Season 18: Difference between revisions
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This season’s national-final landscape delivered an eclectic palette of styles, aesthetics, and artistic risks. Swiss staple [[Schweiz Selects]] put forward '''“Strawberry Lemonade” by Marlin''', a breezy, pastel-tinted pop number that charmed with its sweetness even if it ultimately placed 35th. Across the ocean, the United States’ ''Melodex'' leaned into darker alt-pop with '''“sad boii” by Benee''', its hazy emotional core resonating with a niche audience and landing just one step lower at 36th. Both entries, though wildly different in tone, highlighted how national finals increasingly celebrate contrasting moods and production styles. | This season’s national-final landscape delivered an eclectic palette of styles, aesthetics, and artistic risks. Swiss staple [[Schweiz Selects]] put forward '''“Strawberry Lemonade” by Marlin''', a breezy, pastel-tinted pop number that charmed with its sweetness even if it ultimately placed 35th. Across the ocean, the United States’ ''Melodex'' leaned into darker alt-pop with '''“sad boii” by Benee''', its hazy emotional core resonating with a niche audience and landing just one step lower at 36th. Both entries, though wildly different in tone, highlighted how national finals increasingly celebrate contrasting moods and production styles. | ||
India’s ''Agni-Pariksha'' brought the fire both literally and thematically with '''“Beparwai” by Jonita''', an empowering, vocally rich performance that stormed to 10th place and became one of the standout mid-table success stories. Meanwhile in Réunion, the ''Grand Prix du Concours'' unveiled perhaps the season’s most intimate and successful offering: '''“Dependence affective” by Gwennili''', a delicate, emotionally raw ballad that captivated juries and audiences alike, rightfully earning the silver medal and the HoD's subsequent auto-qualification in [[Season 19]]. | India’s ''Agni-Pariksha'' brought the fire both literally and thematically to the south Asian continent with '''“Beparwai” by Jonita''', an empowering, vocally rich performance that stormed to 10th place and became one of the standout mid-table success stories. Meanwhile in Réunion, the ''Grand Prix du Concours'' unveiled perhaps the season’s most intimate and successful offering: '''“Dependence affective” by Gwennili''', a delicate, emotionally raw ballad that captivated juries and audiences alike, rightfully earning the silver medal and the HoD's subsequent auto-qualification in [[Season 19]]. | ||
East Asia and Central Europe also delivered memorable moments. South Korea’s return of ''MNext'' embraced shimmering dance-pop with '''ChungHa’s “Sparkling,”''' an effervescent track that radiated charisma on stage and finished respectably in 22nd. Hungary’s ''Bajnokok Összecsapása'' cemented a tradition of bold, moody pop with '''Itenera's''' '''“Idegen,”''' whose atmospheric style and tight staging pushed it into an impressive 8th place. | East Asia and Central Europe also delivered memorable moments. South Korea’s return of ''MNext'' embraced shimmering dance-pop with '''ChungHa’s “Sparkling,”''' an effervescent track that radiated charisma on stage and finished respectably in 22nd. Hungary’s ''Bajnokok Összecsapása'' cemented a tradition of bold, moody pop with '''Itenera's''' '''“Idegen,”''' whose atmospheric style and tight staging pushed it into an impressive 8th place. | ||
Latest revision as of 21:18, 28 November 2025
Season 18 of Melodia Song Contest Reimagined is hosted in Error creating thumbnail: Coimbra, Portugal. The winning country was File:Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda, represented by Sabina Ddumba with their song "I Cry". They scored 173 points in the Grand Final. The runner-up was File:ReunionRadiantVolcanoFlag.png Réunion with 171 points.
Location
This edition of Melodia Song Contest was held in Estádio da Cidade de Coimbra, a stadium with a capacity of 29.622 people.
Participating Countries
37 countries initially declared interest in participation this season.
This season’s national-final landscape delivered an eclectic palette of styles, aesthetics, and artistic risks. Swiss staple Schweiz Selects put forward “Strawberry Lemonade” by Marlin, a breezy, pastel-tinted pop number that charmed with its sweetness even if it ultimately placed 35th. Across the ocean, the United States’ Melodex leaned into darker alt-pop with “sad boii” by Benee, its hazy emotional core resonating with a niche audience and landing just one step lower at 36th. Both entries, though wildly different in tone, highlighted how national finals increasingly celebrate contrasting moods and production styles.
