ESC Insight: The Unofficial Eurovision Song Contes

Imagine a version of the Eurovision Song Contest that showcases acts from the very edge of the inhabitable world, from communities that live far from the geographical and political centres that govern them. A Song Contest that isn’t afraid to be subversive and doesn’t pretend to be non-political. Fortunately, there’s no need to imagine, thanks to Pan-Arcticvision (panarcticvision.org). Now in its fourth year, Pan-Arcticvision is on a mission to unite the people of the Arctic through the power of music. Previous acts have included Icelandic teen punks, Inuit throat singers, Sami rappers and Russian musicians fleeing Putin’s wars of aggression. The vibe is scrappy and anarchic, with the music interspersed with pro-Palestine statements and expletive-riddled tirades against corporate over-fishing. It also brings these communities together and has attracted a small but loyal following from Eurovision fans disaffected by certain events. You know. Those events. Let’s Prepare To PanArctic! Go North! is a new podcast miniseries hosted by Phil Doré and Aisling Tempany as they prepare to travel to the Pan-Arcticvision contest. In episode one, they talk about the ethos of this unique event. Stay listening to the podcast as Go North! will follow their journey to Tórshavn in Føroyar. Where’s Føroyar? You may know it as the Faroe Islands, but Pan-Arcticvision prefers to call places by the names given to them by those that live there, rather than their colonisers. This is a contest that has its own way of doing things, and ploughs its own unashamed furrow. As the Eurovision winter stretches out before us, stay on top of all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. The post ESC Insight Introduces Go North! A Pan-Arcticvision Podcast appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Eurovision Insight Podcast: Our Final Podcast From Vienna As the glitter falls to the floor and the sequins are harvested for next year, James Stephenson and Samantha Ross look back at Vienna and the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. As the summer months stretch out before us, stay on top of all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Our Final Podcast From Vienna appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Let’s look through all 10 of the qualifying entries, analyse why gold is the magic colour for Australia, explore the innovative stagings of the returning countries Romania and Bulgaria, and ask which of these songs could have chances to succeed in the Grand Final on Saturday. Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Friday 15th May On today’s episode, James Stephenson and Samantha Ross are joined by ESC Insight’s David Horton and Lisa-Jayne Lewis to break down the results of the second semi-final of Eurovision 2026. With the live show almost here, stay up to date with all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Friday 15th May appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

We have our first ten qualifiers through to Saturday night. Now the final ten places are up for grabs in the second Semi Final. Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Thursday 14th May James Stephenson and Samantha Ross look ahead to the second Semi Final and catch up with some more performers looking to get through to Saturday’s Grand Final. With the live show almost here, stay up to date with all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Thursday 14th May appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Wednesday 13th May As we would say in another time, ten qualified, five fell, fifteen ran. Just before it all starts again with the second Semi Final, James Stephenson, Samantha Ross and some friends have a little review of Tuesday’s show. With the live show almost here, stay up to date with all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Wednesday 13th May appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Although the first Semi Finalists performed for the jury (and the back-up tape) in last night’s rehearsal to get half of their score. Now it;s time to earn the other half and sing live to the world. Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Tuesday 12th May James Stephenson and Samantha Ross look ahead to the first Semi Final and catch up with some of the performers looking to get through to Saturday’s Grand Final. With the live show almost here, stay up to date with all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Tuesday 12th May appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

As the Eurovision Song Contest returns to Austria, it’s a welcome back to Vienna as we kick off our coverage of the 2026 Song Contest, the seventieth edition of the Contest. The dress rehearsals are underway, scores will be kept, and stories will be told of this week all across the world. Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Monday 11th May James Stephenson and Samantha Ross kick off our daily podcasts from Vienna. They discuss the thirty-five broadcasters who have entered, pick out some favourites from Semi Final, and speak to the performers about anything except the Song Contest. With the live show almost here, stay up to date with all the Eurovision discussions by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show in iTunes and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter which you can sign up to here. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Daily News From Vienna, Monday 11th May appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Søren Torpegaard Lund will sing ‘Før vi går hjem“, Denmark’s entry for this year’s Contest in Vienna. They talk about the ideas behind the staging for his song, how Søren has used the performance to create his own world for people to get lost in, and why he’s focused on staying true to himself and authentic while writing what he calls a “pop diva banger”. You can read our full profile with Søren here on ESC Insight. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Uncovered Meets Søren Torpegaard Lund: Creating His Own Universe appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Leleka will sing ‘Ridnym‘ at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. James Stephenson met up with the singer-songwriter in April, ahead of her trip to Vienna for a Eurovision Uncovered interview. They talk about her background in jazz, the development of her two unique musical personas, and how Leléka is combining them while also preparing to represent Ukraine both to those living there and to audiences around the world with ‘Ridnym’ – and whether it can combine both sides of her to win. You can read our full profile with Leléka here on ESC Insight. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Uncovered Meets Leléka: Not Your Ukrainian Princess appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

It’s time to go Inside The Model James Stephenson presents a brand-new podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, James prepares to head to Vienna for Eurovision 2026 by explaining all the ways The Model could be wrong. From the behaviour of the juries to the unexpected things that could happen on the night of the performance, he takes a deep dive into all the elements that are difficult to predict at the Eurovision Song Contest – in the hope that it makes what’s coming over the horizon easier to spot. You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model: 10 Things The Model Could Get Wrong at Eurovision 2026 appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

James Stephenson presents the podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, James speaks to vocal coach Zoe Stibi to talk about vocal technique, vocal rest, and why the Eurovision Song Contest separates experienced singers from young ones – and what that could mean for the results in Vienna. You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model with vocal coach Zoe Stibi appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

