![\"Finnish](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/338563.jpg\" "\\"Finnish")
<\/p>\nVIENNA, May 1 \u2014 A vibrating violin behind a fiery curtain, a Greek cruise ship singer and a song about star-crossed planets are among the favourites to win this year\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n
The bookmakers put Finland\u2019s string-laden Flamethrower\u00a0well ahead of the entries from Greece, Denmark, France and Australia, for now.<\/p>\n
Here are the top five favourites to win the world\u2019s biggest talent show, held in Vienna on May 16.<\/p>\n
Finland: a blazing violin\u00a0<\/p>\n
Linda Lampenius, a 56-year-old violinist, and 36-year-old pop singer Pete Parkkonen will try to strike a chord with the public with their passionate song Liekinheitin (Flamethrower), performed in Finnish.<\/p>\n
The handsome dark-haired singer laments his unreturned love, while his counterpart in a sparkling dress answers him by violently vibrating the strings of her instrument behind a curtain of fire, with her long blonde hair fluttering in the air.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius (right) and singer Pete Parkkonen are touted as the favourite to win the world\u2019s biggest talent show in Vienna on May 16, 2026 with their song \u2018Liekinheitin\u2019 (Flamethrower). \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n
Compelling listeners to dance, the song is \u201ca duet of very high musical quality\u201d and \u201ca three-minute burst of drama\u201d, Finnish Eurovision expert Anna Muurinen told AFP.<\/p>\n
Flamethrower has raised hopes across Finland \u2013 whose only win so far dates from 2006 \u2013 that the song will appeal to a broad audience without having to resort to English lyrics.<\/p>\n
Greece: Mediterranean techno\u00a0<\/p>\n
Akylas Mytilineos will sing Ferto, meaning Bring It. The energetic song with a pronounced Greek accent recounts a son\u2019s thirst for glory and fortune so that he can give his mother everything they lacked during his childhood.<\/p>\n
Sporting black sunglasses and a trademark beanie, the 27-year-old singer identifies as a queer artist, highlighting the need for expression and acceptance throughout his music.<\/p>\n
He started his career on cruise ships before his style charmed internet users. In 2022, he took part in the Greek version of The Voice.<\/p>\n
Greece won its only Eurovision title in 2005.<\/p>\n
Denmark: after-party electro\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soren Torpegaard Lund, a 27-year-old singer, will compete with For vi gar hjem (Before We Go Home), a pop song in Danish with a touch of electro music evoking the atmosphere of a hot late-night club.<\/p>\n
Denmark \u201cfor once actually is sending a good song\u201d, said Lisanne Wilken, a Eurovision specialist and associate professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.<\/p>\n
![\"Danish](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/338564.jpg\" "\\"Danish")
<\/p>\n
Danish singer Soren Torpegaard Lund is one of the favourites to win in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest on May 16, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n
She added that the Danish contestant will also benefit from an unexpected geopolitical boost as US President Donald Trump has made claims on Greenland, which is an autonomous Danish territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation with Greenland and Trump has put Denmark even more on the map, and that put the spotlight on it, on the country in a way that never happened before,\u201d Wilken said.<\/p>\n
She added that Denmark was rarely a Eurovision favourite despite having won three times, the last time in 2013.<\/p>\n
France: operatic pop\u00a0<\/p>\n
Monroe, a 17-year-old French-American singer, is the youngest performer ever to represent France at Eurovision.<\/p>\n
She will sing Regarde! (Look!), a love song blending pop, opera and references to musicals.<\/p>\n
The wider public discovered this singer, sporting long braided hair, in a TV talent show dedicated to young classical music virtuosos.<\/p>\n
Monroe, who released her first album last November, was born in the United States and grew up surrounded by both US and French culture.<\/p>\n
She names opera star Cecilia Bartoli, but also Whitney Houston, Johnny Hallyday and Celine Dion as her sources of inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me want to work on my voice so I can present good things, carry the colours of France and of our lovely culture,\u201d Monroe told AFP shortly after she was chosen to represent France, which has so far scored five Eurovision victories.<\/p>\n
Australia: a power ballad\u00a0<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s ballad Eclipse\u00a0evokes a love affair between planets. The singer is 41-year-old Delta Goodrem, who has sold more than nine million albums.<\/p>\n
The song blends delicate piano with impressive vocal crescendos, which Goodrem \u2013 a songwriter, musician, film star and a coach on The Voice Australia \u2013 has brought to perfection.<\/p>\n
The worldwide fame of the Sydney-born artist, who signed her first contract aged 15, is fuelling hopes of a first-ever victory for contest-mad Australia. \u2014 AFP<\/p>\n
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