ESC 2025: Who will be the star in the first semi -final in Basel?

ESC 2025: Who will be the star in the first semi -final in Basel?

St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Schweiz - On May 13, 2025, the first semi -finals of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) will take place in the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. The event begins at 9 p.m. and promises a colorful musical spectacle, in which 15 countries fight for ten final places. Among the top favorites are Sweden, Estonia and the Netherlands, such as ksta.de

The opening show of the evening includes appearances by dancers, jodlers and alphorn players who present large ESC winner hits. In the humorous break in "Made in Switzerland", the hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer will address typical Swiss clichés. In addition, the audience can look forward to a special performance: Marina Satti from Greece and other artists present the Swiss winner hit "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" together with a greeting from Celine Dion.

participants and special contributions

The participants of the first semi -final are:

• Island: Væb with "róa"
• Poland: Justyna Steczkowska with "Gaja"
• Slovenia: Klemen with "How Much Time Do We Have Left"
• Estonia: Tommy Cash with "Espresso Macchiato"
• Ukraine: Ziperblat with "Bird of Pray"
• Sweden: Kaj with "Bara Bada Bastu"
• Portugal: Napa with "Deslocado"
• Norway: Kyle Alessandro with "Lighter"
• Belgium: Red Sebastian with "Strobe Lights"
• Azerbaijan: Mamagama with "Run With U"
• San Marino: Gabry Ponte with "Tutta l’Italia"
• Albania: Shkodra Elektronike with "Zjerm"
• Netherlands: Claude with "C’est la vie"
• Croatia: Marko Bošnjak with "Poison Cake"
• Cyprus: Theo Evan with "Shh"

The representatives of the "Big Five" occur out of competition, whose contributions still apply to the vote: Spain with Melody ("ESA Diva"), Italy with Lucio Corsi ("Volevo Essere Un Duro") and Switzerland with Zoë Më ("Voyage").

Voting and Broadcasting

The audience can support their favorites in the second semi-final on May 15, 2025 and in the final on May 17, 2025. Germany is not entitled to vote in the first semi -final, but has a permanent place in the final. The sibling duo Abor & Tynna will compete for Germany with its electropop song "Baller".

The live show is broadcast on the TV station One and in the Livestream of the ARD Mediathek and offers international spectators the opportunity to look at the official YouTube channel of the ESC. A total of 31 countries take part in the semi -finals of the ESC 2025, with the top ten contributions from each semi -finals move into the final round, which will take place again this year in Basel.

for the ESC 2025 there are already some assessments of the favorites. According to bookmakers, Sweden has a chance of winning 42 %, followed by Austria with 19 %. Germany ranks with a share of only 1 % in the book maker ranking in 17th place, which illustrates the challenge for the sibling duo Abor & TynaNna, as rnd.de reported.

The Eurovision Song Contest has a long tradition and has been taking place since 1956. The event is considered one of the greatest music events in Europe, and despite a decline in global interest in recent years, participation for many countries remains a significant cultural event. Information on the number of spectators illustrates a slight increase in the ratings in 2024 when about 163 million people watched the show worldwide, what Statista shows an increase in comparison to the previous year.