In this video, the presenter shares his 12 favorite Eurovision 2026 songs based solely on studio cuts, working from 12th place up to his number one. He notes that this is his third year making such a list and that he couldn't narrow it down to 10 because it's a strong year.
Honorable Mentions (12th-11th) ⏱ 3:00
•Albania – 'Non' by Alice: Impressive coral vocal arrangement, crisp vocals, monumental instrumental, epic and dramatic.•Serbia – 'Kenneet' by Lavina: Moody, gritty, haunting, dynamic with growling vs. normal vocal contrast, but low replayability.10th Place: Czechia – 'Crossroads' by Daniel Shiska ⏱ 6:00
•Songwriting and arrangement are excellent, but cohesion suffers (start/stop flow and abrupt ending).•Moody track with brilliant execution and strong vocals.•Final chorus with drumming leading to climax is well-written.•Has Radiohead/Crywolf vibes, haunting piano and percussion.•Should be jury bait but may not get recognition.9th-8th Place: Latvia and Moldova ⏱ 9:00
•Latvia – 'Anna' by at?: Beautiful, heartbreaking, contrast of vocals with backing track, crisp percussion, fantastic piano, memorable chorus.•Moldova – 'Viva Moldova' by Satoshi: Party song, high energy, catchy choruses, simple but engaging, inviting.7th-6th Place: Greece and Switzerland ⏱ 12:00
•Greece – 'Ferto' by Akilas: Infectiously catchy and funny without being silly, creative instrumental with Greek elements, great production, energetic from start to 2-minute mark.•Switzerland – 'Alice' by Veronica Fisaro: Competently written, punchy, contrast between swing verses and gritty guitar, vocally well-sung with attitude, rhythmically memorable, clever structure with instrumental outro.5th-4th Place: Malta and Croatia ⏱ 16:00
•Malta – 'Bella' by Aiden: Theatrical ballad with wonderful opening chord intervals, natural build to chorus, tempo automation at the end.•Croatia – song by ?: World-building, massive soundscape, incredible vocal arrangement, gradual increase in tension and energy, haunting start, rhythmic switch at the end with Andromeda chanting.Top 3: Finland, Denmark, Romania ⏱ 20:00
•Finland (3rd): Dramatic, epic, intense, violin input, captivating opening, high energy throughout, catchy choruses, distorted vocal hook, great finale.•Denmark (2nd) – 'Favoam' by Serpot Lud: Chorus is rhythmically memorable with simple melody, atmospheric backing track, effective structure with repeated bridge and high note lead-in.•Romania (1st) – 'Choke Me' by Alexandra Capamescu: Rock anthem, highly dynamic, haunting opening, gritty and moody, no breathing room for first two minutes, great guitar and drumming, digital drum loop in second verse, operatic vocal inputs, most impressive song of the year.Key Takeaways
•The presenter made a list of 12 favorite songs because he couldn't narrow it to 10; only studio cuts are considered.•Albania and Serbia are honorable mentions (12th and 11th); Czechia is 10th.•Latvia (9th) and Moldova (8th) are praised for emotion and energy respectively.•Greece (7th) and Switzerland (6th) are noted for catchiness and clever songwriting.•Malta (5th) and Croatia (4th) are ballads with strong theatrical or atmospheric qualities.•The top 3 are Finland (3rd), Denmark (2nd), and Romania (1st), with Romania as the presenter's personal favorite and most impressive song of the year.Conclusion
The presenter invites viewers to share their own top 10 or 12 songs, and hopes Romania wins Eurovision 2026.
