The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

The instantly-doomed Great American State Fair was supposed to bring together all 56 US states and territories. What if there was a song contest that did that? NBC tried it in 2022 and we watched it all. This episode pulls out some of the best bits from the first half of the series as we consider Eurovision’s next attempt at expanding their brand in Asia later this year. 📸 NBC American Song Conte...

Scopitone was a video jukebox from the 1960s that featured short clips that could be considered proto-music videos. Ben discusses the history, production, and cultural impact of the medium while Mike delights in the off-model nature of the content. 📸 Cover Image by Joe Mabel , CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Scopitone Summary What is Scopitone? (3:03) Scopitone Production in America (8:15) T...

What is "Camp"? In 1964, literary critic Susan Sontag investigated this question in her culture-defining essay "Notes on Camp". We discuss how the concept of Camp applies to Eurovision, other forms of pop culture, and our day-to-day lives. 📸 Cover Image by Loyloy Thal from Pixabay Notes on Camp Summary Notes from Future Mike (0:00) Episode Intro (1:32) Notes on Camp Background (3:26) Is Eurovisio...

Better late than never: let’s talk about Eurovision 2026. We’ll discuss what happened in Vienna, what this means for the Contest going forward, and share our post-confetti plans. Also: BULGARIA?! 📸 Sarah Louise Bennett | EBU BOOM Bangaranga Summary Were we engaged with the Contest this year? (0:56) The Eurovision Brodacasts (6:16) First Semi-Final (10:06) Second Semi-Final (16:24) The Grand Final...

Spain has been ride-or-die for Eurovision since debuting in 1961. In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at how Spain’s original approach to the Contest may have informed their decision to not attend the festivities in Vienna for the first time in 65 years. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here . Comments, questi...

Eurovision is an expensive enterprise, and the Netherlands has been one of the Contest’s largest financial supporters. In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at the financial impact of Netherland’s absence from Eurovision 2026. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here . Comments, questions, and episode topic suggest...

Slovenia has struggled to find momentum and consistency on the Eurovision scoreboard. In this episode, we take a look at how rule changes—especially around who qualifies—has impacted Slovenia’s ability to succeed at the Contest. Hvala, Ne Summary Slovenia and the Relegation Era (4:39) One Semi to Rule Them All (11:32) Semi Finals go to Pot (15:17) Slovenia vs. the Televote (25:39) Subscribe The Eu...

Iceland's television broadcaster RUV turns 60 this year and 2026 is also their 40th anniversary of entering Eurovision. We take a look at why it took 20 years for Iceland to join the party, how the country helped push the Contest into a more modern mode, and why they won't be in Vienna this year. Icy Reception Summary History of Iceland Speedrun Any% (4:51) 1986: Iceland Joins Eurovision (19:38) I...

Boycotts, jury overhauls, technological shifts, major protests, religious and political violence, hot pants... Ireland had a lot to deal with when it hosted Eurovision for the first time in 1971. All Kinds of Everything Summary Ireland at Eurovision (0:39) The State of Eurovison 1970-1971 (4:33) RTE presenting Eurovision in Color (13:53) Protests and Politics (22:29) Wrapping Up (35:43) Subscribe...

Romania returns from its Eurovision hiatus this year, hopefully with some things figured out. We review the country's history at the Contest, its qualification troubles, and how their strategy at the contest may be high risk, high reward. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here . Comments, questions, and episode top...

The semi-final era has not been kind to Poland. Though the country has done okay at Eurovision the last few years, they haven’t reached the heights of their debut entry in 1994. We’ll be doing a deep dive on what worked 30+ years ago and identify where Poland may secretly have its finger on the pulse of what does well at the Contest. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you...

Finland's UMK is one of the premiere selection shows each Eurovision season, but it didn't start out that way. We explore the evolution of the format and how YLE continues to make the program must see TV. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here . Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome....

Lithuania isn't exactly a Eurovision powerhouse, but their lengthy selection processes have been showcases for the country's music industry. We take a look at the Baltic nation and how their approach to the Contest may be serving a different purpose than competition. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here . Comment...

