Hello again dear Readers and fans !

Yes I know it’s a day late but yours truly needed some time off yesterday . However, better late than not at all, so without further ado, here’s a review of yesterday’s rehearsals . with the first ten songs from Semi Final two, along with the short video clips that we have been given the privilege of seeing by the EBU .

Bulgaria -Dara “Bangaranga”

Well, what I can say ? It’s all very fast pace and busy . even though she’s performing first, I think Bulgaria will qualify .

Azerbaijan JIVA -Just go

The clip that we have is where JIVA is on the cat walk telling the man who has done her wrong to go. I feel that Azerbaijan will miss out on the final again this year . They are performing after a big , uptempo performance in Bulgaria and are second in the running order. Juries may help but I don’t think there’s enough appeal to encourage televoters to vote for them.

Romania -Alexandra Căpitănescu “Choke me “

This is really “in your face “choreography , The laser lights that head from Alexandra to her fellow band member is really quite impressive . My only concern that this is also a family show, so is the song title and choreography really going to go down well where children will be watching ? Otherwise, Romania have come back to the contest with a vengeance and I wouldn’t be surpised to see them become a dark horse to win, if they get through to the final.

Luxembourg -Eva Marija “Mother Nature”

Here in the rehearsal clip we have Eva Marija manically winding her way around the stage with the backdrop of all things nature, while she sings the song. I do think the chorus gets a little too repetitive as the song goes along. I really do fear for Luxembourg this year.

Czechia -Daniel Žižka-Cross roads

The mirror effects where we see several Daniels is ok but we have seen this kind of thing before at Eurovision. I think he actually has one of the best vocals i have heard so far. If it was left to vocals, then he would qualify for sure , but this is Eurovision where what you do on stage seems to matter more than the singing these days .

Armenia -Simon -Paloma Rumba

Simon and his backing dancers are stuck in a lift ! With the movements of the backing dancers, it reminds me a bit of Olly Alexander’s changing room staging in 2024 . Another performance where I feel the staging is there to cover up for what is an average song. Will very likely qualify through the televote, not so sure about juries.

Switzerland -Veronica Fusaro “Alice”

Now I really like this song and there’s a strong message behind it about victims of domestic violence . The rehearsal clip shows a cube which has been wrapped up with blood red rope , depicting a prison, this is to demonstrate the difficulty for domestic violence victims to break free from their abuser . Again I do wonder if it will resonate not just with survivors of domestic abuse but with the televoting public in general .Is the graphic nature of the staging going to be a bit too much for some ? I would like to see this qualify though .

Cypus -Antigoni -Jalla

Yes, we’ve seen a table on stage before ( back in 2012 with Ivi ) and the singer and backing dancers dancing on or around it. This isn’t much different to the stuff that Cyprus usually send and I really would like them to try sending something other than the pretty girl and her backing dancers dancing around the stage and on props next year.Will probably still qualify through the televote though.

Latvia -Atvara “Ena”

Again, another performance where I can’t fault the vocals but the staging is a little dark . I would really like to see the whole three minute performance before passing any judgment

Denmark- Søren Torpegaard Lund “Før vi går hjem”

This is just brilliant . The clip shows the start of the song and you can’t help but get drawn in straight away with Søren’s vocals and the backing dancers suggestively strutting in the large box. Being of Danish heritage, I am so happy that Denmark are , after the mundane years ( 2025 excepted !) now sending something that should put them back in the top 10 , if not win the contest outright !

And that , dear readers and fans , concludes my review Day 7of rehearsals. Later , I’ll be looking at the goings on of Day 8 ( today ) where we hope to get rehearsal clips of the Big 4 plus Austria and will give you my thoughts then

Let us know what you think of Eurovision 2026 by leaving us a comment below and you can find us on our Facebook, X , Instagram and Bluesky feeds .

Author : Sarah Rudman

Source : EBU ,You Tube , Instagram