Image source, Reuters

One down, two to go.

The first Eurovision semi-final has come to and end, and the results were a mixed bag. Some fan favourites (Croatia, Belgium) were unceremoniously booted out; while Portugal and Iceland, who were languishing at the bottom of the bookmakers' odds, somehow survived.

It's hard to discern a pattern there. The qualifiers were a mixture of upbeat, life-affirming pop anthems and introspective ethno-musical power ballads - but the same can be said for the acts that went out.

Portugal will be happy, though. They'd been facing relegation for the first time since their debut in 1994.

The action kicks off again on Thursday, when you'll get a chance to see the UK's act, Remember Monday, performing What The Hell Just Happened? for the first time.

The show kicks off at 20:00 BST / 21:00 local Swiss time.

And, as a reminder, as one of the Big Five, the UK will progress straight to the grand final on Saturday (along with France, Germany, Italy and Spain).

See you then!

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett

With the results in, Swedish favourites KAJ have sailed through to the final, but Belgium's Red Sebastian, who was predicted for a top five finish, has been sent home.

The ceremony closes on an emotional note, with Jørgen Olsen returning to the stage, 25 years after he won the contest with Fly On The Wings Of Love.

The Danish musician appears without his brother, Niels, who is seriously ill and retired from music in 2019.

But as host Sandra Studer observes, they are "united by music" – and Jørgen has rewritten their song to reflect that message.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Here are the countries who'll progress to Saturday's grand final.

• Norway: Kyle Alessandro – Lighter
• Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm
• Sweden: KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu
• Iceland: VÆB – RÓA
• Netherlands: Claude – C’est La Vie
• Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – GAJA
• San Marino: Gabry Ponte – Tutta L’Italia
• Estonia: Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
• Portugal: NAPA – Deslocado
• Ukraine: Ziferblat – Bird of Pray

That means that Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia and Slovenia's Eurovision dreams have ended for 2025.

Congratulations to the 10 qualifiers, and commiserations to the others. There's always next year.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Image source, EBU

In previous years, the hosts have announced the 10 countries who'll proceed to Saturday's final, one at a time, with a camera cutting to the victorious country as their name is read out.

This year, the stakes have been upped.

The first nine reveals will be presented as a split screen, with three countries waiting to hear their fate. One will qualify, the other two will be left in limbo.

The tenth and final reveal will be presented in the old way - to avoid shots of contestants learning they'll be disqualified.

According to organisers, the countries who appear in the split screen are chosen at random by an algorithm. No country will be shown more than three times, and repeated pairings are not allowed.

Spare a thought for the camera crews who have to race from table to table at the whim of the computer. There are more than 2,000 possible combinations of contestants for each split screen.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

Rumours have been swirling for months that Céline Dion will appear at this year’s Eurovision. The singer famously won the contest for Switzerland in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, kickstarting a career that's seen her become one of the biggest-selling artists of all time.

She's been out of the limelight for several years as she battles the debilitating condition known as "stiff person syndrome" but re-emerged last summer to perform at the Paris Olympics.

Eurovision has refused to comment on her participation in Basel, but she's here tonight… if only in a pre-recorded video message.

"I'd love nothing more than to be with you," says Céline.

"Switzerland will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s the country that believed in me and gave me the chance to be part of something so extraordinary."

She continues to say that winning Eurovision was "a lifechanging moment" and that seeing the contest return to Switzerland is "beautiful and emotional".

An all-star cast of Eurovision performers then takes to the stage to cover Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, including Iolanda (Portugal, 2024), Jerry Heil (Ukraine, 2024), Marina Satti (Greece, 2024) and Silvester Belt (Lithuania, 2024).

There's still hope she’ll be back for the grand final on Sunday – but this brief tribute makes that look less likely than before.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

As the votes are being counted, our hosts make the point that winning isn't the most important thing at Eurovision.

In fact, several runners-up and also-rans have racked up huge hits with their Eurovision entries.

With the help of Spotify, they're now presenting a Top 10 of the contest’s most-streamed non-winners. Spoiler: It's good news for Italy.

