As the excitement builds for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, various countries are showcasing their entries, and reactions from casual viewers are pouring in. One of the standout entries this year is Croatia's "Poison Cake" by Marko Bošnjak, which has garnered attention from 18 casual Eurovision viewers participating in ESCBubble's "The Public Reacts to Eurovision 2025" series. These participants, who are not die-hard fans, provided their impressions and scores for the song, which is set to represent Croatia in the upcoming contest.
On April 18, 2025, ESCBubble published the results, revealing a mix of reactions from the viewers. The song's unique title and catchy melody sparked a variety of opinions, with each participant rating it out of 10. The poll for Croatia's entry will close with the review of the Belgian entry "Strobe Lights" by Red Sebastian, allowing readers to contribute their votes as well.
In the same vein, the Netherlands' entry, "C’est la vie," has also made waves, earning a total of 119 points from readers and qualifying for the ESCBubble Final. The cumulative results from the first semi-final are particularly noteworthy, with Sweden leading the pack with an impressive 292 points, followed closely by Estonia and Norway, each receiving 247 points.
The rankings from Semi Final 1 are as follows:
- 1. Sweden - 292 points
- 2. Estonia - 247 points
- 3. Norway - 247 points
- 4. Netherlands - 246 points
- 5. Iceland - 242 points
- 6. Cyprus - 239 points
- 7. Poland - 239 points
- 8. Albania - 227 points
- 9. San Marino - 207 points
- 10. Azerbaijan - 205 points
- 11. Ukraine - 203 points
- 12. Slovenia - 197 points
- 13. Portugal - 184 points
Meanwhile, the Wiwi Jury, an in-house team of music enthusiasts, has been busy reviewing the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2025. Their latest review focuses on Greece's entry, "Asteromáta" by Klavdia. The song has received mixed reviews, with some jurors praising its ethnic elements and Klavdia's powerful vocals, while others feel it might need more production to captivate the audience fully.
Lucy, one of the jurors, gave the song an 8, noting, "I think Greece have been a little shy to send a big ballad in Greek for a while, given the lack of success in 2016 and 2018. They’ve taken the risk to bring it back in 2025, and thank goodness they have. ‘Asteromáta’ is wonderful." However, Tomas scored it a 4.5, expressing hope for performance changes. The average score from the Wiwi Jury landed at 7.30 after removing the highest and lowest scores.
Other jurors included Simon, who also rated it an 8, highlighting the need for matching staging to the song's beauty, and Tom, who scored it a 6, suggesting the performance could benefit from more accessible storytelling. The full breakdown of scores from the Wiwi Jury reflects a blend of perspectives:
- Lucy: 8
- Tomas: 4.5
- Simon: 8
- Tom: 6
- Andreas: 7.5
- Antranig: 7.5
- Bernardo: 6
- Burak: 7.5
- Cinan: 9
- Deban: 8.5
- Jonathan: 8
- Jordi: 7
- Pablo: 6.5
- Ruxandra: 7
- Scarlett: 8
- Suzanne: 5.5
- William: 8.5
As the contest approaches, Finland is another country to watch, with Erika Vikman set to perform her entry "Ich Komme" in the second semi-final. This year marks Finland's 57th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, having first competed in 1961. The country won its only Eurovision title in 2006 with Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah" and has seen a resurgence in popularity with recent entries, including two top-ten finishes in the past few years.
Erika Vikman, a 32-year-old singer from Tampere, has a rich musical background, having won the Finnish tango singing competition Tangomarkkinat in 2016. Her song "Ich Komme" combines Finnish disco with electronic elements and has already gained significant traction online, amassing 8 million streams on Spotify and 2.9 million views on YouTube.
Vikman secured her spot in Eurovision 2025 by winning the Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) with a total of 430 points, dominating the public vote with 362 points while receiving 68 points from the jury. Her entry is expected to be a strong contender, and she will perform 16th in the running order of the second semi-final on May 15, 2025, in Basel.
As countries finalize their entries and viewers prepare for the grand event, the anticipation for Eurovision 2025 continues to grow. Fans are encouraged to participate in polls and share their thoughts on the songs, as the competition promises to deliver a night full of music, culture, and unforgettable performances.