India’s Agni-Pariksha brought the fire both literally and thematically to the south Asian continent with “Beparwai” by Jonita, an empowering, vocally rich performance that stormed to 10th place and became one of the standout mid-table success stories. Meanwhile in Réunion, the Grand Prix du Concours unveiled perhaps the season’s most intimate and successful offering: “Dependence affective” by Gwennili, a delicate, emotionally raw ballad that captivated juries and audiences alike, rightfully earning the silver medal and the HoD's subsequent auto-qualification in Season 19.
East Asia and Central Europe also delivered memorable moments. South Korea’s return of MNext embraced shimmering dance-pop with ChungHa’s “Sparkling,” an effervescent track that radiated charisma on stage and finished respectably in 22nd. Hungary’s Bajnokok Összecsapása cemented a tradition of bold, moody pop with Itenera's “Idegen,” whose atmospheric style and tight staging pushed it into an impressive 8th place.
In Europe, Poland's Polska Festiwal Muzyczny offered a fierce and emotional slice of eastern European pop with BOVSKA’s “Ziemia Mi Się Pali,” a track that blended urgency and vulnerability on its way to 14th. The United Kingdom's Departure for Portugal showcased soul-tinged indie through Brooke Combe’s “Miss Me Now,” which soared to 7th thanks to its smoky vocals and understated confidence. Portugal’s own Cantares da Gândara went more experimental with “Aguarela” by VSP AST, landing in 24th in the grand final after an auto-qualification but standing out for its artistic ambition. And finally, Gibraltar’s quirky yet beloved United by Tea national final produced James Marriott’s “Something’s Wrong,” a polished alt-rock moment that resonated widely and claimed 12th place.
Together, these entries paint a vibrant portrait of a season unafraid to experiment with genres, languages, and storytelling, showing once again that national finals remain one of the richest musical ecosystems for discovery at Melodia Song Contest.
| Country | Broadcaster | Song | Artist | Language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of American Samoa.svg American Samoa | tng8394 | KVZK-TV | "Tired Boy" | Sunday (1994) | English |
| Error creating thumbnail: Australia | randomguy213 | SBS | "Astronaut" | Jaguar Jones | English |
| File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh | chalenn | BTV | "Feet Don’t Fail Me Now" | Joy Crookes | English |
| File:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium | kasvi004 | VRT | "On Met La Patate" | Omdat Het Kan & Average Rob | English, Flemish |
| File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | zyroutx | TV Brasil | "Velho Fusca" | Xama | Portuguese |
| File:Flag of Canada.svg Canada | zakrusta | CBC | "Biblical Love" | Flower Face | English |
| File:Flag of Cayman Islands.svg Cayman Islands | thejendyz | Radio Cayman | "Footprints" | Tom Gregory | English |
 Cocos Islands
|
wither2706 | SBS | "Stained Glass Love" | Telenova | English |
| File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | dodgefulartist3 | DR | "ItBotGGBtSSiaDWoD" [1] | Volbeat | English |
| File:Flag of Eswatini.svg Eswatini | toniaczka | EBIS | "Okondana" | Sarnilo & Sibu Manzini | Siswati |
 France
|
yvourstruly | France Télévisions | "hot shit" | Cil | French |
| Error creating thumbnail: Georgia | haepuff | GPB | "Over and Over" | Tatia Darsalia | English |
| Error creating thumbnail: Germany | whothehellisorestis | ARD | "Sawdust" | Lina Mariah | English |
| File:Flag of Gibraltar.svg Gibraltar | pinguini | GBC | "Something’s Wrong" | James Marriott | English |
| Error creating thumbnail: Guam | itsme_notme | KGTF | "I CANT QUIT" | MEL 4EVER | English |
 Guernsey
|
valentinomore | BBC | "Bus Stop" | Amber Van Day | English |
| File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | stevenesc. | MTV | "Idegen" | Itinera | Hungarian |
| Error creating thumbnail: India | aenthology | Doordarshan | "Beparwai" | Jonita | Hindi |
