – Strobe Lights

Lots of our Class of 2025 have Eurovision connections, whether that’s competing on the Eurovision stage before, or trying out for their national final. But Belgium’s Red Sebastian can take it one step further – his vocal studies took him to the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, where one of his coaches was none other than 2023’s Gustaph, who took the Eurovision stage by storm in 2023.

🇮🇹 Lucio Corsi | Volevo Essere Un Duro

Italy’s Lucio Corsi didn’t actually win his national final…because in Italy they like to do things a little differently. The Sanremo music festival is a long-standing competition in its own right - it’s been showcasing popular artists for even longer than Eurovision has. Whilst the winner is invited to represent Italy at Eurovision, they’re not obliged to say yes – this year’s winner declined because of other commitments, so second-place Lucio Corsi stepped up.

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Mamagama - Run With U

Azerbaijan’s Mamagama are made up of three friends, Asef, Hasan and Arif. Whilst Hasan is the band’s guitarist, he also has other talents. In 2024 he was one of the songwriters on Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2024 entry, the haunting Özünlə Apar , performed by FAHREE feat Ilkin Dovlatov.

🇸🇲 San Marino | Gabry Ponte – Tutta L’Italia

Performed by legendary Italian DJ and producer Gabry Ponte, Tutta L’Italia has taken an unconventional path to Eurovision. It was never originally intended for San Marino at all – instead, it was the theme tune to this year’s Sanremo in Italy, and listeners loved it so much that San Marino came calling and asked Gabry to join their national final. 'Tutta L'Europa' it is, then!

🇦🇱 Albania | Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm

There are lots of Italian connections in this year’s Eurovision, and that includes Albanian duo Shkodra Elektronike. Songwriter-producer Kolë Laca and singer-songwriter Beatriçe Gjergji have both made Italy their home – but of course, they had to return to Albania to compete in the national final, Festivali i Këngës. And now they’re in Switzerland – we hope they’re collecting air miles.

🇳🇱 Netherlands | Claude – C’est La Vie

Singer and songwriter Claude moved to the Netherlands when he was 9, relocating with his family from Congo in search of safety – it’s the reason he sings in French, since that’s the official language in Congo. He’d never heard of Eurovision until his arrival in Europe, but Conchita Wurst’s Rise Like A Phoenix gave Claude a Eurovision heroine, and he’s been obsessed with the competition ever since!

🇭🇷 Croatia | Marko Bošnjak – Poison Cake

Marko Bošnjak’s Poison Cake is one of two songs this year that features the phrase ‘yum yum’ – the other is Go-Jo’s Milkshake Man from Australia. Before 2025, we had one song featuring ‘yum yum’ in 68 years; from Norway’s Subwoolfer in 2022. Basel 2025 has a new record for 2026 to try to beat - three 'yum yum's, we're ready for you.

🇨🇾 Cyprus | Theo Evan – Shh

In Shh, Theo Evan sings about a mysterious someone with golden locks and captivating eyes who is famous for his beauty, but we only recently found out exactly who he was singing about. After rehearsals in Basel, Theo revealed on social media that the song was about Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man – the universal symbol for the harmony of the human body and, more broadly, the universe.