The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews - Episodes Tagged with “Netherlands”

Episode 299: Going Dutch

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

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.

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,
North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni
National Selection dates
Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 285: Kerflooey

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

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EBU's new Eurovision rules, Israel will be in Vienna while the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland have withdrawn from the Contest.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)
What will be happening? (26:59)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 280: Weird Little Dudes

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0500

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

Where did the term "Weird Little Dude" come from? (1:20)
Pop Quiz: Is this act a Weird Little Dude? (3:06)
Dude (5:45)
Little (9:37)
Weird (18:16)
Are "Weird Little Dudes" actually a thing? (33:22)
Which countries are more likely to have WLDs at Eurovision? (38:28)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 277: Nice

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As we wrap up our 8th season and Eurovision's 69th (nice) edition, we take a rapid fire tour of the Contest up to this point while trying to find something nice or interesting to say about each year. Content warning: goofiness.

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
Niall Points: Latvia 2003
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

Episode 276: Lingua Franca

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0500

The Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest featured 21 songs with non-English lyrics, the most to appear since the language rule was abolished in 1999. In this episode, we'll explore the history of the language rule and why language diversity has returned to the Contest.

Lingua Franca Summary

The introduction of the Language Rule at Eurovision (4:17)
The End of the Language Rule (17:17)
What may be contributing to language diversity at Eurovision? (27:29)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
Niall Points: Latvia 2003
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 274: Yugoslavia 1990

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0500

1990 was the European Year of Tourism. The map of Europe was also changing, as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the movement toward what would become the European Union started to redefine the concept of borders. We’ll be taking a look at how the 1990 Contest in Yugoslavia reflected this new era in Europe, as well as how the 2025 Contest mirrors those reflections 35 years later.

Yugoslavia 1990 Summary

#EurovisionAgain, again (1:55)
A Brief History of Mascots and Postcards (4:14)
The European Year of Tourism (10:20)
How Yugoslavia Handled Tourism (15:21)
Yugoslavia at Eurovision (18:53)
The Year between Lausanne and Zagreb (22:47)
The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest (28:12)
After the Year(s) of Tourism (43:43)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990 (hey, that's this one!)
Niall Points: Latvia 2003 (week of July 28)
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 269: Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 16 May 2025 00:30:00 -0500

Twenty songs have emerged from the Eurovision 2025 Semifinals and will join six auto-qualifiers on Saturday. We recap the shows from Tuesday and Thursday and get ready for the Grand Final.

Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview Summary

Turquoise Carpet (0:48)
Semi-Final 1 Results (3:58)
Semi-Final 2 Results (10:33)
Grand Final Preview (19:14)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

Keep up with Eurovision selection season on our Basel 2025 page! We have a calendar with links to livestreams, details about entries as their selected, plus our Spotify playlists with every song we can find that is trying to get the Eurovision stage.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 268: Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Eurovision Week for 2025 is upon us as well as the 37 artists gathered in Basel. We get caught up on the news leading up to this week before discussing the rehearsals and our predictions for who will advance to Saturday's Grand Final.

Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview Summary

Lumo stuns in Basel debut (0:48)
Eurovision Artist Support Measures (2:38)
Ongoing Issues: Flag Policy 2025 and Israel's Participation (6:01)
Semi-Final Format Changes (10:48)
Where to watch Eurovision 2025 (16:13)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (POTENTIAL SPOILERS) (18:27)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predictions (POTENTIAL SPOILERS) (32:24)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 262: Huzzah

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Bradley Dalton-Oates from the Eurovision Song Context podcast joins us to discuss the entries from Norway, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, and the Netherlands.

Huzzah Summary

Eurovision Song Context (1:11)
Norway - Kyle Alessandro - "Lighter" (5:51)
Estonia - Tommy Cash - "Espresso Macchiato" (13:38)
Azerbaijan - Mamagama - "Run With U" (27:53)
Iceland - VÆB - "RÓÁ" (36:01)
The Netherlands - Claude - "C'est La Vie" (44:16)
Final Thoughts (50:32)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Bradley Dalton-Oates.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 258: LUMO

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0600

We get a mix of Eurovision internal selections and national finals this week from Australia, Netherlands, Serbia, Germany, Denmark, and Croatia. We also meet a new mascot/nemesis.

LUMO Summary

Lumo is here (1:01)
Australia has ordered one "Milkshake Man" to Go-Jo (3:15)
Claude says "C'est La Vie" for the Netherlands (7:43)
Serbia crowns Princ and his song "Mila" (11:28)
Germany goes "Baller" with Abor & Tynna (17:24)
Denmark has a "Hallucination" with Sissal (25:03)
Croatia's Marko Bošnjak is bring a "Poison Cake" to Basel (29:06)
Also happening: Finalists in San Marino, Sweden, and Portugal (35:52)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 250: Loaded with Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Before 2025 gets into full swing, we catch up on Eurovision news from the end of 2024. We have designs! We have fonts! We have an entry where we're not not saying Tirana 2026! Plus, we go deep on the results from the ESC 250 Countdown.

Loaded with Energy Summary

💕Unity. Shapes. Love. Branding. (0:55)
🇦🇱 Albania selects "Zjerm" by Shkodra Elektronike (12:36)
🇳🇱 Netherlands selects Claude as their act for Basel (21:41)
📰 Other Process Updates: Ukraine, San Marino, Ireland, Iceland, Moldova (23:23)
🥳 Results from the 2024 ESC 250 (29:11)
📺 This week: 🇪🇪 Eesti Laul Wildcard, 🇫🇮 UMK Artists and Songs, 🇭🇷 Dora Songs, 🇱🇹 Eurovizija.lt (41:43)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 249: Pew Pew Pew

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0600

As we head into 2025, we jump back 25 years to watch the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest. How has the competition, fashion, and pop music changed in the last quarter-century(!)?

Pew Pew Pew Summary

🗓️ In the Year 2000... (3:17)
⛳️ Part I: Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Romania (7:07)
🎤 Part II: Malta, Norway, Russia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland (17:30)
🪽 Part III: Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Sweden, FYR Macedonia (27:49)
🌟 Part IV: Finland, Latvia, Turkey, Ireland, Austria (41:34)
🔢 Part V: The Results (51:12)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 241: Exotic Switzerland

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Our 8th season begins with news about Eurovision 2025 host city Basel, our first artist announcement, and a look at the history of Switzerland at the Contest.

Exotic Switzerland Summary

Basel, Switzerland will host Eurovision 2025 (0:54)
Theo Evan will represent Cyprus in Basel (4:05)
Is everyone/the Netherlands still mad at the EBU? (7:53)
Montenegro will return to Eurovision (10:08)
Italy and Sweden tweak their national selections (14:02)
Patreon: Let's Talk About Can't Stop the Music (19:27)
Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest (21:48)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 234: A Lotta Look

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan from the celebrity fashion blog Go Fug Yourself join us to discuss fashion, stagewear, and all the lewks from Eurovision 2024. What designs worked, which were less successful, and will 2025 be an all-denim affair?

A Lotta Look Summary

Welcome, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan! (1:16)
The Turquoise Carpet (6:38)
Favorite Looks from Eurovision 2024 (9:39)
Less Successful Eurovision 2024 Looks (16:52)
Outfit Rehearsals (25:27)
Is Eurovision Fashion Second-Tier? (30:55)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Stay up to date on everything happening in the leadup to the Eurovision Song Contest on our page dedicated to Malmö 2024. You can keep tabs on the countries, artists, and songs, set your laundry folding schedule with our EuroWhat's On calendar, and futz with your Spotify algorithm with our Selection Season playlist!

