Just as expected, Austria and Finland are moving on to the final.
We did it, all the hard work paid off, says JJ to Eurovision's own TV channel after the announcement.
Erika Vikman confesses in the same channel's interview that she was honored but also shocked to actually move on.
I thought I wanted to go to the final, I'm going to the final, and I went to the final, she says.
Denmark's contribution was expected to be eliminated, but the 30-year-old singer Sissal defied the odds and gets to continue singing about "Hallucinations" on Saturday. It's the first time since 2014 that all Nordic countries are in the final.
I used up all my adrenaline in my performance, so I feel a little empty. But also like the queen of Denmark! says Sissal afterwards.
She is also the first Faroese artist ever to make it to the final in Eurovision.
It's actually historic. They'll write books about me, she jokes.
Cheers and Boos
Israel's participation in Eurovision is just as controversial as last year. The country's contribution is performed by 24-year-old Yuval Raphael, one of the survivors of Hamas' attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7, 2023. When she sang "New day will rise", she was met with both boos and cheers in the arena. So also when the contribution was voted on to the final.
Norwegian singer Emmy competed for Ireland with the song "Laika party", but saw herself eliminated in the semifinal.
Sneaky References
The second semifinal was characterized by more sneaky references than the first on Tuesday. Australia's Go-Jo sang about being "the milkshake man", Malta's singer Miriana Conte had to censor the word "kant" from her song, which paired with the title "Serving" sounded too risqué for EBU.
Finland's Erika Vikman, whose "Ich komme" deals with female orgasm and where the singer has been told to cover her behind in the broadcast, was last out. The song is tipped to finish at least in the top ten in the final.
Sweden did not compete in the second semifinal, and KAJ is clear for the final from semifinal one. They currently have a 38% chance of taking home the win on Saturday, while Austria, which is lagging behind, has 22 percent.
No Humor Number
The hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer have offered interviews with various countries' commentators, an explanation of Switzerland's four official languages interpreted through modern dance, and a bit of crowdsurfing. But no humor number like in the first semifinal – where Sweden's Petra Mede also made a surprise appearance.
In the semifinals, only the audience's votes count, and only in the final on Saturday do the jury groups' votes come into play as a factor.
Lithuania: Kataris – "Tavo akys"
Israel: Yuval Raphael – "New day will rise"
Armenia: Parg – "Survivor"
Denmark: Sissal – "Hallucination"
Austria: JJ – "Wasted love"
Luxembourg: Laura Thorn – "La poupée monte le son"
Finland: Erika Vikman – "Ich komme"
Latvia: Tautumeitas – "Bur man laimi"
Malta: Miriana Conte – "Kant (singing)"
Greece: Klavdia – "Asteromáta"
