Building Bridges - A Eurovision Podcast For The Rest Of Us

In this episode, we welcome back RED SEBASTIAN, Belgium’s Eurovision 2025 representative, as he shares his journey from his Eurosong victory to preparing for the big stage in Basel. He discusses his whirlwind experience, growing recognition, and the hard work behind his performance. Plus, he teases surprises for his staging and reflects on Eurovision’s impact on his life. For more information abou...

In this episode, Marko Bošnjak , winner of Dora 2025, is back for an exclusive and candid talk about his Eurovision journey with Poison Cake . From the highs of winning Croatia’s national selection to navigating online criticism about his song and sexual preference, Marko shares his experiences, resilience, and excitement for Basel. We discuss representation, the challenges he’s faced, and his vis...

In this episode, we begin a new weekly series featuring our reviews and predictions for the 37 songs competing to win the 69ᵗʰ Eurovision Song Contest. To help us out, we recruited Dean, founder of ESCScot to join us for this episode, as we look at the entries from: 03:21 🇪🇪 Estonia: Tommy Cash - "Espresso Macchiato" 10:24 🇮🇸 Iceland: Væb - "Róa" 15:31 🇵🇱 Poland: Justyna Steczkowska - "Gaja" 22:18...

In this episode, join us as we chat with ZOË MË , Switzerland’s Eurovision 2025 representative who is about to represent her country in her hometown! We learn about her journey from songwriting as a child to performing on one of the world’s biggest stages. She shares the inspiration behind her song Voyage , the excitement of keeping her Eurovision secret since December, and her passion for bridgin...

In this episode, Australia’s Eurovision 2025 representative GO-JO joins us to talk all things Milkshake Man ! From collaborating with Sheppard to the meaning behind the song, GO-JO shares insights on his creative process, staging plans, and the excitement of stepping onto the Eurovision stage. Plus, we test his French a little bit, share in his childhood Eurovision memories, and a whole lot more f...

In this episode, we chat with ADONXS , who is representing Czechia at Eurovision 2025 with his song Kiss Kiss Goodbye . He shares his excitement about the journey, the inspiration behind his emotional song, and the strategy behind revealing it in Malta. We also discuss his experience as a dancer, his vision for the Eurovision stage, and the possibility of bringing the contest to Prague. Plus, we e...

In this bonus episode, Jan met up with Karin from the 12p (tolv poäng) podcast at a café in Stockholm (hence the eclectic background noises you'll hear in the episode) to debrief after what was overall a wonderful Finalen to Mello 2025! If you understand Swedish (or you're trying to improve your Swedish) be sure and check out the episodes of 12p for yourself, and be sure to drop the podcast a foll...

In this episode, we come to terms with the end of national final season, as we discuss the events of the last seven days with our special guest Tamara from Eurovoix! Jan was back this week, albeit very tired from a late night at Melodifestvalen in Stockholm, and Dave was sick (again), but with Sebi, and Tamara's help, we looked back at a surprisingly busy week in the world of Eurovision: 02:29 Aus...

In this episode, we are delighted to have another special guest with us: it's the king of Eurovision social media content creators — Shawn aka worldvishawn ! While Jan was away at the Final of Dora in Croatia, Sebi, Dave, and Shawn compared notes on the latest in Eurovision's selection season, including: 02:12 Shawn's connection with Iceland's Söngvakeppnin 2025 08:26 The Netherlands and Australia...

In this episode, we sit down with SCARLET to talk about their exciting journey in Melodifestivalen, their new song "Sweet n' Psycho," and their dreams of representing Sweden at Eurovision. They share insights into their creative process, the importance of staying true to their sound, and the overwhelming support from fans. Tune in for an inspiring comeback story about music, ambition, and breaking...

In this episode, Sebi talks to Sissal, who is one of the finalists of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 with the song "Hallucination". Sissal talks about her way into the Danish music scene as a Faroese singer, the story behind the creation of her song and why she thinks that she would definitely be able to bring Denmark back to the Eurovision Grand Final after five years. For more information about th...

In this episode, we catch up with the amazing Victoria Silvstedt as she gets ready to take the stage at Melodifestivalen with her new song Love It! . She shares stories from her wild career—modeling, acting, hosting, and now music—plus the ups and downs that shaped her journey. It’s a fun, friendly chat about chasing dreams, never giving up, and bringing a little extra glamour to Eurovision. You w...