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 233: Grievance Committee

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

As the EBU works through a litany of complaints about Eurovision 2024, Dr Jess Carniel from the University of Southern Queensland joins us to discuss the issues facing the competition. Along with examining what should be a rebuilding year for the Contest, we chat about Australia's presence at the ESC and reconsider the balance of the jury and televote.

Dr Jess Carniel

Jess is an Associate Professor in Humanities at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on the various dimensions of the Eurovision Song Contest, its fans, politics, and culture. She is the author of Understanding the Eurovision Song Contest in Multicultural Australia: We Got Love, and co-editor with Chris Hay of Eurovision and Australia: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Down Under. She is a firm believer in bangers over ballads.

Grievance Committee Summary

Welcome, Dr. Jess Carniel! (0:44)
Grievance: Spain wants Freedom of the Press (6:18)
Grievance: The European Union Flag (13:19)
Grievance: Double Standards at Eurovision (18:20)
Grievance: Juries and Televoting (23:06)
2025: A Rebuilding Year? (32:49)
Studying Australia's Relationship with Eurovision (48:48)
Did any loose ends get tied up? (55:24)
Final Thoughts (1:00:54)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Jess Carniel.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 232: Broke

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Somehow we made it through the other side of the 2024 Eurovision Grand Final in one piece. Things that didn't: the Netherlands, Nemo's trophy, and possibly the EBU? We examine the immediate aftermath of Saturday's show from Malmö.

Broke Summary

Netherlands Disqualified from Eurovision (0:59)
The Actual Grand Final (6:53)
Eurovision Results Data Dive (10:07)
Looking Toward Eurovision 2025 (17:49)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 231: Poop Chaos

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 10 May 2024 11:00:00 -0500

In our Eurovision 2024 Grand Final Preview, we discuss the results of the two semi-finals in Malmö, make some predictions on what may happen on Saturday, and scratch why Sweden's hosting has been itching us this week.

This episode was recorded at 7pm US Eastern Time on Thursday, May 9.

Poop Chaos Summary

Corrections: Robyn Edition (0:52)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 in Review (2:32)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 in Review (10:46)
Grand Final Preview (27:10)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 230: Designated Perceived Nudity Corner

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

It's Eurovision Week! After we get caught up on Contest news, we make our predictions on which acts will advance to Saturday's Grand Final. Will there be heartbreak in Malmö?

Designated Perceived Nudity Corner Summary

Eurovision News: Peacock, Producer's Choice, Flags (1:19)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (13:01)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predictions (25:52)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 228: Pulling Focus

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Ned Raggett returns to helps us wrap up our coverage of the second semi-final for Eurovision 2024. Which entries are legit snacks? Which songs left us hungry for more? How did we manage to bring food into every discussion?

Pulling Focus Summary

Welcome back, Ned Raggett! (0:47)
🇳🇱 Netherlands - Joost Klein - "Europapa" 🇪🇺 (2:18)
🇦🇹 Austria - Kaleen - "We Will Rave" 🪩 (10:53)
🇬🇷 Greece - Marina Satti - "ZARI" 🎲 (19:08)
🇮🇱 Israel - Eden Golan - "Hurricane" 🌀 (26:29)
🇬🇪 Georgia - Nutsa - "FIrefighter" 👩‍🚒 (29:21)
🇦🇲 Armenia - LADANIVA - "Jako" 💃 (37:23)
Final Thoughts (45:11)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Ned Raggett.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 221: Maximal

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0600

Several internal selections join the Eurovision 2024 field this week and exactly zero of them are holding back. Serbia's national final goes harder than necessary while Iceland... also made a selection this week. We're in the homestretch!

Maximal Summary

Nemo breaks "The Code" for Switzerland (0:47)
Joost Klein is the Netherlands' "Europapa" (3:51)
Silia Kapsis calls out a "Liar" for Cyprus (9:08)
The United Kingdom's Olly Alexander is "Dizzy" for Eurovision (11:37)
Austria declares "We Will Rave" with Kaleen (16:32)
Teya Dora wins Serbia's Pesma za Euroviziju with "Ramonda" (19:47)
Hera Bjork's "Scared of Heights" wins in Iceland (28:23)
Melfest Heat 5 (33:19)
Portugal's Festival da Cancao Semi 2 (38:56)
This week: Australia, Greece, the End of Selection Season 2024 (40:36)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Episode 212: 37ish

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

We finally have a (tentative) roster for next year's Eurovision Song Contest! Czechia has selected their entry, artists have been announced for the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the UK, and national final season details are coming into focus. What a way to wrap 2023!

37ish Summary

37 countries confirmed for Malmö (so far) (1:03)
New color scheme! (6:38)
Czechia's ESCZ puts Aiko on a "Pedestal" (8:33)
Internal artist selections: Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom (14:51)
Holidays sidebar: Sam Ryder, Secret Santas, 2023 Pop Culture (22:23)
National selection details: Italy, Albania, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland, Ukraine, Croatia (24:03)

Cover photo by Scott Evans on Unsplash

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 209: Millstreet

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

It's been 30 years since a small town in Ireland took on the challenge of hosting Eurovision while the concept of Europe was undergoing a transformation. We look back at Millstreet 1993, the accommodation of several new countries wanting to join the party, and... the Bartman?

Millstreet Summary

The Journey to the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest (1:14)
A Tour of Millstreet (4:58)
A Tour of Europe in 1993 (8:16)
The Eurovision 1993 Contestants and Their Performances (12:55)
Reflections on the Contest and Its Impact (34:02)

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 can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Scopitone.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 200: PopCon 2023

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0500

2020 was a dark time for live music. It also marked the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest’s 65-year history where the competition was canceled. Rather than letting the lights go down in Rotterdam, Eurovision’s fan community and the European Broadcasting Union found new ways to celebrate the contest’s artists with at-home concerts, fan-driven countdowns, AI analysis of song content, and internet watchalongs of remastered editions of previous contests.

When the contest returned in 2021, “Open Up”—the slogan carried over from the 2020 contest—took on new meaning. Participating nations took extra precautions to put on their selection processes safely while Eurovision made sure it could be “back for good.” Fans had more say in who would be representing their nation, the Rotterdam Ahoy crew tested the feasibility of large-scale music events, and improvements in streaming platforms over the last decade meant that even more eyes were on the contest.

What wide-ranging effects could this have as Eurovision breaks out of its European bubble and starts bleeding into other areas of pop culture, including the Billboard Hot 100 and the 2023 Grammy Awards?

PopCon 2023 Summary

What is Eurovision? (8:43)
A Big Tent (12:07)
An Interlude About Digital Streaming Technology (13:10)
It is a Normal Year at Eurovision and Everything is Fine and We're Definitely NOT About to be Rocked By a Global Pandemic That Will Shut Everything Down Nine Months from Now (16:44)
#EurovisionAgain (28:57)
Back for Good (35:02)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Legend of Fire Saga (40:28)
Televising Covid (42:08)
New Engagement Opportunities (50:41)
The Covid Bubble (53:30)
The Grand Final (1:02:46)
Eurovision Around the World (1:08:53)

Thank you again to everyone listening, guests who have appeared on the show, guests who don't yet know they're going to be on the show (get hype!), and the Eurovision community at-large. This podcast is a labor of love and we're super proud to have made it to 200!