 Italy
|
meuw2202 | RAI | "Rumore bianco" | chiamamifaro | Italian |
 Kosovo
|
twan7047 | RTK | "Si Ai" | Tayna | Albanian |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Liechtenstein | drehspiessfleisch_im_brot | Radio L | "Little Numbers" | BOY | English |
| Error creating thumbnail: Lithuania | Riardukas | LRT | "Mylėjau Kažkada" | GJan | Lithuanian |
| Error creating thumbnail: Luxembourg | spiritsarehere | RTL | "Real Love" | Francis of Delirium | English |
| File:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia | szszofi06 | RTM | "MWA!" | DOLLA | English, Malay |
| File:Flag of Netherlands.svg Netherlands | suppacoo | AVROTROS | "Cicada" | Blackbriar | English |
| Error creating thumbnail: North Korea | ctys0n | KCTV | "Famous" | AllDay Project | English, Korean |
| Error creating thumbnail: Peru | jita26televisi | IRTP | "Kutimuni" | LENIN | Quechua |
 Philippines
|
chromiliaghaztic | ABS-CBN | "Saranggola" | Ben&Ben | Filipino |
 Poland
|
hailflax | TVP | "Ziemia mi sie pali" | BOVSKA | Polish |
| Error creating thumbnail: Portugal | msgomes219 | RTP | "Aguarela" | VSP AST | Portuguese |
| File:ReunionRadiantVolcanoFlag.png Réunion | jesuisunepoubelle | Réunion La Première | "Dependance affective" | Gwennili | French |
| File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania | devil666132020 | TVR | "Toata Lumea Danseaza" | MIRA | Romanian |
| Error creating thumbnail: South Korea | paldosreal.sss | KBS | "Sparkling" | CHUNG HA | English, Korean |
 Switzerland
|
eternal2 | SRG-SSR | "Strawberry Lemonade" | Marlin | English |
| File:Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda | blueythesharkie | UBC | "I Cry" | Sabina Ddumba | English |
| File:Flag of United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | skanyone | BBC | "Miss Me Now" | Brooke Combe | English |
 United States
|
sandernl | NBC | "Sad Boiii" | BENEE | English |
Contest Overview
Semi-Final allocation draw
The draw to determine which semi-finals each non-automatic qualifier country would compete in took place on the 24th July 2025. The 32 semi final participants were spread across 5 pots based off of their delegates voting history. The pot allocation was made internally, thus the Pots are currently unavailiable.
Semi-Final 1
16 countries competed in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Canada, Georgia and Philippines voted. 10 countries qualified for the final, with Romania moving into the wildcard stage.
| Draw | Country | Song | Artist | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Error creating thumbnail: South Korea | "Sparkling" | CHUNG HA | 8 | 64 |
| 02 | Kosovo
|
"Si Ai" | Tayna | 7 | 71 |
| 03 | File:Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda | "I Cry" | Sabina Ddumba | 1 | 141 |
| 04 | Error creating thumbnail: Luxembourg | "Real Love" | Francis of Delirium | 10 | 63 |
| 05 | Cocos Islands
|
"Stained Glass Love" | Telenova | 3 | 92 |
| 06 | Error creating thumbnail: Lithuania | "Mylėjau Kažkada" | GJan | 12 | 47 |
| 07 | File:Flag of Eswatini.svg Eswatini | "Okondana" | Sarnilo & Sibu Manzini | 14 | 42 |
| 08 | Poland
|
"Ziemia mi się pali" | BOVSKA | 5 | 82 |
| 09 | France
|
"hot shit" | Cil | 4 | 86 |
| 10 | File:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia | "MWA!" | DOLLA | 9 | 64 |
| 11 | Guernsey
|
"Bus Stop" | Amber Van Day | 6 | 82 |
| 12 | File:Flag of American Samoa.svg American Samoa | "Tired Boy" | Sunday (1994) | 13 | 43 |
| 13 | Error creating thumbnail: Australia | "Astronaut" | Jaguar Jonze | 15 | 37 |
| 14 | File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania | "Toată Lumea Dansează" | MIRA | 11 | 48 |
| 15 | Switzerland
|
"Strawberry Lemonade" | Marlin | 16 | 36 |
| 16 | File:Flag of Netherlands.svg Netherlands | "Cicada" | Blackbriar | 2 | 104 |
Semi-Final 2
16 countries competed in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Guam and Portugal voted. 10 countries qualified for the final, with Germany moving into the wildcard stage.