Croatia is very specific about how it chooses to represent itself on the Eurovision stage. We take a look at the country's history at the Contest via its long-running national selection format Dora. Subscribe The EuroWhat? Podcast  is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here . Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You c...

Hey “Everybody”! Estonia and Latvia were the first two new countries to win Eurovision after the EBU expanded its membership in 1993. As we get ready for the Eesti Laul and Supernova selection processes, “I Wanna” take a look at the Contest history of these two Baltic nations. Baltic Buddies Summary Estonia at Eurovision (1:03) Join the EuroWhat? AV Club (17:34) Latvia at Eurovision (18:45) Subscr...

Bulgaria returns to Eurovision following a three-year absence. We take a look at the country's history at the Contest: a rough start in its initial tenure, a renaissance after its first hiatus, and looking ahead to how Bulgaria's next tenure may go. Rough Summary Selection Season So Far: Moldova, Malta, Luxembourg, Georgia, Israel, Switzerland (0:40) Join the EuroWhat? AV Club (4:29) Bulgaria's Hi...

Luxembourg returned to Eurovision in 2024 after a 30-year hiatus. When they left the Contest, they were tied with Ireland and France in having won the most times at 5 wins apiece. We’ll explore Luxembourg’s incredible run and see how they’ve adapted to the modern era as we preview the third edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest . Bad Lucksembourg Summary Luxembourg Stats at Eurovision (1:20) Luxe...

Moldova has returned to Eurovision after a one-year break and has selected 16 songs to compete for a trip to Vienna in May. Malta has also streamlined their process a bit and will select their entrant from among 18 hopefuls. We’ll take a look at the history of these two countries and preview the selections that will be taking place on Saturday, January 17. Folklore & Rock & Roll Summary En...

How do fans cope when the object of their fandom becomes problematic? Dr. Zoë Jay returns to the show to share insights from her research within the Eurovision community about this topic through the Eurovisionaries project. We also discuss ideas for fans who may be approaching 2026 with the mindset of new year, new me, new special interest. Dr. Zoë Jay Dr Zoë Jay is a researcher in international p...

With the passage of the EBU's new Eurovision rules, Israel will be in Vienna while the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland have withdrawn from the Contest. We’ll be discussing the fallout from the decision and figuring out how we’ll be navigating 2026... Kerflooey Summary What happened at the EBU General Assembly Meeting (1:11) What is happening after the Eurovision vote? (19:16) Wh...

Over-the-top costumes, silly phrases twisted to make catchy hooks, and a backdrop that is not always taken seriously can cause a lot of Eurovision hopefuls to be lumped (or perhaps dismissed) into the category of “joke entries.” We’ll explore some examples and try to “get it” in terms of what might be happening under the hood of these songs. Chris Molanphy from Slate’s Hit Parade will join us to h...

Australia first competed at Eurovision when Austria hosted the 60th Edition of the Contest in 2015. As we approach the 70th Edition (also hosted by Austria), let’s explore Australia’s history with the ESC and do a pulse check on how the country is doing in the competition. Down Under Summary Australian Artists at Eurovision: The New Seekers, Olivia Newton-John, Gina G (2:47) Why is Australia so in...

It was a busy October in Eurovision Land: The EBU unscheduled an extraordinary member session, two countries announced their return to the Contest, and several national selections are getting their ducks in a row. We get caught up on the headlines as Eurovision 2026 starts to take shape. Momentum Summary EBU cancels "extraordinary session" (1:32) Bulgaria and Romania return to Eurovision (3:21) Ge...

The European Broadcasting Union has postponed its plan to hold a membership vote to decide if Israel’s broadcaster KAN will be allowed to compete in next year’s Eurovision. While it remains unclear if the vote will still happen, it doesn’t fully resolve how the EBU got to this point in the first place. We’ll take a closer look at other times the EBU’s non-political stance has been tested and see w...

Käärijä, Joost, Baby Lasagana, Tommy Cash... we've used the term "Weird Little Dudes" to describe these contestants from the last few editions of Eurovision. Something else they have in common: all were favorites to win and did extremely well in the televote. We attempt to define the term and try to identify what other Eurovision contestants may fall into this category. Weird Little Dudes Summary...