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 can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the Eurowhat AV Club and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 194: Internet People

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Ben and Mike met up in person to make their picks on what they think will qualify from the Eurovision 2023 semi-finals. Then we saw rehearsals. Experience both the before and after as we make our best guesses for Tuesday and Thursday.

Internet People Summary

Making predictions: pre-rehearsals (2:00)
Semi-Final 1 Predictions (4:57)
Semi-Final 2 Predictions (10:57)
SPOILER WARNING: Making Adjustments (20:34)
Semi-Final 1 Prediction Adjustments (20:49)
Semi-Final 2 Prediction Adjustments (28:14)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the Eurowhat AV Club and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 189: Lv100 Paladin

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0500

We close out our coverage of Eurovision Semi-Final 1 with Allegra Kuney, who has brought her media studies hats for our discussions about Switzerland, Israel, Moldova, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Lv100 Paladin Summary

Switzerland - Remo Forrer - "Watergun" (3:48)
Israel - Noa Kirel - "Unicorn" (10:07)
Moldova - Pasha Parfeni - "Soarele şi luna" (19:12)
Sweden - Loreen - "Tattoo" (24:28)
The Netherlands - Mia Nicolaï and Dion Cooper - "Burning Daylight" (34:54)
Final Thoughts (41:28)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the Eurowhat AV Club and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Special Guest: Allegra Kuney.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 185: Raw Boost Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Six more songs enter the Eurovision thunderdome courtesy of the Netherlands, Cyprus, Germany, Moldova, Serbia, and Iceland. We also find out what the finals in Sweden and Portugal will look like. Oh, and tickets are on sale... or at least they were...

Raw Boost Energy Summary

Eurovision Tickets When/Then (1:18)
Mia Nikolai and Dion Cooper will be "Burning Daylight" for the Netherlands (3:42)
Cyprus tasks Andrew Lambrou to "Break a Broken Heart" (6:28)
Lord Of the Lost will shed "Blood & Glitter" for Germany (9:11)
Pasha Parfeni will represent Moldova again with "Soarele si Luna" (15:37)
Luke Black wins in Serbia's Pesma za Evroviziju with "Samo mi se spava" (19:17)
Diljá uses her "Power" to win Iceland's Songvakeppnin (24:10)
Sweden's Melfest and Portugal's Festival da Canção complete their semi-finals (28:25)
Awaiting internals: Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, United Kingdom (30:07)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the American Song Contest, the Eurovision AV Club, and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 184: Did the Thing

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Have we heard the winner of Eurovision 2023? Finland's selection made a strong case this weekend while Sweden's Loreen debuted her contender at Melfest. San Marino, Poland, and Australia also announced their picks as we get closer to the end of Selection Season.

Did the Thing Summary

Eurovision Hosts Announced (1:16)
Australia makes a "Promise" with Voyager (5:31)
Finland's UMK selects Käärijä's "Cha Cha Cha" (8:47)
Piqued Jacks' "Like an Animal" wins Una Voce per San Marino (12:46)
Poland's Blanka is going to "Solo" at Eurovision (18:30)
Remo Forrer will represent Switzerland (24:57)
Loreen did the thing at Melfest (25:43)
Iceland sets the final field for Songvakeppnin (31:47)
Portugal begins the Festival da Canção (34:13)
This week: Netherlands, Serbia, Cyprus, Germany, Moldova (35:45)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the American Song Contest, the Eurovision AV Club, and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 172: Selection Season

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Eurovision Selection Season draws nigh with more than half of the countries competing in 2023 airing some form of music competition. This is our guide to having the best Super Saturday experience.

Selection Season Summary

The Netherlands announce Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper (1:10)
No American Song Contest on NBC's mid-season schedule (2:41)
Selection Processes: Belgium, Romania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal (4:55)
Fan votes: Aussievision's Top 100 NFC and the ESC Top 250 (11:02)
Що робить Kalush Orchestra? MTV EMA edition (16:55)
How to get the most out of Eurovision Selection Season (19:16)

Cover photo by Nabil Saleh on Unsplash

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Become a Patron! Patrons get access to our bonus podcast Just ASCing Questions.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 166: Volare

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0500

"Nel blu, dipinto di blu" (also known as "Volare") is not only one of the most well-known Eurovision songs, it's one of the most successful Italian songs ever. We dig into the song's backstory and it's continued impact on popular culture.

Volare Summary

Noa Kirel confirms for Israel (1:27)
Host City When: Short List Edition (3:43)
SNAP Chat: Bubbling Under Edition (5:51)
What do you know about "Volare"? (7:36)
Sanremo 1958 (10:40)
Eurovision 1958: Hilversum (14:26)
The US Music Industry in 1958 (17:12)
1959 Grammy Awards (23:51)
The Extended Legacy of Volare (26:40)
Where are they now? (32:19)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Become a Patron! Patrons get access to our bonus podcast Just ASCing Questions.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 164: Host Country Where?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Now that the United Kingdom will officially host Eurovision 2023 on Ukraine's behalf, we take a look back at the other times substitutes needed to be called in to produce the Contest.

Host Country Where? Summary

United Kingdom will host Eurovision 2023 (1:22)
Israel selects Noa Kirel for Eurovision Wishlist (5:29)
Rosa Linn's "Snap" is Charting (7:13)
American Song Contest Emmy Nomination (9:04)
Eurovision Latin America Song Contest Announced (9:57)
Host Country Where? (11:37)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Become a Patron! Patrons get access to our bonus podcast Just ASCing Questions.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 163: Iceberg

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0500

With around 250 entries on the Reddit post for the 2022 Eurovision Iceberg, we take a look at some of the stories we missed (or skipped) in this year's Contest.

Iceberg Summary

Layer 1: What is the Eurovision Iceberg? (1:02)
Layer 2: Electric Callboy, Sam Ryder Illuminati (3:41)
Layer 3: The Eurowhat's Level (9:51)
Level 4: Circus Mircus, S10 and Ronela, Carol McGee (10:52)
Level 5: Subwoolfer Threatens to Eat Host, Achille Lauro Roblox (16:57)
Level 6: "I'm Famous Singer in Estonia" (23:30)
Level 7: Ochman's Confederate Flag T-Shirt (25:53)
Level 8: Ronela Mistaken for ISIS Uprising (27:31)
What does the Eurovision Iceberg tell us? (29:47)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Become a Patron! Patrons get access to our bonus podcast Just ASCing Questions.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 157: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — Eurovision 2022 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 13 May 2022 06:00:00 -0500

We started Eurovision Week with 35 semi-finalists. 20 have moved on to join the Big 5 in Saturday's Grand Final. We take stock of our predictions from last episode and make our picks for who will win Eurovision 2022.

¯_(ツ)/¯ Eurovision 2022 Grand Final Preview Summary

Eurovision Semi-Final 1 (2:27)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 (12:34)
Eurovision Grand Final Preview (24:37)
Who will win Eurovision 2022? (31:42)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Episode 156: Bubblicious - Eurovision 2022 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sun, 08 May 2022 00:00:00 -0500

We make our picks for who we think will advance from this week's Eurovision Semi-Finals. These predictions were made before rehearsals, but surely they're still accurate?

