The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel will feature many languages on stage. While English continues to be a prominent language, there’s been a notable trend in recent years, including for the 2025 contest, of more countries opting to perform in their national or native languages, or a mix of languages.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel is set to showcase an unprecedented linguistic diversity, with performances in 20 different languages—a record for the competition.
Languages Featured on Stage
The languages represented this year include:
-
English – Go-Jo “Milkshake Man”, Miriana Conte “Serving”, Remember Monday “What the Hell Just Happened?”, and others
-
French – Louane “Maman”, Zoë Më “Voyage”
-
Swedish (specifically the Vörå dialect, an Ostrobothnian variety of Finland’s Swedish) – KAJ “Bara bada bastu”
-
Italian – Lucio Corsi “Volevo essere un duro”
-
Spanish – Melody “Esa diva”
-
German – Abor & Tynna “Baller”
-
Portuguese – Napa “Deslocado”
-
Greek – Klavdia “Asteromata” (Αστερομάτα)
-
Polish – Justyna Steczkowska “Gaja”
-
Ukrainian – Ziferblat “Bird of Pray”
-
Hebrew – Yuval Raphael “New Day Will Rise”
-
Georgian – Mariam Shengelia “Freedom”
-
Serbian – Princ “Mila” (Мила)
-
Montenegrin – Nina Žižić “Dobrodošli” (Добродошли)
-
Icelandic -Væb “Róa”
-
Latvian – Tautumeitas “Bur man laimi”
-
Lithuanian – Katarsis “Tavo akys”
-
Albanian (specifically Gheg Albanian) – Shkodra Elektronike “Zjerm”
-
Finnish – Erika Vikman “Ich komme”
-
Broccolino dialect (an American variety of Italian)
Notable Multilingual Entries
-
Israel: Yuval Raphael’s “New Day Will Rise” incorporates English, French, and Hebrew.
-
The Netherlands: Claude’s “C’est la vie” blends French and English.
-
Ukraine: Ziferblat’s “Bird of Pray” features both Ukrainian and English.
-
Poland: Justyna Steczkowska’s “Gaja” includes Polish and English. The Times+2Wikipedia+2The Sun+2
This year’s contest marks a significant shift towards embracing native languages, with all Big 5 countries—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom—opting to perform in their national tongues. Eurovision Fun
The Grand Final will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. Eurovision+1The Sun+1
For a visual representation of the language distribution in Eurovision 2025, you might find this video insightful:
The diversity of languages reflects the cultural richness that Eurovision aims to celebrate.
Why are there now more songs in national languages in the Eurovision Song Contest?
The increase in songs performed in national languages at the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years can be attributed to several cultural, strategic, and political factors:
1. Cultural Pride and Identity
Many countries are placing greater value on their national identity and cultural uniqueness. Singing in a national language is a way to showcase that identity to a massive international audience. It’s a statement of pride and authenticity.
2. Differentiation and Memorability
In a contest where dozens of countries compete, standing out is crucial. Songs in English can start to blend together, whereas a song in a distinctive national language can be more memorable and emotionally resonant—even for non-speakers.
3. Successful Precedents
Recent Eurovision winners and high scorers who performed in their national languages have encouraged others to follow suit. For example:
-
Portugal’s Salvador Sobral (2017) won singing in Portuguese.
-
Italy’s Måneskin (2021) won with “Zitti e buoni” in Italian.
These victories showed that songs in native languages can compete successfully, even dominate.
4. Audience Appreciation for Diversity
Eurovision viewers often appreciate linguistic and cultural diversity. A song in a native language can feel more genuine or artistically bold, which can win both jury and public votes.
5. Changing Trends and Generational Shifts
Younger artists and songwriters may be more experimental or inclined to challenge the English-language norm that dominated Eurovision for many years, particularly during the early 2000s when nearly all entries were in English.
6. National Broadcaster Strategies
Some national broadcasters now actively encourage entries in their own languages during national selection processes, either for cultural preservation or strategic reasons.
In summary, the shift reflects broader cultural confidence, audience appetite for diversity, and the success of non-English songs on the Eurovision stage.
