Made it to Vienna...safe, sound, and exceptionally sleepy. Already ran into old friends, and I've identified the late-night eats that I know I'll be frequenting in the neighborhood. Roll on #Eurovision week.

Genuine game changer. Awesome.

As always, I'm loving the gorgeous photography coming out of the first rounds of rehearsals. Seriously, Corinne Cumming, Sarah Louise Bennett, and Alma Bengtsson are so brilliant at what they do (and they're also lovely human beings). #Eurovision

It's almost officially #Eurovision time, and publishing my annual guidebook for @escinsight.com makes it feel all the more real. I head to Vienna this week for my fourteenth Contest on site (fifteenth if you count online press), and even with all of its flaws, it's still the highlight of my year.

Another year of KMSU-rovision? You betcha! Keep an eye out for our FOUR HOUR Eurovision extravaganza, coming soon to a radio near you!

For Eurovision 2026, juries will be expanded from five to seven members. The EBU have made it a requirement that two juror members for 2026 need to be young music professionals from 18 to 25. Ben Robertson investigates what difference, if any, this change might make on the Eurovision scoreboard/

35 #Eurovision songs. Which one will win? The Model. Rebuilt, redesigned, and relocated to ESC Insight for 2026. And it's launching LIVE. See The Model's first forecast as a live voting sequence on ESC Gabe's stream this Sunday night, with full results on ESC Insight Monday.

Hang on, his last name is what now

Hello this is @dudepoints.fun reporting LIVE from the #Sanremo press room. The show will be kicking off in FIVE minutes and we are prepared to provide ALL the context for the night here

If I can't make it out to Sanremo in person tonight, I'm glad I've got friends there reporting the latest and greatest! (No, I'm not seething with envy...not one bit.)

It's Monday, it's the start of the marathon, welcome to Sanremo! James Stephenson and @dudepoints.fun are in town to cover a full week of the Festival della Canzone Italiana Sanremo. Yes, it's the first daily AlloraCast! Listen online now, and subscribe in your favourite podcast app.

Looking for a little Sanremo preview? Tune in now to radiosix.com (or listen online!) as @dudepoints.fun and James Stephenson take you through what to expect for the next seven days in Italy.

Hey Ho! Let’s Go: Chasing the Legend of ‘Trenulețul’. @bensvision.bsky.social travels to Moldova's National Final the long way, 14 hours on the train between Bucharest and Chișinău. Here is his report not just on the journey, but also on the significance of this train line, and its Eurovision song.

Obvious statement is obvious, but fuck ICE.

France's 248 points are the second most in #JuniorEurovision history, trailing just Poland in 2019. Her margin of victory - 71 points - is by far the largest ever. This was a *dominant* win.

To be honest, my favorite part of #JuniorEurovision is when all of the contestants flood the stage and join the winner's reprise, basically tackling the champion with hugs and well-wishes. A nice reminder of why we're here.

A *decisive* win for France's Lou with "Ce Monde"! Congrats to the delegation, and of course, to the chanteuse herself! #JuniorEurovision

The scream I scrumpt with San Marino and Albania's public scores! So happy for them. #JuniorEurovision

Jury votes incoming! #JuniorEurovision

GIVE US CIRCUS MIRCUS YOU COWARDS. #JuniorEurovision

Guys I think something is up with my voting page #JuniorEurovision

18) Albania - Kroni Pula "Fruta perime"...last song of the day, and it's upbeat, catchy, and absolutely perfect for #JuniorEurovision. Eat your fruits and veggies, kids!

17) France, Lou Deleuze "Ce monde": Ok, so imagine our beloved Barbara Pravi was shrunken down into #JuniorEurovision size and given a gorgeous ballad about the future. That's basically what we have here, but it's still gorgeous.

16) Cyprus: Rafaella and Christos, "Away": The lone duet in today's #JuniorEurovision, 14 year old Rafaella and 12 year old Christos seem plucked from a production of "High School Musical".

15) Georgia: Anita Abgariani "Shine Like a Star" - *Major* vocals out of our home-country representative...can the country do the double? #JuniorEurovision

14) Spain , Gonzalo Pinillos "Érase una vez (Once Upon a Time)" - Imagine if the theme song to "Reading Rainbow" were performed by the cast of "The Greatest Showman". This is a full-on stage production, and Gonzalo has the experience to carry it! #JuniorEurovision

13) Portugal: Inês Gonçalves "Para onde vai o amor?" - A simple, delicate ballad about the oh-so-Portuguese feeling of "saudade", a longing, wistful nostalgia for those who have left us. Prepare for misty eyes and sniffles... #JuniorEurovision

12) Italy, Leonardo Giovannangeli, "Rockstar" - We turn up the tempo with Italy! Taking a page from their Eurovision entry, we get subtitles in the background on this one. We don't get a ton of rap at #JuniorEurovision, but Leonardo is serving it with major confidence.