Bubblicious Summary

Eurovision Week 2022 (1:42)
Our Semi-Final 1 Picks (6:55)
Our Semi-Final 2 Picks (19:56)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Episode 150: Meditation Therapy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Evan Stewart joins us to discuss more entries from the Eurovision 2022 first semi-final. Will the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, Armenia, or Austria be able to challenge current favorite Ukraine?

Meditation Therapy Summary

Netherlands - S10 - "De Diepte" (4:14)
Slovenia - LPS - "Disko" (9:33)
Switzerland - Marius Bear - "Boys Do Cry" (15:09)
Ukraine - KALUSH Orchestra - "Stefania" (21:19)
Armenia - Rosa Linn - "Snap" (28:22)
Austria - LUM!X featuring Pia Maria - "Halo" (32:51)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Evan Stewart.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 147: Math

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Our brains may have turned into soup, but we survived the last overstuffed Saturday of Eurovision Selection Season. Just barely though... we were told there would be no math...

Math Summary

Internal selections: The Netherlands and Montenegro (1:43)
12 Points Germany goes to "Rockstars" by Malik Harris (5:25)
Denmark's REDDI won "The Show" (11:13)
WRS wins Romania's Selectia Nationala with "Llamame" (14:47)
"Fulenn" wins France's C'est Vous Qui Decidez (19:09)
Konstrakta will represent Serbia with "In Corpore Sano" (24:05)
Cosa Sta Facendo Maneskin: iHeartRadio Edition (29:52)
This week: Internal Selections, Songvakeppnin, Melfest, Festival da Cancao (31:59)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 146: Україна

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0600

We stand with Ukraine.

Україна Summary

Eurovision Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine (1:31)
Eurovision in the Wild: David Byrne Edition (7:02)
Australia Decides on Sheldon Riley's "Not the Same" (9:15)
The Rasmus wins Finland's UMK with "Jezebel" (15:49)
More Super Saturdays: Iceland, Sweden, France, Romania, and more (20:45)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 137: Class of 2021

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0600

The Czech Republic has made their selection, a number of processes have released more details, and we check in with the Eurovision Class of 2021.

Class of 2021 Summary

Selections: We Are Domi, S10, Amanda Tenfjord (1:22)
Processes: Pabandom is Naujo, Australia Decides, Benidorm, Festivali i Këngës (8:15)
News: Eurovision 1964 Video Clip; Cosa sta facendo Måneskin? (12:40)
Checking in on the Class of Eurovision 2021 (16:31)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 133: Metaverse

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Does breaking the fourth wall work at Eurovision? Ben takes us through a collection of songs that try to go meta.

Metaverse Summary

News (1:16)
Eurovision Again: 2012 (10:23)
When Eurovision Goes Meta (15:16)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 132: Hot 100

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Maura Johnston guides us through how the Billboard Charts work and why Måneskin and Duncan Laurence cracked the American Top 40.

Hot 100 Summary

Host city when? Torino 2022! (0:45)
How do the Billboard charts currently work? (2:52)
How Duncan Laurence May Have Got on the Billboard Charts (7:40)
Why is "Beggin'" rocketing up the Hot 100? (12:35)
Other Eurovision Hot 100 Appearances (18:02)
Why a 25-year gap between chart appearances? (22:16)
Will Eurovision tracks be making more Hot 100 appearances? (32:00)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Maura Johnston.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 130: Quale Città?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:15:00 -0500

As we wait for the Eurovision 2022 host city announce, we take a look at the five cities hoping to stage the event for Italy.

Quale Città? Summary

News: ABBA, Dunkin Radio, Belgium, Eesti Laul, Melfest (3:17)
Italian City Thunderdome (12:13)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Links:

Episode 128: Bordspel

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 23:00:00 -0500

Dave Steeves facilitates a play through of the Eurovision Song Contest Board Game. Mike en Ben verstaan de Nederlandse taal niet.

Bordspel Summary

Introduction to the Best/Worst Idea (1:30)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Board Game (4:08)
The Grand Final (28:19)
Review: did we like the Eurovision Board Game? (33:12)

Links / Credits

Cover art: Mike McComb
#31: Eurovision Gifts for 2018
Episode Transcript (Descript)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat. Special Guest: Dave Steeves.

Episode 125: The Discourse 2021

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 23:00:00 -0500

Meredith Clark joins us to discuss some of the societal issues that Eurovision struggles to address in the fandom discourse.

The Discourse 2021 Summary

Welcome, Meredith Clark! Twitter | Instagram (1:17)
Eurovision Politics 2021 (5:02)
The Online Fandom (13:49)
How do we break down the discourse? (24:28)

Episode 124: It was the Elves

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Author Seanan McGuire joins us to explain how the elves helped Eurovision Song Contest: the Story of Fire Saga earn a Hugo nomination.

It was the Elves Summary

#EurovisionAgain: 1969 (0:56)
Happy Birthday, Fire Saga! (5:17)
Welcome, Seanan McGuire! (11:14)
How does Fire Saga fit into the sci-fi/fantasy genre? (13:47)
What is the Hugo Awards nomination process? (16:18)
How can Eurofans help? (21:11)

Episode 122: Revised Head Canon

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 25 May 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Ryan's back! We help to provide a revised head canon to fill the gap between 2018 and 2021 and review this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Revised Head Canon Summary

Welcome back, Ryan!
Grand Final Thoughts and Stats (8:12)
Semi-Final 1 Stats (16:42)
Semi-Final 2 Stats (23:58)
Final Thoughts (35:37)

Episode 121: Eurovision 2021 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 21 May 2021 09:00:00 -0500

33 songs competed on the Eurovision stage Tuesday and Thursday but only 20 advanced to the 2021 Grand Final. Who will win the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam?

Eurovision 2021 Grand Final Preview Summary

Discovering Peacock will be carrying Eurovision
Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US?
First Semi-Final (3:22)
Second Semi-Final (7:23)
Grand Final Thoughts (13:38)

Episode 119: Critical Condition

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 11 May 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Mark Blankenship joins us to discuss the Eurovision auto-qualifiers. Are the Big 5 and the Netherlands in good shape or are they in critical condition?

Critical Condition Summary

News
- Great American Pop Culture Quiz Show
- Eurovision Village (Opens Saturday, May 15)
- Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US?

Welcome, Mark Blankenship!
- Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs

The Big 5 and host country the Netherlands:
- France - Barbara Pravi - "Voila"
- Germany - Jendrik - "I Don't Feel Hate"
- Italy - Måneskin - "Zitti e Buoni"
- Spain - Blas Cantó - "Voy a Quedarme"
- United Kingdom - James Newman - "Embers"
- The Netherlands - Jeangu Macrooy - "Birth of a New Age"

Episode 110: Oops! All Songs!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0600

Oops! Everyone looked at the calendar and realized Eurovision entries are due next week! We give a first listen to 25% of the 2021 field.

