Wiwibloggs: The Eurovision Podcast

The odds favourites from Finland, Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, are getting their first taste of the Eurovision madness at Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam. We caught up with them prior to the show for a quick chat about tonight's performance, whether or not Linda's violin will be played live and how it has been for them since winning UMK. 🎤 Simon http://instagram.com/simonfalkdk

Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu will sing "Choke Me" in Semi-Final 2 of Eurovision 2026. Ahead of their pre-party performances in Amsterdam and London, "The Voice" winner sat down for an English-language interview with our William Lee Adams. She's joined by her bandmates Bogdan Stoican (guitar), Matei Mihail Cohal (bass), and Thomas Circota (piano). The drummer Luca Alexandru Sofron was on holiday in Paris. Alexandra explains the "Choke Me" lyrics and song meaning, why she loves physics, her unique style and fashion at Selectia Nationala, their goal on the results table, expectations and so much more. 00:12 Meet the bandmates 00:48 How did the Alexandra Căpitănescu band form after The Voice? 01:48 Why did the guys want to work with Alexandra Căpitănescu? 03:05 Why did they want to enter Selectia Nationala 2026? 04:03 Was the song written specifically with Eurovision in mind? 05:08 What inspired "Choke Me"? 05:55 What is the meaning of the song "Choke Me"? 07:25 What type of anxiety was Alexandra suffering from after The Voice? 08:23 What's it like to receive so much love from fans outside Romania? 09:21 What's the story behind your staging from Romania's Eurovision selection? 12:00 What changes can we expect in Vienna? 13:00 Are you excited by the potential of the Eurovision stage in Vienna? 15:26 How Alexandra transforms on stage 16:20 Why Alexandra loves physics 17:28 Why do the band members do away from the band? 17:50 Bogdan on being a high school student 19:23 What's it like for Alexandra to be a woman in rock music? 21:00 How does the band think about "success" in the Eurovision results? 22:00 Alexandra on her four attempts on The Voice 23:40 Alexandra on winning The Voice 25:19 Alexandra's collaborate with E-An-Na 27:22 The band's pre-party tour through Amsterdam, London and Bucharest 27:53 Who are their favourite Eurovision artists and songs? 29:50 What about their favourite Romanian Eurovision acts? 30:32 On their friendship with WRS 31:17 The Bucharest Pre-Party 33:11 What other songs from their discography should fans listen to? ("Delilah") 34:00 What do they want people to remember about them after Eurovision? Interviewer: William http://instagram.com/williamleeadams

The Semi-Final 1 running order for Eurovision 2026 has been released. Who sings when and in which order? And how does it affect the chances for each country to qualify for the final? We review the impact of the running order for the 15 semi-finalists. Semi-Final 1 Running Order at Eurovision 2026 00:58 1. 🇲🇩 Moldova: Satoshi - Viva, Moldova! 02:33 2. 🇸🇪 Sweden: FELICIA - My System 04:40 3. 🇭🇷 Croatia: LELEK - Andromeda 06:06 4. 🇬🇷 Greece: Akylas - Ferto 07:06 5. 🇵🇹 Portugal: Bandidos do Cante - Rosa 09:48 6. 🇬🇪 Georgia: Bzikebi - On Replay 12:57 *** 🇮🇹 Italy: Sal Da Vinci - Per Sempre Sì 16:30 7. 🇫🇮 Finland: Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen - Liekinheitin 20:25 8. 🇲🇪 Montenegro: Tamara Živković - Nova Zora 24:00 9. 🇪🇪 Estonia: Vanilla Ninja - Too Epic To Be True 28:26 10. 🇮🇱 Israel: Noam Bettan - Michelle 31:50 *** 🇩🇪 Germany: Sarah Engels - Fire 33:25 11. 🇧🇪 Belgium: ESSYLA - Dancing on the Ice 34:49 12. 🇱🇹 Lithuania: Lion Ceccah - Sólo Quiero Más 37:30 13. 🇸🇲 San Marino: SENHIT - Superstar 40:55 14. 🇵🇱 Poland: ALICJA - Pray 43:20 15. 🇷🇸 Serbia: LAVINA - Kraj Mene Featuring: Bernardo: http://instagram.com/bernardotpereira Lucy: http://instagram.com/lucyeasurtee William http://instagram.com/williamleeadams

They gave us Epic Sax Guy, “Sugar”, and those iconic deranged brides. And now Moldova has gifted us their official return to Eurovision in 2026! After taking a one-year break, state broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova has confirmed its comeback for Vienna — and they’re doing it with a revamped national selection, featuring new producers, a bigger jury, and a fresh strategy to find the next Moldovan Eurovision star. We dive into Moldova’s Eurovision history and reveal our favourite Moldovan acts of all time, including SunStroke Project, Aliona Moon, Olia Tira, Natalia Gordienko, Pasha Parfeny, Natalia Barbu, Cristina Scarlet, Anna Odebescu and more. Featuring: William http://instagram.com/williamleeadams Deban http://instagram.com/deban_deban

Cyprus’ Eurovision 2026 queen Antigoni joins us for her first interview since being confirmed as the island’s representative — and she’s bringing pride, passion and pure dance-floor energy. 🇨🇾✨ The former Love Island star tells us she wants to create a feel-good, movement-making song for Vienna. She also responds directly to criticism about not being “Cypriot enough,” opening up about her deep family roots. Among other things, her grandmother was born in Cyprus, she speaks Greek and her mother Tonia Buxton hosted My Cypriot Kitchen. “I am Cypriot. If you watched me on Love Island, the first thing I said was: ‘I’m Antigoni, I’m Greek-Cypriot and I’m a singer.’ That is who I am in essence. I carry my Cyprus flag in my heart and everywhere with me.” Antigoni also spills the tea on: 🐍 Singing alongside a giant snake in the “Habibi” music video 🔥 Her Eurovision icons Helena Paparizou and Eleni Foureira 💛 The biggest lesson from Love Island: authenticity 🇨🇾 Why she’s proud to represent her “tiny island” and wants to educate the world about it Hit play and fall in love with Cyprus’ 2026 star. 💫 #Eurovision2026 #Cyprus #Antigoni #wiwibloggs #LoveIsland #ESC2026 Interviewer: William http://instagram.com/williamleeadams Video editor: Cinan http://instagram.com/buraksfield

Eurovision has a brand new logo and branding for 2026 — and song contest Director Martin Green explains what it really means. Eurovision Song Contest Director Martin Green joins us to talk about the contest’s new look — and why it’s all about evolution, not revolution. In this interview, Martin shares how he sees his role as protecting one of the most celebrated entertainment brands in the world, while also listening to the fan community. He explains why transparency matters, how grassroots fan movements helped shape Eurovision into what it is today, and why he enjoys hearing all the feedback — from the heartfelt to the cheeky. Martin also makes it clear: the new look is not a distraction from controversies, but a way to push the brand forward, strengthen its identity, and safeguard its intellectual property for the future. He also discusses the importance of building trust and keeping an open dialogue with fans, even on difficult issues. What do you think of the new logo and branding? Interviewer: Lucy http://instagram.com/lucyeasurtee

We chat with EMMY at House of Helvetia in Basel. Despite singing about the famed Russian space dog Laika (the star of her song "Laika Party"), she admits to owning a kitty cat. She says that all animals are welcome to her "Laika Party" — but not animals that eat other animals. She also discusses her Irish co-writer, her brother Ereland, and how Ireland has embraced her. Interviewer: William: http://instagram.com/williamleeadams

We chat with Sissal at House of Helvetia in Basel. The "Hallucination" singer discusses how she is currently obsessed with a man who may or may not know her name; how she can deal with particular hate comments, but will NOT accept people questioning her character; how her two daughters put everything in perspective; what it's like to be from the Faroe Islands; her cooking YouTube channel @tripleyummy4744 and so much more. Interviewer: William: http://instagram.com/williamleeadams

ADONXS — Czechia’s Eurovision 2025 singers — explains his staging concept for "Kiss Kiss Goodbye" during our interview at the House or Helvetia. He explains the flower of Adonis on his mic stand; why he rubbed SPF all over his body; and why he included his iconic dance break. He also gets emotional explaining his music video, which refers to his father who left the family when he was a boy. He says that loss defined so many of his adult relationships, but how he has now let go of that negative energy. Interviewer: William: http://instagram.com/williamleeadams

Luxembourg’s Eurovision 2025 singer Laura Thorn tells us all about her song “La poupée monte le son.” She explains how the lyrics demonstrate a woman’s growth — from being treated like a puppet or a doll to standing on her own and taking up space for herself. She also discusses the Ukrainian creative team behind her staging and doll hours; what it’s like working with her dancers; and how Eurovision 2009 singer and vocal coach Susanne Georgi has helped her stay strong. Interviewer: William: http://instagram.com/williamleeadams

Justyna Steczkowska — one of Poland's most loved singers — has returned to the Eurovision Song Contest thirty years after her first appearance. She tells our William Lee Adams about how she has grown and evolved musically and spiritually since finishing 18th. Some of this growth was prompted by personal traumas, including the loss of her parents and her husband's illness. She also recounts how her song "Gaja" — a reference to Mother Earth — explores the idea of our relationship to our planet and the ways we've harmed the source of our existence. Interviewer: William http://instagram.com/williamleeadams Translator: Bartek http://instagram.com/bartekfetyz

“Poison Cake” singer Marko Bošnjak stopped by the House of Helvetia for an interview in front of a live audience. Croatia’s ESC singer tells us that the lyrics and angry sound were a way to fight back against negativity and hate, including people who called him a Satanist for liking Lady Gaga. He said the song has resonance with his current situation: conservative religious leaders have called for a boycott of him at Eurovision because of his devilish performance from Dora. Interviewer: William: http://instagram.com/williamleeadams