In this episode, we are delighted to have a special guest with us: it's Karin Björklund from the 12p Podcast in Sweden! The four of us sat down to discuss what happened in the busy world of Eurovision on Saturday night, including a deep dive into Heat 4 of Melodifestivalen , the Final of Söngvakeppnin in Iceland, and the Semi Finals in Germany and Portugal — as well as an impromptu discussion of I...

In this episode, Tim Schou catches up with the Building Bridges hosts about his upcoming performance at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025. He takes us back to his first Eurovision participation in Düsseldorf 2011 as the front singer of A Friend In London and his time as a solo traveler in California. Find out the story behind his song "Proud" and which Danish singer is Sebi's doppelgänger in this f...

In this episode, Jan sits down with Marko Bošnjak , a rising star returning to Dora 2025 with his bold new entry, Poison Cake . Back in 2022, he came tantalizingly close to representing Croatia at Eurovision, finishing just behind winner Mia Dimšić. Marko shares his journey from childhood competitions to national stardom, the inspiration behind his latest song, and his experience hosting Zagreb’s...

In this episode, we sit down with the incredible Andreas Lundstedt , best known as a founding member of Alcazar and a Melodifestivalen icon. Andreas shares his journey from childhood dreams of performing to gracing the Eurovision stage multiple times. We discuss the evolution of his career, the magic of Alcazar, and his latest and TENTH Melfest appearance with " Vicious "! Tune in for an inspiring...

In this episode, we chat with EMMY, a Norwegian-born singer who will represent Ireland in Eurovision 2025 with her song 'Laika Party'. She discusses her unexpected win, the inspiration behind the song, and differences between national selections in Ireland and Norway. We also quiz her on Irish Eurovision history, talk about her TikTok presence, and discuss her glow-up plans for her performance in...

In this episode, Jan and Dave chat with Kuba Szmajkowski about his Eurovision journey and his return to the Polish national selection with his new hit " Pray ". This is Kuba's third time participating in the televised national final in Poland, and during our chat, Kuba reflected on his personal growth as an artist, and why 'Pray' sounds nothing like his previous two Eurovision entries. After takin...

In this episode, Jan and Dave build the pod's first-ever bridge to Poland, as they chat with the enchanting Sonia Maselik ! She will compete in the upcoming Polish Eurovision selection (Wielki finał polskich kwalifikacji) with her new release " Rumours ". Sonia opened up about her previous attempts to represent Poland at Eurovision as well as the personal story behind her 2025 entry "Rumours". She...

In this episode, Ladybug , a Norwegian artist competing in MGP, shares her journey into music, having initially studied real estate before pursuing her artistic dreams. She co-wrote her song, Hot as Hell in Paradise , at a songwriting camp and has long aspired to join MGP. She discusses her stage name’s personal significance, her past as a bartender in the very stadium where she will compete at MG...

In this episode, we speak with Kyle Alessandro , an 18-year-old artist competing in MGP 2025 with his song Lighter . Kyle reflects on his early passion for music and dance, sharing memories from his time with Umami Tsunami and his journey as a solo artist. He discusses the deeply personal inspiration behind Lighter , rooted in his mother’s battle with cancer. Kyle also talks about collaborating wi...

In this episode, Sebi and Dave talk with Melodifestivalen royalty KLARA HAMMARSTRÖM from her pad in Las Vegas! Despite the distance from Sweden, she is still fully focused on her Melfest performance, and we actually caught her in between rehearsals for her new song On and On and On . During the interview, you'll hear more about her personal vision and determination to win Eurovision, the creative...

In this episode, Eurovision hopeful BIRGO shares her whirlwind journey to Iceland's Söngvakeppnin where she will perform her bop “ Stormchaser. ” Birgo discusses her transformation from shy Birgitta to bold Birgo, embodying her song's empowering message. She also teases the dark, snowy themes for her performance, and spills the tea about if she'll keep the song in English or Icelandic. For more in...

In this episode, Dave chats with Melodifestivalen newcomer Adrian Macéus to find out about his entry Vår första gång and his preparations for the big stage for Heat 1 in Luleå! This 19-year-old already has quite the CV, and his Mello participation will mark a significant milestone in his short career. Adrian's song for Melfest début focuses on navigating the highs and lows of relationships by refl...

In this episode, Dave had the pleasure to chat with Finland's rising superstar NEEA RIVER ! After a stint in Los Angeles, she's home in her native Finland to compete in UMK 2025 and possibly win Finland's ticket to Eurovision in Basel. During the interview, Neea River discusses why she chose this moment in time to apply for UMK, how she was able to balance deep lyrical themes with a danceable, upb...