Oops! All Songs! Summary

Songs Dropping All Over Thursday and Friday
- Belgium is "The Wrong Place" for Hooverphonic (1:57)
- Remember Romania's Roxen? She has "Amnesia" (5:13)
- The Netherlands gives "Birth of a New Age" from Jeangu Macrooy (8:02)
- Philipp Kirkorov, in association with Philipp Kirkorov and the Dream Team, presents Philipp Kirkorov's "Sugar" by Moldova's Natalia Gordienko (a Philipp Kirkorov production) (10:39)
- Australia's Montaigne sees in "Technicolour" (19:11)
- Serbia goes "Loco Loco" for Hurricane (22:04)

Super Saturday 2: The Revenge!
- Uku Suviste is "The Lucky One" to win Estonia Eesti Laul (25:48)
- Denmark goes retro with Fyr Og Flamme's "Øve Os På Hinanden" (29:32)
- The Black Mamba's "Love is on My Side" wins Portugal's Festival da Canção (33:57)
- Italy's Sanremo rocks out with Måneskin's "Zitti e Buoni" (36:39)

MOAR SONGS
- Flo Rida joins Senhit for San Marino's "Adrenalina" (42:32)
- Russia's surprise national final picks Manizha's "Russian Woman" (46:20)

Next week: Sweden's Melfest final and Oops! Even more songs! (51:33)

Episode 109: Eye of the Hurricane

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0600

It's the calm before a hurricane of Eurovision entries washes ashore for 2021. We give Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, and Slovenia a first listen.

Eye of the Hurricane Summary

Song Drops
- Cyprus summons "El Diablo" (1:54)
- Germany says "I Don't Feel Hate" (8:31)
- Ireland opens up its "Maps" (14:49)
- Slovenia: can I get an "Amen"? (17:53)

Weekend Recaps
- Sweden's Melodifestivalen Heat 4 (21:00)
- Portugal's Festival da Canção Semi-Final 2 (24:49)

Coming Up This Week (28:16)
- Tuesday: Italy's 71st Sanremo Music Festival starts
- Thursday: Moldova, Netherlands, and (maybe?) Belarus Drop Songs
- Saturday: Estonia's Eesti Laul Final, Denmark's Melodi Grand Prix, Daði Freyr documentary on Iceland's RUV
- Monday: Russia's surprise national final; Senhit's Freaky Trip to Rotterdam concludes with San Marino's song

Episode 102: Hoe is de Zorg?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0600

We have songs to talk about! Israel and Norway have Eurovision tracks in the wild while we consider the optics of putting on the Contest amid a pandemic.

Hoe is de Zorg Summary

Process updates: Greece, France, Finland, Sweden (1:25)
Israel: Three songs (leaked) for Eden (7:18)
TV This Weekend: Norway's NRK Melodi Grand Prix and Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo (19:01)
What are the four Eurovision scenarios? (28:13)

Episode 97: Eurovision AV Club

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 11:00:00 -0600

We could all use a distraction during *gestures at universe*. Here are some picks for Eurovision-adjacent media from our AV club.

Eurovision AV Club Summary

News: 41 Countries to Participate at Eurovision 2021, Daði & Gagnamagnið for Iceland, Senhit covers "Rise Like a Phoenix" (2:38)
Selection Season process details: Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo, Finland's UMK, Croatia's Dora, Denmark's Melodi Grand Prix (7:56)
ESC 250 voting opens November 9 (13:19)
Eurovision Book Club! (16:11)
- Three Minutes of Eternity (Amazon)
- Being Conchita: We Are Unstoppable (Amazon)

Eurovision Movie Club! (29:16)
- Monsterman (Amazon Prime)
- Souvenir (Trailer)
- Cupcakes (Trailer)

Episode 93: Rotterdam, Ahoy! Take 2

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Rotterdam gets to take a mulligan on 2020 as we look ahead to how preparations for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest begin to take shape.

Rotterdam, Ahoy! Take 2 Episode Summary

Mailbag and Eurovision in the Wild (2:13)
- Eurovision at the DNC
- The Crossword: Friday, August 21 in the New Yorker
- Animal Crossing Fashion by Nitro Gnome
- "Zenit" by ONUKA in Just Dance 2021

Where are we with countries and artists for next year? (18:35)
- Senhit's Freaky Trip to Rotterdam: "Ding a Dong"
- Ben's NRKMGP Presentation

How is Rotterdam planning for Eurovision 2021? (27:43)
- With COVID, how is the 2021 edition of Eurovision Organized? (RTS)

Episode 87: AfriMusic, AI, and the Free European Song Contests

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0500

The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest did not happen. We discuss three Eurovision-adjacent song contests that did happen in the first half of 2020.

AfriMusic, AI, and the Free European Song Contests Summary

News: Andorra returns? Cyprus re-selects (2:09)
#EurovisionAgain: Riga 2003 and Italy 1991 (5:07)
What is the AfriMusic Song Contest? (17:13)
What is the AI Song Contest? (28:35)
What is the Free European Song Contest? (36:18)

Episode 84: What is Poptimism?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Music critic Ned Raggett joins us to discuss rockism, poptimism, and why Eurovision songs are worthy of critique.

What is Poptimism? Summary

Welcome, Ned! (1:00)
Newsdesk: Eurostream 2020, Eurovision in Concert, Europe Shine a Light, Blas Cantó duets with Kelly Clarkson (4:32)
What is "poptimism"? (12:36)
Poptimism vs. Rockism (23:56)
The Rise of Eurovision in the US (34:15)

Announcement: Eurostream 2020

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 05:00:00 -0500

We are thrilled to announce that we have have partnered with several websites and outlets to work together on Eurostream 2020!

Online Eurovision Song Contest 2020, ‘Eurostream’, to be held on May 5, 7 & 9

Following the cancellation of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, several major Eurovision websites have joined forces to organize the first-ever 100% online edition of the Contest.

Under the joint name Eurostream 2020, three scheduled live shows will be broadcast online for viewers around the world.

Eurostream 2020 Format

Prior to the live shows, draws will be held to determine the running order for the two Semi-Finals. These will take place on April 21 and 28, respectively, and will be broadcast online. The same countries that were supposed to participate in the Semi-Finals of Eurovision 2020 will take part in the Semi-Finals of Eurostream 2020.

The Semi-Finals will take place on Tuesday, May 5 and Thursday, May 7. Ten countries from each broadcast will advance to the Grand Final based on online public voting (50%) and the votes of national juries consisting of music professionals (50%). Just like at Eurovision, the qualifiers will be announced in a random order, with detailed results to be released following the Final.

The Grand Final will take place on Saturday, May 9. The 20 qualifiers from the Semi-Finals will join the countries of the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and the 2020 host country, The Netherlands, which have already pre-qualified for the Grand Final. The same voting system will be applied to compile the results for the Grand Final of Eurostream 2020.

There will be no live performances from the artists during the live shows of Eurostream 2020. Instead, snippets of the official preview videos will be shown. Editors from several Eurovision websites will be joining via live stream to comment on the songs and their chances. You can expect several surprises during the three scheduled live shows.

Eurostream 2020 Broadcast Schedule (subject to change):

Running Order Draw Semi-Final 1: Tuesday, April 21 (20:00 CET / 2pm Eastern)
Running Order Draw Semi-Final 2: Tuesday, April 28 (20:00 CET / 2pm Eastern)
Semi-Final 1: Tuesday, May 5 (21:00 CET / 3pm Eastern)
Semi-Final 2: Thursday, May 7 (21:00 CET / 3pm Eastern)
Grand Final: Saturday, May 9 (21:00 CET / 3pm Eastern)

Eurostream 2020 partners:

Eurostream 2020 Contact Information

Eurostream 2020 can be found on Facebook and Twitter, where the latest information about the upcoming event will be shared. For answers on more practical questions regarding the project, broadcasts and voting, we kindly redirect you to the joint website, eurostream2020.com.

Special Edition: Well…

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 19:30:00 -0500

No news is good news. This news is bad news. Eurovision 2020 has been canceled. Now what?

Episode 80: This is Fine

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0500

We made it through the end of Eurovision Selection Season! Well, the competitions in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Portugal, at least.

This is Fine Summary

Eurovision in the Wild: Geeky Podcasters Edition (1:07)
Coronavirus shenanigans (2:48)
Georgia's Tornike Kipiani tells Western Europe to "Take Me As I Am" (5:30)
Eden represents Israel and Ethiopia with "Feker Libi" (8:46)
Netherlands adds to the "Grow"-ing field with Jeangu Macrooy (11:03)
Gjon's Tears shed for Switzerland with "Repondez-moi" (14:29)
Denmark says "YES" to Ben and Tan (18:53)
The Mamas make a "Move" for Sweden (23:58)
"Looking Back" at Aksel's UMK win in Finland (29:18)
Portugal chooses Elisa's "Medo de Sentir" (34:37)

Episode 72: DRIP in a Box

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 17:00:00 -0600

Eurovision Selection Season 2020 begins in earnest with Norway's revamped Melodi Grand Prix and Lithuania's fashion makeover.

DRIP in a Box Summary

Jeangu Macrooy will represent the Netherlands (1:10)
Norway's Melodi Grand Prix Heat 1 (3:40)
Lithuania's Pabandom iš naujo! Heat 1 (9:23)
Serbia announces its contestants (14:33)
Czech Republic announces their artists (16:25)
This week: Portugal, Latvia, Iceland, Slovenia (20:45)

Episode 71: Sticks Nix FiK Picks

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 17:00:00 -0600

We're barely a week into 2020 and we already have Eurovision drama up to our ears (HI ALBANIA!). We get caught up on the news from over the holidays in this episode.

Sticks Nix FiK Picks Summary

Albania's Fesitvali i Këngës chooses Arilena Ara's "Shaj" (1:51)
Georgia Idol chooses Tornike Kiniapi (13:34)
Australia Decides fills its roster (16:39)
Selection process news: Italy, Netherlands, North Macedonia (23:07)
ESC 250 Results (25:42)
Coming up this week: Ukraine artists, Norway's Melodi Grand Prix, Lithuania's Marathon (30:34)

Episode 68: Eurovisie Songfestivus

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:00:00 -0600

Tickets! Hosts! More selections! Eurovision 2020 is in full swing, but we look back at 2019 pop culture and make a 2020 wish list in this episode.

Episode Summary

Eurovision tickets on sale... for 20 minutes (1:32)
Eurovision Hosts: Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley, Jan Smit (6:26)
Austria selects Vincent Bueno (9:38)
Albania's Festivali i Këngës takes place this week (12:18)
Czech Republic invents some genres (14:55)
Festivus Grievances and Holiday Wishes (17:43)
What did your Spotify Wrapped look like? (29:50)
What other podcasts caught your ear this year? (36:52)
The Most Important Piece of Pop Culture of 2019 (42:12)

Podcasts We Recommend

Episode 65: Lebanon-starter

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:00:00 -0600

Lebanon was supposed to debut at Eurovision 2005. We examine the unexpected ways international relations impact the Song Contest.

Lebanon-starter Summary

Open Up 2020 (1:26)
Duncan Laurence releases "Love Don't Hate It" (4:02)
Mailbag: How to break a tie in 1970 (5:15)
How Many Countries are in Europe? (9:02)
Eurovision in the Wild: Game Shows, Elton John, Stamps (11:43)
Main Topic: Lebanon at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest

Episode 64: Win Win Win Win

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 18:00:00 -0500

We jump back 50 years to that time Eurovision had a four-way tie for first place... and no way to break it.

Win Win Win Win Summary

How many countries are in Europe? (1:44)
Are you the next Jon Ola Sand? (9:05)
Update: What WAS that Germany postcard? (12:17)
Eurovision 1969: The Big Tie (14:16)
Netherlands - Lenny Kuhr - "De Troubadour" (19:35)
Spain - Salomé - "Vivo Contando" (22:00)
United Kingdom - Lulu - "Boom Bang A Bang" (24:04)
France - Frida Boccara - "Un Jour, Un Enfant" (27:40)

Episode 61: It’s Rotterdam! Ahoy!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Happy Eurovision New Year! We're talking about Eurovision 2020's host country the Netherlands and the host city of Rotterdam.

It’s Rotterdam! Ahoy! Summary

Happy Eurovision New Year! (1:23)
The Mailbag (4:58)
- Prioritization Grids: Random and Normal
- Fun with our Eurovision Lyrics Generator
- Eurovision in the Wild: From Russia with Love Edition
- Please Clap

The Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest (12:13)

Ahoy, Rotterdam! (22:00)

Episode 60: Hallelujah

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:00:00 -0500

With Tel Aviv about to pass the Eurovision hosting baton to Rotterdam or Maastricht, we watch the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest to see what has changed in the last 40 years.

Hallelujah Summary

Welcome back, Chris King! (1:28)
Netflix Eurovision casting news: Dan Stevens and Demi Lovato (3:04)
Host City Announcement Friday (5:43)
The 1979 Eurovision Song Contest (7:39)
- Postcards (11:40)
- Performances (19:33)
- Did the correct entry win? (39:04)
- The Aftermath (44:38)

Episode 59: 12 Angry Points

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Nothing courts Eurovision controversy quite like the juries. We journey back to 1997 when the introduction of the televote made the juries A Thing.

12 Angry Points Summary

Mailbag: Big 5 Rehab Redux with Germany and the UK (2:07)
Eurovision in the Wild: German chocolate edition (5:00)
How Many Cities in the Netherlands? (7:36)
Netflix Eurovision update (9:03)
A Brief History of Eurovision Juries (11:32)

Episode 58: The Big 5 Gut Rehab (France and United Kingdom)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Helen Groothuis joins us as we finish our Eurovision gut rehab project with France and a United Kingdom intervention.

The Big 5 Gut Rehab (France and United Kingdom) Summary

Welcome, Helen! (1:55)
How many cities in the Netherlands? (3:44)
Eurovision on Netflix (6:02)
France (11:17)
United Kingdom (21:54)

Episode 57: The Big 5 Gut Rehab (Spain and Germany)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 17:00:00 -0500

Our July renovations continue as we wander the Eurovision wilderness with Big 5 countries Spain and Germany.

The Big 5 Gut Rehab (Spain and Germany) Summary

How many cities in the Netherlands (0:47)
Podcast Awards: Please Clap (5:15)
Gut Rehab: Spain (6:45)
Gut Rehab: Germany (18:17)

Episode 56: The Big 5 Gut Rehab (Italy)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 17:00:00 -0500

We love a summer renovation project and the Eurovision Big 5 could use some work. Well, maybe not Italy...

The Big 5 Gut Rehab (Italy) Summary

How many cities are in the Netherlands? (1:10)
#SayNomNomNom (3:43)
What is the Big 5? (7:11)
Gut Rehab: Italy (12:54)

Episode 55: Visiting Songland

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 18:00:00 -0500

As Eurovision explores making the American Song Contest a thing, we watch NBC's new songwriting series Songland. Is the process telegenic?