11) Montenegro: Asja Džogović "I tužna i srećna priča" - The third ballad in a row, Montenegro returns to #JuniorEurovision for the first time since 2015. Asja is singing about children growing up in broken homes, or no homes at all.

10) North Macedonia : Nela Mančeska "Miracle" - Despite not being at Eurovision this year, North Macedonia is here at #JuniorEurovision with a gorgeous, introspective ballad with Balkan flair.

Had a harrowing moment where I wondered why the Netherlands dancers were wearing the number '98.' I thought "well, she's a kid, so that's probably just the year she was born." I did the math. People born in 1998 are 27. brb, gonna go die #JuniorEurovision

Also, they missed a trick by not putting "67" on the jerseys. Instant televote win. #JuniorEurovision.

Where will YOU be when indigestion strikes #JuniorEurovision

9) Marianna Kłos "Brightest Light". The first in a trio of ballads in the #JuniorEurovision running order, Marianna has soaring vocals to match her raised pedestal-dress. A mini-Elina Nechayeva without the opera?

8) Netherlands: Meadow, "Freeze". Next up is a fun, high-energy bop about...slowing down? Either way, Meadow sells the heck out of it! #JuniorEurovision

7) Ireland: Lottie O'Driscoll Murray "Rúin" - Meaning "Secrets", I love how we get Irish language representation every year at #JuniorEurovision, thanks to broadcaster TG4. This is a classic, elegant ballad, simply staged.

6) Ukraine: Sofiia Nersesian "Motanka" - This song uses the imagery of the Motanka, a handmade ragdoll popular in Ukraine said to protect children in need. Beyond the regional flair, it's also an absolute bop. #JuniorEurovision

5) Armenia: Albert, "Brave Heart". This has nothing to do with William Wallace, but everything to do with impressive vocals. A simple song with killer vocals won last year...can Albert make it two in a row? #JuniorEurovision

4) San Marino: Martina CRV "Beyond the Stars". Breezy with more than a little bit of singer-songwritery country flair, Martina is an alumna of The Voice Kids in Italy. #JuniorEurovision

3) Croatia: Marino Vrgoč "Snovi". This is Croatia's first #JuniorEurovision entry since 2014, and they're sending the winner of the first series of "The Voice Kids Hrvatska".

2) Azerbaijan: Yağmur "Miau Miau". Danceable and catchy, co-written by Diana Hajiyeva, the woman who gave us "Skeletons" at the big show. #JuniorEurovision

When you can't quite remember where Destiny is from #JuniorEurovision

1) Malta: Eliza Borg "I Believe" A big-voiced showstopper of a ballad co-written by none other than Destiny, #JuniorEurovision champion and #Eurovision representative!

Yes, there's a ton of drama going on at grown-up #Eurovision right now, but for the next few hours, let's focus on the brilliant young artists at #JuniorEurovision, live from Tbilisi NOW!

Get ready for all the songs, all the numbers, the history, and more from Tbilisi. Download your guide to 2025's Junior Eurovision Song Contest from ESC Insight.

Ahead of this weekend's Third Edition of Pan-ArcticVision, @philjdore.bsky.social invites artistic director Amund Sjœlle Sveen onto the podcast to talk about songs, politics, and representation. escinsight.com/2025/11/28/e...

In the third episode of our Uncovered podcast, James Stephenson discovers how the most technically complex show on TV really gets made. From the sheer volume of equipment to the tight timelines it’s produced in, Eurovision pushes the boundaries of what’s possible. escinsight.com/2025/11/26/e...

New voting reforms introduced by the EBU promise stronger rules covering manipulation, promotion, enhanced security and expanded juries, all designed to protect the Eurovision Song Contest’s integrity. But will these changes be enough to rebuild confidence? escinsight.com/2025/11/22/e...

In the second episode of Eurovision Uncovered, James Stephenson finds out what it takes to perform on the world's biggest stage and explores just how much pressure the Eurovision Song Contest puts them under. escinsight.com/2025/11/12/e...

James Stephenson and Sem Anne van Dijk crunch the numbers behind Eurovision songs and discover what makes the difference on the Song Contest stage, and which song is the most average song from the last decade. escinsight.com/2025/11/05/e...