10) Angelina Mango: La noia , external(Italy, 2024) - 110m

9) Eleni Foureira: Fuego, external (Cyprus, 2018) - 112m

8) Go_A: Shum, external (Ukraine, 2021) - 113m

7) Marco Mengoni: Due Vite, external (Italy, 2022) – 119m

6) Blanco and Mahmood: Brividi, external (Italy, 2023) - 161m

5)Käärijä: Cha Cha Cha , external(Finland, 2023) – 167 m

4) Barbara Praci: Voila, external (France, 2021) - 173 m

3) Alessandra Mele: Queen Of Kings , external(Norway, 2023) – 194m

2) Mahmood: Soldi, external (Italy, 2019) – 256m

1) Rosa Linn: Snap, external (Armenia, 2022) – 1.23bn

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Ten songs from each semi-final will qualify for Saturday’s grand final. They will join last year's winner, Switzerland, along with the Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) for a total of 26 songs.

The qualifiers are chosen by a public vote, with every country who performed in tonight’s semi-final getting a say; as well as a wildcard "rest of the world" vote, that allows non-participants like Canada and Japan to take part.

Every viewer gets a maximum of 20 votes, cast via phone call, SMS or via the official app.

When the lines close, each country will have chosen a "Top 10" of their favourite songs. The most popular gets 12 points, the second choice gets 10, and the rest are scored from eight to one.

Image source, EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

This is really quite fun. As the voting gets under way, our hosts delve into the history of Eurovision – which was invented by Swiss television executive Marcel Bezençon back in 1956.

We get a recap of the first winner, Lys Assia, external, also from Switzerland, who only had to battle six other countries, compared to this year’s total of 37.

This leads to a gigantic musical number that lists everything else the Swiss have gifted the world, from instant coffee to the garlic press (but "not Roger Federer").

It culminates with a tribute to the "one thing that’s more famous and even bigger than the Matterhorn" – William Tell, who they describe as "the Swiss version of Robin Hood".

Eurovision legend Petra Mede appears in character as the legendary folk hero (because of course she does) before the number ends with a recap of Eurovision’s Swiss origins – just in case you were in any doubt.

It's all very silly and tongue-in-cheek and broadly educational. Did you know that the inventor of the electric guitar, Adolph Rickenbacker, was Swiss? Well, now you do.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Get your voting fingers ready, it's time to choose your favourites!

As our hosts have explained, you can place up to 20 votes for your favourite act(s), but you can't vote for your own country, so don't even think about it.

The vote is only open to viewers from the countries performing in tonight's semi-final. That means the UK is out... but we'll get to have our say on Thursday.

Image source, Reuters

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

The media centre, I've learned over the years, isn't an accurate reflection of what the public thinks.

But in case you're interested, the best reactions in here were for Albania's Shkodra Elektronike, whose electro-folk anthem Zjerm had plenty of support. Sweden, the presumed favourites, had a more muted reception than I expected for the sauna-tastic Bara Bada Bastu.

Red Sebastian's insanely piercing high note during Strobe Lights got a huge cheer; and there was a mass breakout of pagan incantations as Poland's Justyna Steczkowska played Gaja - which includes the chant: "Zargo, Raga, Urra, Gara, Jarga, Jarun, Era, Czarodoro!"

Let's see how those countries fare now that the voting is underway.

As the semi-final performances draw to a close, here are some more memorable moments from tonight's Eurovision stage.

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Sarah Louise Bennett

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Reuters

Of the 18 acts performing tonight, three will bypass the voting and proceed straight to Saturday’s grand final: Spain's Melody, Italy's Lucio Corsi and Switzerland’s Zoë Më.

Spain and Italy get free passage because they're part of the “Big Five” nations who provide extra financial support to Eurovision; while Switzerland’s golden ticket honours their victory last year.

This is only the second time that the automatic qualifiers have been allowed to perform at the semis. The change was introduced last year, amid concerns that voters were choosing favourites in the early stages, putting the latecomers at a disadvantage.

In 2021, for example, four of the six pre-qualified countries got zero points in the televote. Last year, three were in the top 10.

Here are some of the biggest moments from the opening stages of tonight's semi-final.

Image source, Alma Bengtssson

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Here’s who we'll see gracing the stage at Basel’s 12,000-capacity St Jakobshalle tonight.

We won't be providing running commentary until Saturday's final - but here's what to expect over the next 90 minutes or so.