Visiting Songland Summary

Remember Bravo's Platinum Hit? (3:37)
NBC's Songland (6:43)

Episode 53: Satisfactory Winner

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 May 2019 17:00:00 -0500

André Durham from Eurovision Obsession joins us to discuss the Eurovision 2019 Grand Final and dig into the semi-final data.

Satisfactory Winner Summary

Duncan Laurence's "Arcade" from the Netherlands wins (3:13)
Semi-Final 1 Data Dump (10:41)
Semi-Final 2 Data Dump (18:00)
How did the auto-qualifiers do? (25:37)
The Eurovision viewing experience (31:57)
Awards! (45:37)

Episode 52: Eurovision 2019 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 17 May 2019 10:00:00 -0500

This is it. The Eurovision 2019 Semi-Finals are done and we know what 26 countries will compete in Saturday's Grand Final. We add our own wild speculation to the mix.

We break down the results from the semi-finals and how accurate our predictions were (Hint: hoo boy...) and what we think of Israel's presentation of the Contest so far. After checking in with the auto-qualifiers rehearsals, we make our picks for who will win the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Will Iceland's "Hatrid mun sigra" sigra? Could Australia's "Zero Gravity" rise to the top? Is Netherlands' "Arcade" playing a winning game? Or will France's "Roi" reign supreme?

Eurovision 2019 Grand Final Preview Summary

SPOILER WARNING: We know not everyone watches the semi-finals and some folks may still be avoiding any information about the auto-qualifiers’ rehearsals. If you want to remain unspoiled, you may want to save this episode until after Saturday’s Grand Final. Who knows, we could be hilariously wrong in everything, so you may have that to look forward to.

How was the first semi-final? (4:15)
How was the second semi-final? (18:08)
Eurovision Grand Final preview (36:26)
Our predictions (44:42)

Episode 49: Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final 2 Part 3: Johnny Bravo

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 18:00:00 -0500

We finish our coverage of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals talking about Russia, Albania, Norway, Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Azerbaijan.

Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final 2 Part 3: Johnny Bravo Summary

Russia - Sergey Lazarev - SCREAM (2:10)
Albania - Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju Tokës (8:31)
Norway - KEiiNO - Spirit in the Sky (13:01)
Netherlands - Duncan Laurence - Arcade (18:17)
North Macedonia - Tamara Todevska - Proud (24:01)
Azerbaijan - Chingiz - Truth (28:22)
Final Thoughts (36:00)

Episode 42: Madness!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 18:00:00 -0500

The madness of Eurovision Selection Season has come to an end. With 16 songs to discuss, we change up the format to get into competition mode.

Madness! Summary

We Stan Hatari: Öskudagur edition (2:01)
Eurovision Madness Bracket! (4:11)
Round of 16 (6:59)
Round of 8 (20:18)
Final Four (30:22)
The Grand Final (35:06)
VOTE in our Twitter poll

Episode 35: Molasses Flood

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 01:00:00 -0600

A flood of Eurovision updates this week, including Spain's selection and artists from Belgium, Netherlands, and San Marino.

After learning that there was such a thing as the Molasses Flood 100 years ago AND that it was not at all funny, we pick up right where we left off in last week's episode. Or, more like 15 minutes after we signed off because Belgium announced Eliot Vassamillet as their artist.

Fast forward to this past weekend, and we were ankle deep in selection news. Spain's Miki won the Operacion Triunfo Eurovision Gala with "La Venda" and will be bringing the party to Tel Aviv. San Marino revealed that Serhat will represent them for the second time while the Netherlands have selected Duncan Laurence as their act for Eurovision 2019.

Then we get knee deep in the oncoming flood of selection shows this coming weekend. We highlight the frontrunners in France's Destination Eurovision before taking a peek at this weekend's schedule of events. It's just going to get busier moving forward—I hope you're ready!

Belgium selects their artist (1:44)
Spain chooses Miki's "La Venda" (3:05)
Serhat for San Marino (7:19)
Duncan Laurence (aka Duncan de Moor) for Netherlands (10:22)
France's Destination Eurovision Final Preview (13:13)
Elsewhere this weekend (23:34)

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 29: Start Voting Now

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 02:00:00 -0600

How does the voting process work at Eurovision? If you think it's confusing now, the history of voting at the Contest has many surprises.

With mid-term elections happening this week in the US, we wanted to talk about how voting works when the consequences aren't as... consequential. One can dream, right?

Speaking of, we discuss next year's slogan "Dare to Dream" as well as other preparations currently taking place in Tel Aviv. If you're planning on going to the Contest, you may need to pack some Dramamine if you haven't booked your hotel yet.

There is some good news: the stage will be designed by a firm very familiar with Eurovision and other high profile music events, including the X Factor. We check in with how Brendan Murray is doing on the UK edition. ... Um... Dare to Dream...

Finally, we dive into the history of all the different methods used to distribute points at the Eurovision Song Contest. Point pools, age-defined juries, and potential 14-way ties are just some of the quirks that used to be part of the competition. We also explore how ties factor into the festivities.

United States, start learning about Eurovision voting now!

Start Voting Now Summary

Dare to Dream and other preparations (1:22)
The Ex-Eurovision Contestant Factor (8:23)
This week in boycotts (13:10)
Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest (1956-1974) (14:39)
The Usual Way (1975-2015) (20:05)
The Current Method (2016-Present) (25:30)
Tie-Breakers (30:30)

Episode 27: Orchestras, Synthesizers, and Lulu

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Orchestras used to be a requirement at the Eurovision Song Contest. In this episode, we take a look at the evolution of live (and "live") music at the competition.

We're getting close to having a final-ish guest list for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with 40* countries confirming their interest.((Armenia confirmed after we recorded.)) Yes, it's still a Facebook Maybe at this point and there are still three countries who have been invited but haven't responded. RETURN OUR CALLS, MOLDOVA.

After we check in with the Irish boycott situation and Cher's foray into Abba's catalog, we dive into the history of the music of the Eurovision Song Contest. Orchestras used to be a thing for the first 20 years of the competition. Once backing tracks were introduced in the mid-1970s (Hi again, Abba!), it was only a matter of time before Eurovision would catch up with a more modern pop sound. ... I mean, 25 years? We're now 20 years beyond that revolution and we're still encountering new sounds that run afoul of Eurovision's definition of a song. It's beyond fascinating.

Get ready for a teach-in and grab the moment to listen to this episode!

Orchestras, Synthesizers, and Lulu Summary

Eurovision guest list (1:19)
MyHeritage sponsorship (4:31)
Eurovision in Asia not a thing (7:07)
The next stage (9:10)
Gimme gimme gimme Cher's new album (13:19)
This week in boycotts (14:29)
Live music at Eurovision (15:35)

Episode 26: Tel Aviv and Other Headlines

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Tel Aviv will be hosting Eurovision in 2019! I mean, we pretty much knew that, but now it's official!

On this episode of the Eurowhat Podcast, we check in with the venues around Tel Aviv that will be hosting the big events in May. Will the Tel Aviv Convention Center be big enough to hold the Eurovision fandom? How is the green room supposed to work? And are hotels already busting budgets for fans?

In case Tel Aviv doesn't work out as an option, details about Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam have been revealed. Speaking of the Netherlands, we have the final recap of Glennis Grace's journey on America's Got Talent. Did she triumph through adversity, despite having to perform with Bebe Rexha?