| Draw | Country | Song | Artist | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | "Idegen" | Itinera | 4 | 71 |
| 02 | File:Flag of Belgium.svg Belgium | "On Met La Patate" | Omdat Het Kan & Average Rob | 13 | 43 |
| 03 | File:Flag of United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | "Miss Me Now" | Brooke Combe | 3 | 99 |
| 04 | Error creating thumbnail: India | "Beparwai" | Jonita | 7 | 69 |
| 05 | File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh | "Feet Don’t Fail Me Now" | Joy Crookes | 6 | 69 |
| 06 | Error creating thumbnail: Peru | "Kutimuni" | LENIN | 14 | 39 |
| 07 | File:Flag of Gibraltar.svg Gibraltar | "Something’s Wrong" | James Marriott | 8 | 64 |
| 08 | File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | "Velho Fusca" | Xama | 16 | 20 |
| 09 | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | "ItBotGGBtSSiaDWoD" | Volbeat | 12 | 44 |
| 10 | File:Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Liechtenstein | "Little Numbers" | BOY | 9 | 61 |
| 11 | United States
|
"Sad Boiii" | BENEE | 15 | 34 |
| 12 | Error creating thumbnail: Germany | "Sawdust" | Lina Mariah | 11 | 56 |
| 13 | Error creating thumbnail: North Korea | "Famous" | AllDay Project | 10 | 59 |
| 14 | File:ReunionRadiantVolcanoFlag.png Réunion | "Dependance affective" | Gwennili | 1 | 131 |
| 15 | File:Flag of Cayman Islands.svg Cayman Islands | "Footprints" | Tom Gregory | 5 | 70 |
| 16 | Italy
|
"Rumore bianco" | chiamamifaro | 2 | 115 |
Wildcard Round
The wildcard round voting finished on August 11th. Germany was declared the winner after earning the higher percentage of votes to progress. To be noted that Germany won the wildcard on a 1-vote difference!
| Country | Song | Artist | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania | "Toată Lumea Dansează" | MIRA | 47.1% | Eliminated |
| Error creating thumbnail: Germany | "Sawdust" | Lina Mariah | 52.9% | Grand Final |
Grand Final
26 countries participated in the Grand Final. Every participating country voted in this round. Uganda was the winner with 173 points, followed by Réunion with 171 points and Italy with 166 points. Germany ended in the last place with 31 points, making them the first Wildcard winner ending in the last place.
| Draw | Country | Song | Artist | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Cocos Islands
|
"Stained Glass Love" | Telenova | 4 | 154 |
| 02 | Guernsey
|
"Bus Stop" | Amber Van Day | 16 | 58 |
| 03 | File:Flag of Gibraltar.svg Gibraltar | "Something’s Wrong" | James Marriott | 12 | 74 |
| 04 | Error creating thumbnail: North Korea | "Famous" | AllDay Project | 17 | 57 |
| 05 | File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary | "Idegen" | Itinera | 8 | 96 |
| 06 | Philippines
|
"Saranggola" | Ben&Ben | 19 | 56 |
| 07 | Italy
|
"Rumore bianco" | chiamamifaro | 3 | 166 |
| 08 | Error creating thumbnail: South Korea | "Sparkling" | CHUNG HA | 22 | 51 |
| 09 | File:ReunionRadiantVolcanoFlag.png Réunion | "Dependance affective" | Gwennili | 2 | 171 |
| 10 | File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh | "Feet Don’t Fail Me Now" | Joy Crookes | 11 | 81 |
| 11 | Error creating thumbnail: Portugal | "Aguarela" | VSP AST | 24 | 38 |
| 12 | Error creating thumbnail: Guam | "I CANT QUIT" | MEL 4EVER | 23 | 41 |
| 13 | Error creating thumbnail: Germany | "Sawdust" | Lina Mariah | 26 | 31 |
| 14 | France
|
"hot shit" | Cil | 18 | 56 |
| 15 | Error creating thumbnail: India | "Beparwai" | Jonita | 10 | 90 |
| 16 | File:Flag of United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | "Miss Me Now" | Brooke Combe | 7 | 103 |
| 17 | File:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia | "MWA!" | DOLLA | 20 | 55 |
| 18 | Poland
|
"Ziemia mi sie pali" | BOVSKA | 14 | 63 |
| 19 | File:Flag of Netherlands.svg Netherlands | "Cicada" | Blackbriar | 6 | 107 |
| 20 | Error creating thumbnail: Georgia | "Over and Over" | Tatia Darsalia | 5 | 115 |
| 21 | Error creating thumbnail: Luxembourg | "Real Love" | Francis of Delirium | 25 | 34 |
| 22 | File:Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda | "I Cry" | Sabina Ddumba | 1 | 173 |
| 23 | Kosovo
|
"Si Ai" | Tayna | 15 | 60 |
| 24 | File:Flag of Canada.svg Canada | "Biblical Love" | Flower Face | 9 | 94 |
| 25 | File:Flag of Cayman Islands.svg Cayman Islands | "Footprints" | Tom Gregory | 13 | 69 |
| 26 | File:Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Liechtenstein | "Little Numbers" | BOY | 21 | 53 |
References
- ↑ Actual song title; "In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom"