KAJ Faces Estonia and Netherlands in European Championship Semifinal

The Finland-Swedish trio KAJ is the top favorite to win the European Championship in Song Contest. The biggest challengers in a potential final are considered to be Austria and France, but Austria's JJ competes first in semifinal two and France is one of the countries in the "big five", which do not need to qualify through semifinal.

Claude and Tommy Cash

Instead, it's Estonia's "Espresso macchiato" with Tommy Cash and his "Espresso macchiato" that's hot on KAJ's heels in semifinal number one, closely followed by the Netherlands' Claude, with "C'est la vie".

The song starts in a slow tempo, a piano ballad that quickly shifts to upbeat pop in classic European Championship style. Claude was born in Congo-Kinshasa and is fourth overall in the odds to take home the win in the whole tournament.

Last year, the Netherlands was disqualified from the European Championship after singer Joost Klein was reported to the police for illegal threat against a TV photographer. The preliminary investigation against the artist was later dropped, and after many discussions, the Netherlands' public service broadcaster decided to send a representative again this year.

"Espresso macchiato" is, on the other hand, one of the most controversial entries in this year's competition. Tommy Cash, alias Tomas Tammemets, sings in Italian and makes fun of the country's stereotypes. In Italy, outraged voices have been raised, claiming that Tommy Cash is mocking the country.

I love Italy and have the greatest respect for it, Cash said in an interview with Italian radio, where he also stated that he could never have believed that the song could evoke such strong feelings.

Iceland is tipped to leave

Two of the other Nordic countries competing in the first semifinal, but are not tipped to end up as high as KAJ. Norway's Kyle Alessandro is seventh in the odds and his song "Lighter" is written together with Swedish Adam Woods, who has also participated in Melodifestivalen.

The Icelandic duo Hálfdán Matthíasson and Matthías Matthíasson form the group Vaeb, which is third from the bottom and thus risks being eliminated already in the semifinal. A total of 15 countries are competing for the 10 places in the final.

Semifinal number one in the European Championship is broadcast on Tuesday, May 13 at 21.00 on SVT Play and SVT1.

1. Iceland: Væb – "Róa"

2. Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – "Gaja"

3. Slovenia: Klemen – "How much time do we have left"

4. Estonia: Tommy Cash – "Espresso macchiato"

5. Ukraine: Ziferblat – "Bird of pray"

6. Sweden: Kaj – "Bara bada bastu"

7. Portugal: Napa – "Deslocado"

8. Norway: Kyle Alessandro – "Lighter"

9. Belgium: Red Sebastian – "Strobe lights"

10. Azerbaijan: Mamagama – "Run with u"

11. San Marino: Gabry Ponte – "Tutta l'Italia"