Finland's UMK, Sweden's Melfest, and Iceland's Söngvakeppnin have been added to the calendar, while Ireland's songwriters have been murmuring about a possible boycott. We don't talk about Junior Eurovision—there's too much to discuss with the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships instead. Oh! And Ralph Siegel's birthday is coming up! Happy birthday, buddy!

So much to celebrate in this episode—download and join the fun!

Tel Aviv and Other Headlines Summary

Tel Aviv is the host city! (1:15)
Eurovision in Concert (5:46)
This is not an America's Got Talent podcast (7:12)((h/t to Who Weekly's This is not a Westworld Podcast))
Participants Update (10:22)
Ireland Boycott? (14:52)
This is definitely not a Junior Eurovision podcast (15:56)
Eurovision in the Wild: Rhythm Gymnastics edition (16:37)
Happy birthday, Ralph Siegel! (21:49)

Episode 23: That’s How You AI a Song

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 05:00:00 -0500

We gave a computer more than 300 Eurovision Song Contest entries from the last decade and this is what it gave us. Songwriting might not be so hard after all.

The EuroWhat is back after a surprise hiatus with a jam-packed episode. First, Ben and Mike catch up on a month of random Eurovision sightings. Starbucks? NBC's daytime and nighttime schedule? Johnny Weir's Instagram? Yes, yes, and yaaaaaaaaaas. Have you encountered any Eurovision in the Wild? Let us know! Have a better name than "Eurovision in the Wild"? DEFINITELY let us know.

Then we switch gears to talk about the concept of songwriting. Britcoms have previously tackled this topic, specifically Father Ted's series two episode "A Song for Europe." Surely we could write a song better than "My Lovely Horse," right? I mean, we have just as much musical and songwriting talent as Dougal and Ted...

Nah, let's just have a computer take care of it. In our two-step process (songwriting may not have more than two steps, after all), we compiled the lyrics of more than 300 Eurovision entries and gave them to a bot to develop a predictive keyboard. We were hoping that the bot would spit out next year's winning entry, but the technology isn't quite there yet. But if you are looking for a song title generator, we've got you covered.

Plug in your headphones and enjoy this week's episode of AI's Got Talent?

That’s How You AI a Song Summary

Eurovision in the Wild (4:19)
Father Ted "A Song for Europe" (13:44)
An Intro to AI and Markov Chains (19:29)
Step 1: Compile It (The List is Really Long) (22:04)
Step 2: We Used Botnik (That's How We Wrote a Song) (25:34)
Eurovision Song Titles (29:23)
Next Week's Episode (33:16)

Songwriting Resources

Eurovision Song Title Keyboard: https://tinyurl.com/EurowhatTitleGenerator
Eurovision Song Lyrics Keyboard: https://tinyurl.com/EurowhatLyricsGenerator
How to Write a Song for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC Insight)

Episode 17: Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sat, 12 May 2018 06:15:00 -0500

The Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest takes place Saturday, May 12. That means this is our last chance for wild speculation. We break down what happened at the semi-finals before sharing our hopes and dreams for which countries we want to win.

This week we welcome Barbara Sawhill to the panel to chat about what happened in Tuesday and Thursday's live shows. We discuss just how wrong we were about our semi-final one predictions, particularly why some power house countries failed to advance. Although we did much better predicting the second semi-final, there were still some surprises Thursday.((Including Mike's audio failing to record, so he's sitting out this week.))

Twenty-six countries are left. Who's going to win? It's the most exciting episode of the year as we head toward one of the most exciting Eurovision Grand Final competitions in years.

Special Guest: Barbara Sawhill.

Episode 13: Eurovision 2018 Australia and Others

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 05:00:00 -0500

The first half of the second Eurovision semi-final is extra bubbly this year. Er... that should be bubble-y because there are few sure bets, even among perfect streak holders. We break down the field in this week's episode.

Eurovision 2018 Australia and Others Summary

Eurovision Album Drop (2:58)
Eurovision in Concert (9:18)
Second Semi-Final First Half (11:50)

Eurovision Second Semi-Final Running Order

Norway - Alexander Rybak - "That's How You Write a Song" (11:50)
Romania - The Humans - "Goodbye" (19:47)
Serbia - Sanja Ilic and Balkanika - "Nova Deca" (25:35)
San Marino - Jessica featuring Jenifer Brening - "Who We Are" (30:47)
Denmark - Rasmussen - "Higher Ground" (38:46)
Russia - Yuliya Samoylova - "I Won't Break" (43:26)
Moldova - DoReDos - "My Lucky Day" (49:54)
Netherlands - Waylon - "Outlaw in 'Em" (54:29)
Australia - Jessica Mauboy - "We Got Love" (59:38)

Episode 7: Remember the Diaspora?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 05:00:00 -0600

It's another whirlwind trip around Europe as we hopscotch through another set of Eurovision selections. We have outlaws, humans, monsters, and wannabe heroes in the mix, but will it be opera that takes the top prize in Lisbon?

Remember the Diaspora? Summary

Listener question: Who famous? (1:40)
Armenia - Sevak Khanagyan - "Qami" (5:55)
Romania - The Humans - "Goodbye" (12:30)
Cyprus - Eleni Foureira - "Fuego" (18:41)
Netherlands - Waylon - "Outlaw in 'Em" (23:51)
San Marino - Jessika (f/ Jenifer Brening) - "Who We Are" (30:58)
Finland - Saara Aalto - "Monsters" (35:25)
Estonia - Elina Netšajeva - La Forza (42:31)
Poland - Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up (47:12)
Iceland - Ari Olaffson - “Our Choice” (52:03)

Episode 1: Welcome to 2018

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 08:00:00 -0600

We're podcasting, y'all! Welcome to the EuroWhat?

In our opening episode of The EuroWhat? podcast, our Eurovision News and Entertainment Research Division Specialists introduce themselves to our listening audience before sharing their first impressions of Albania's entry.

Then the crew hopscotches around Europe (and Australia) to chat about the seven artists already announced from internal selections. Who do we like? Who are we concerned about? Will there be jazz?

Intro 0:00
Who are you? What are you doing here? 3:02
Albania First Impressions 11:02
Internally Selected Artists 23:02
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Finland
- Georgia
- Netherlands

The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews - Episodes Tagged with “Netherlands”

Episode 299: Going Dutch

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 285: Kerflooey

Kerflooey Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 280: Weird Little Dudes

Weird Little Dudes Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 277: Nice

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 276: Lingua Franca

Lingua Franca Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 274: Yugoslavia 1990

Yugoslavia 1990 Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 269: Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview

Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview Summary

Subscribe

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 268: Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview

Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview Summary

Subscribe

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 262: Huzzah

Huzzah Summary

Subscribe

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 258: LUMO

LUMO Summary

Subscribe

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 250: Loaded with Energy

Loaded with Energy Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 249: Pew Pew Pew

Pew Pew Pew Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 241: Exotic Switzerland

Exotic Switzerland Summary

Subscribe

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 234: A Lotta Look

A Lotta Look Summary

Subscribe

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 233: Grievance Committee

Dr Jess Carniel

Grievance Committee Summary

Subscribe

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 232: Broke

Broke Summary

Subscribe

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 231: Poop Chaos

Poop Chaos Summary

Subscribe

Malmö 2024

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

Episode 230: Designated Perceived Nudity Corner