A special episode from Inside The Model James Stephenson presents a brand-new podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, James heads to Amsterdam for Eurovision in Concert and previews Eurovision 2026 with the help of three guests already in the Netherlands – GJ Kooijman and Marco Dreijer from Ding-a-Dong, the Dutch Eurovision podcast, and ESC Insight‘s own Sem Anne van Dijk. Filmed at Spraakmaker Media‘s podcast studios in Amsterdam, this conversation dives into our thoughts about this year’s entries, how The Model has been ranking them, and plenty of banter throughout. It’s almost an hour, so sit back with a drink and enjoy! You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model: Eurovision 2026 Preview in Amsterdam appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

It’s time to go Inside The Model James Stephenson presents a brand-new podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, James is joined by ESC Insight’s own Ben Robertson for in depth analysis of what Eurovision 2026 could bring. They chat about the running orders for each semi-final, which were revealed on Thursday, and why and how the running order can impact a Eurovision Song Contest entry. They’ll also discuss this year’s rule changes, including the expansion of the international juries, and consider whether a step change is coming to the Contest. You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model: The Eurovision Running Order is Revealed appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

A special guest goes Inside The Model James Stephenson presents a brand-new podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, Finland’s Eurovision 2013 artist Krista Siegfrids joins James to look at this week’s results, and ask if Finland will win its first Contest in two decades. She also tells us some of her favourite songs from this year’s show and talks about Eurovision speculation from the artist’s perspective, and how much pressure there is to perform on the world’s biggest stage. James also analyses this week’s projection from The Model, and asks why Finland isn’t further ahead. You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model: Krista Siegfrids Makes Her Eurovision Prediction appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

It’s time to see Inside The Model James Stephenson presents a brand-new podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, James analyses the latest update, which sees Finland and ‘Liekinheitin’ rise to the top of the standings. He’ll explain the change in methodology that has created the brand-new look to The Model, how each song chasing Finland down has different musical characteristics that may help it succeed, and answers questions from ESC Insight’s Samantha Ross on what The Model does – and doesn’t – take into account in its rankings. You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model: Finland Flies into First appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

It’s time to see Inside The Model James Stephenson presents a brand-new podcast that analyses who might win the Eurovision Song Contest in a brand-new way. With the help of The Model, James’s prediction tool for the Contest, he’ll take a look at how the race to Vienna is shaping up with weekly updates on the favourites, unique analysis of this year’s songs, and special guest appearances. On this episode, James looks at the first forecast from The Model now that all 35 of this year’s Eurovision songs are released , and the surprise news that Felicia and ‘My System’ leads the way for Sweden. He analyses why the song’s path to Song Contest victory may be clearer than expected, what forces are changing the make-up of this Contest, and speaks to YouTuber ESC Gabe about The Model’s first prediction and his thoughts on who might win in May. You can listen to Inside The Model on the ESC Insight podcast now, with weekly episodes every Monday that pull you deeper into the data. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast… Inside The Model: The Race to Eurovision 2026 Begins appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

“Who would win the Eurovision Song Contest if it were held today?” That’s the question that ‘The Model’ looks to answer.  It turns opinions into data in the lead-up to the Contest, creating weekly updates on how the race to Vienna is shaping up. The tool has been more successful at predicting the Contest than betting odds, fan polls, or any other indicators. It constantly changes, so each week we not only bring you the results but also a new companion podcast, ‘Inside The Model,’ providing weekly prediction updates, unique song analysis, and special guest appearances from the world of the Contest. Listen to ‘Inside The Model‘ here on ESC Insight on your preferred podcast platform of choice. Follow the show on iTunes,Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Introducing ‘Inside The Model’ appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

The National Final season for 2026 has come to an end. While a few internal selections have yet to be announced, and remixed ‘Eurovision Edits’ will be heading to social media, the packed weekends of selection shows across the continent are no more. While some thoughts turn to Vienna in May, other thoughts turn to ‘which National Finals do I want to go to, get tickets and experience on the ground in 2027?’ Gina Jones and Charlie Easterbrook took one of the trips this year to Finland for UMK 2026 at the Nokia Arena in Tampere. Along the way, they chat with Pete & Linda, Erika Vikman, ESC Insight’s Ben Robertson, Euroviisutsomeksi’s Vilho, and JJ. This is what happened. Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Eurovision Insight Podcast: Let’s All Go To UMK! appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Ciao from Sanremo, this is Alloracast! James Stephenson and Dude Points are here to debrief on the Festival di Sanremo – and they’ve done it on the train to France. On this episode, James and Dude look back at Sal Da Vinci’s unlikely fairytale triumph at the festival, analyse the rest of the Top 5 in the superfinal, go through some of their personal favourite songs and stories from the week and check in on Elettra Lamborghini’s sleep schedule before they fix their own. Listen to the final Alloracast of Sanremo 2026 now on your preferred podcast platform of choice. Allora! Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Alloracast! One Last Thing from Sanremo appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Ciao from Sanremo, this is Alloracast! James Stephenson and Dude Points are here with your preview for one of the most exciting nights in the Eurovision Song Contest calendar – the final of the Festival di Sanremo. On this episode, James and Dude go through some of the best songs from this year’s competition, and outline who they think are the favourites to win the Golden Lion and the right of first refusal to be Italy’s Eurovision act. They also look back at their highlights from the week, including a review of yesterday’s Covers Night, analyse the main narratives that have developed during this week’s Sanremo shows, and take a final look at Max Pezzalli’s boating adventure. Listen to Saturday’s Sanremo Final Preview Alloracast now on your preferred podcast platform of choice, or live every evening at 20:00 GMT on Radio Six International, with new episodes every day during the festival. Allora! Never miss an episode of the ESC Insight podcast. Follow the show on iTunes, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app listed here. A direct RSS feed is available. The post Alloracast! Daily News From Sanremo, Saturday 28th February appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.