Iceland: VÆB – RÓA

Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – GAJA

Slovenia: Klemen – How Much Time Do We Have Left

Estonia: Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato

Spain: Melody – ESA DIVA

Ukraine: Ziferblat – Bird of Pray

Sweden: KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu

Portugal: NAPA – Deslocado

Norway: Kyle Alessandro – Lighter

Belgium: Red Sebastian – Strobe Lights

Italy: Lucio Corsi – Volevo Essere Un Duro

Azerbaijan: Mamagama - Run With U

San Marino: Gabry Ponte – Tutta L’Italia

Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm

Netherlands: Claude – C’est La Vie

Croatia: Marko Bošnjak – Poison Cake

Switzerland: Zoë Më – Voyage

Cyprus: Theo Evan – Shh

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

"This week we want to make sure you feel right at home," says host Sandra Studer, "because 69 years ago, right here in Switzerland, the very first Eurovision Song Contest was born - created to unite Europe through music after years of war."

"So consider this the biggest welcome home party the Eurovision Song Contest has ever seen - and all of you are invited," adds co-host Hazel Brugger.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, Getty Images

The theme for tonight’s semi-final is "where it all began", a reference to the first ever Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Switzerland in 1956.

The hosts welcome us back with a montage of the country's stunning natural beauty – yawning valleys, babbling brooks and lush mountainside vistas.

Then we cut to St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, where 45 dancers and musicians kick off the show with a mixture of traditional and contemporary Swiss music – featuring everything from the Alphorn and the Cimbalom to a snatch of yodelling.

It all culminates with a souped-up remix of last year's winner, The Code, in which non-binary performer Nemo rapped and sang operatically about the journey to realising their identity.

Then we're off to our hosts, as the excitement builds.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

With 10 minutes to go, the world's press are gathered next door to the St Jakobshalle arena, in a hall that's normally used as an ice rink.

News outlets mingle with fan-led media like Wiwibloggs, external and Eurovoix, external, and many of journalists have hung the flag of their home country over their chairs to show their affiliation. Not the BBC, though - either because we're impartial, or because we're too British to appear enthusiastic.

All around us, broadcasters are going live with last-minute reports - but wireless microphones are outlawed, in case they interfere with the communications next door.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The show opens with Icelandic brothers VÆB, who have universally been called the country’s answer to Jedward.

In their song Róa, the duo sing about rowing from Iceland to Greenland to the Faroe Islands – about 2,000km in total. Their performance includes a clever bit of choregraphy mimicking the jittery animation of a flipbook. Look out for their costumes, too, which employ Iceland’s entire supply of tinfoil.

A few songs later, we’ll see Estonian iconoclast Tommy Cash, whose song Espresso Macchiato is a double shot of silliness. Inspired by a trip to Capri, it’s a tribute to the power of the caffeine, with a euro-dance spin on the tarantella music you hear in Mediterranean cafés.

Sweden’s entrants KAJ are currently favourites to win the contest with Bara Bada Bastu. Their track is feel-good singalong about the “the best cure for body and soul” – a Swedish sauna. Just one snag: Eurovision’s never given its top trophy to a comedy song, putting a little heat under KAJ’s already sweaty feet.

Towards the end of the running order, we get Claude – a Dutch singer originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His song, C’est La Vie, is a life-affirming mantra about overcoming tragedy.

"It’s about embracing the chaos," Claude says. "You cry, you dance, you move forward. That's life."

And I have a little soft spot for the Swiss entrant, Zoë Më. Her tender, unstated ballad Voyage had the entire arena waving their phone lights during rehearsals this afternoon.

Who’ll get your vote?

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from the Eurovision semi-final

Image source, EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Our guides for the next two and a half hours are award-winning stand-up comedian Hazel Brugger and singer Sandra Studer, who represented Switzerland at Eurovision in 1991.

"I was 22, a blank slate, and had no idea what to expect,” she recently told Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte, external. "Looking back, I'm amazed at how easily and fearlessly I handled it."

In the end she took fifth place with her song, Canzone per te, and went on to become one of Switzerland’s most in-demand presenters, hosting numerous shows on radio and television, and even appearing in the stage production of Sister Act.

Hazel Brugger, meanwhile, is an American-born comedian and slam poetry champion who’s been called Switzerland’s "Queen of wit". As well as sold out tours, she presents a hit comedy podcast with her husband Thomas Spitzer, and has appeared on the local version of Amazon's Last One Laughing a record four times.

Hosting Eurovision will introduce her to a whole new audience. "The audience figures alone put it in a different league to comedy," she told Blue News.

"Although I'm aware that I'm not really the centre of attention. The only person who thinks I'm the centre of attention is my mum. She’s very excited."