This year\u2019s Eurovision contestants seem to be searching for the same thing: release. It\u2019s true for Denmark\u2019s S\u00f8ren Torpegaard Lund, who leaves his heart on the dance floor on the pulsating entry \u201cF\u00f8r Vi G\u00e5r Hjem,\u201d and for Cyprus\u2019 Antigoni, a former Love Island UK reality star who just wants to lose herself in the rhythm of the music on \u201cJalla.\u201d Even Italy is looking to get lost in love with Sal Da Vinci\u2019s relentlessly romantic \u201cPer Sempre S\u00ec.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday afternoon, these acts will appear in the Eurovision final alongside other potential winners including Lithuania\u2019s Lion Ceccah and Belgium\u2019s Essyla. It\u2019s been a while since any of these competing countries have scored a win, or have at least come close. Denmark last won in 2013, while Cyprus and Lithuania have never been crowned winners of the song contest. This year, 25 countries are competing in the final, which will be hosted at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. Here are five of the top contestants who have a shot at winning.<\/p>\n
More from Rolling Stone<\/p>\n
Denmark: S\u00f8ren Torpegaard Lund, \u201cF\u00f8r Vi G\u00e5r Hjem\u201d<\/p>\n
After five years of Denmark\u2019s Eurovision contestants performing in English, S\u00f8ren Torpegaard Lund brought Danish back to the stage with the lovelorn and hedonistic single \u201cF\u00f8r Vi G\u00e5r Hjem.\u201d The song recreates the atmosphere of a sweaty nightclub dance floor with an intense, heartbeat-like bass line. On the chorus, his message is clear: \u201cWe let the night stand in flames and forgetting ourselves\/Holding onto each other until we burn to death\/Forgetting that we wake up and regret it again.\u201d It\u2019s all or nothing. Denmark has tasted Eurovision victory three times before: in 1963, 2000, and 2013. With \u201cF\u00f8r Vi G\u00e5r Hjem,\u201d a win feels within reach once again.<\/p>\n
Lithuania: Lion Ceccah, \u201cS\u00f3lo Quiero M\u00e1s\u201d<\/p>\n
Lion Ceccah\u2019s performance on \u201cS\u00f3lo Quiero M\u00e1s\u201d is a striking standout among this year\u2019s Eurovision entries. The artist takes an ambitious approach, performing an ode to unity in a mix of languages. \u201cS\u00f3lo Quiero M\u00e1s\u201d opens with a verse in Lithuanian, followed by a chorus delivered in English and Spanish. \u201cEven if we\u2019re living in a mad world\/Even if we\u2019re standing as the sky falls,\u201d Ceccah sings. \u201cS\u00f3lo quiero\/S\u00f3lo quiero m\u00e1s,\u201d or \u201cI only want more.\u201d During the final chorus, he reaches for an even wider audience with lyrics in German, Italian, and French. Lithuania has never won Eurovision. Its highest placement was back in 2006 when the country came in sixth place. Two decades later, Lithuania has a chance to bring it home with a song about leaning on community and confidence.<\/p>\n
Italy: Sal Da Vinci, \u201cPer Sempre S\u00ec\u201d<\/p>\n
Italy opted for classic romance for its Eurovision entry this year. Sal Da Vinci performs the swooning \u201cPer Sempre Si\u201d in Italian and Neapolitan, marking the first time the romance language has appeared in an entry from the country since Peppino di Capri\u2019s \u201cComme \u00e8 Ddoce \u2018o Mare\u201d in 1991. Sal Da Vinci is optimistic in love as he sings about wanting to spend the rest of his life with someone, regardless of the challenges that may arise along the way. A line in the first verse translates to, \u201cBecause a love is not love for life\/If it has not faced the steepest climb.\u201d This could lead Italy to victory for the first time since M\u00e5neskin won in 2021.<\/p>\n
Belgium: Essyla, \u201cDancing on the Ice\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been 40 years since Belgium last secured an Eurovision win with Sandra Kim\u2019s \u201cJ\u2019aime La Vie\u201d in 1986. Now, the country has another shot at victory with Essyla\u2019s pulsating song \u201cDancing on the Ice.\u201d The record builds up to a flashy dance break that feels perfectly tailored to the spectacle-level performances Eurovision is known for. During the first semi-final round, Essyla took the stage with a flurry of faux snow falling around her. Flanked by four dancers, she turned up the heat with an impressive vocal performance. \u201cDancing on the Ice\u201d marks the first time Belgium has qualified for the Eurovision finals since 2023.<\/p>\n
Cyprus: Antigoni, \u201cJalla\u201d<\/p>\n
Antigoni\u2019s dance floor hit \u201cJalla\u201d could lead Cyprus to its first Eurovision win. The upbeat track is performed in English and Greek with nods to the island\u2019s belly dancing rhythm. \u201cHear the beat of the drum, got you feeling alive\/Melody of the song got you hypnotized,\u201d Antigoni sings against thudding percussion. \u201cGetting lost in the rhythm, but it\u2019s never enough\/Might just have you falling in love.\u201d Cyprus came close to winning Eurovision nearly a decade ago, when Eleni Foureira\u2019s \u201cFuego\u201d placed second during in 2018. No other country has competed as many times without winning the contest. Antigoni, who spent a week in the Love Island UK villa during the show\u2019s eighth season, applied in previous years to represent Greece, but the win would mean so much more for Cyprus.<\/p>\n
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