English dominated linguistically at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, but there was a decent Romance language contingent for those who appreciate exposure to French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. There was even a surprising bonus: the Netherlands’ representative, Claude (Claude Kiambe), injected French flourishes alongside English with his entry, C’est La Vie.

How did he do? Claude impressed in the first semi-final, progressing to the final, where he finished in a respectable 12th place. But he fared really well with the jury, which ranked him fifth, giving him 133 points compared with 48 from the public.

San Marino’s high spirits

My Five Romances’ favourite Romance language song at Eurovision 2025, on first hearing anyway, was Tutta l’Italia (All of Italy) by Gabry Ponte (pictured with at top with supporting musicians), representing San Marino. It’s a rollicking song, as you’d expect from someone who also has made a name for himself as a DJ.

How did he do? Gabry Ponte impressed in the first semi-final, progressing to the final, where he came 26th, or to put it more cruelly, last. Which just goes to show what an odd taste in music I have!

Portugal’s NAPA not caught napping

Portugal’s entry at Eurovision 2025 was Deslocado (Displaced) by NAPA, a band from the island of Madeira. Unlike many of the entries, they eschewed flashy grand theatrics. The song is measured and mournful, laced with the uniquely Portuguese sentiment of saudade. It’s also quite complex compared to many entries.

How did they do? NAPA progressed from the first semi-final, and came 21st in the final. Not bad for a relatively unknown band who had never had a hit single in Portugal prior to this one, and whose two albums so far charted only modestly in their home country. But they’ll get a lot more attention from now on.

Luxembourg gets dolled up

Luxembourgish, French and German are the official languages of Luxembourg, a country that punches, sings and dances above its weight at Eurovision: it has won it five times. Multi-talented music teacher Laura Thorn represented it at Eurovision 2025, singing a feminist anthem in French, La poupée monte le son (The doll turns up the sound). Go girl! You’ll see her dramatic transformation 2 minute, 24 seconds into her energetic performance in the video.

How did she do? Laura progressed comfortable from the second semi-final, and came 22nd in the final.

Now for the ‘big’ ones …

France, Italy and Spain are part of the big 5 of Eurovision (along with the UK and Germany) who get automatic slots in the final, as does the host country, which was Switzerland this year, following Nemo’s success in Sweden in 2024. It’s very rare for France, Italy and Spain to opt for anything other than their native tongues, and rightly so. As for Switzerland, where French, Italian, German and Romansh are official languages, what they’ll do at Eurovision is anyone’s guess.

Let’s see how they fared.

Lucio does Italy proud

Lyrically and intellectually, Lucio Corsi’s Volevo essere un duro (I wanted to be a tough guy) was one of the more interesting songs of the night. It’s a song about being bullied and the effects it has on one’s self-image and self-esteem, and you can tell from his physique that Lucio would have been a prime target. His song grew on me the more I heard it, and I was impressed by how he handled the switch from playing the piano, to the guitar and then to the harmonica/mouth organ. There was a lot of potential for stage mishaps in this one!

How did he do? Lucio came fifth overall, and was ranked fourth in the eyes of the jury. I think he’s proved his mettle now.

Mum’s the word in French

France’s Louane opted to sing alone on stage in a sandpit – immersed in the sands of time, so to speak – which couldn’t have been very comfortable. I knew little of her singing career, even though she has had No. 1 albums and singles in France. But I remember her very well from her acting role in La Famille Bélier (The Belier Family), one of the best French films I’ve ever seen. I don’t favour power ballads much, but from the moment she starts singing Maman (Mother), you can tell she has a top-class voice. The song becomes even more poignant when you learn that she lost her parents from an early age.

How did she do? Luane finished in seventh, but was highly rated by the jury, coming third in their scoring.

The dramatic dive of a Spanish diva

It took two listens for me to start liking Esa Diva (That Diva) by Spain’s representative, Melody, who had her first hit single when she was 10. It’s a rousing, thumping song, and I admire the lines Una diva no pisa / A nadie para brillar (A diva doesn’t step on anyone to shine). If only certain world leaders had the same attitude! The startling appearance of the dancers at the 47-second mark is very clever, and I have no idea how the costume change at 1.09 came about. The choreography was great and the crowd certainly seemed to lap it up.

How did she do? Not very well actually: down down down to 24th, or third last. The pain in Spain …

Zoë’s melodic voyage

Finally, to the host nation, Switzerland, represented by the Basel-born Zoë Më. Eschewing razzle-dazzle lights and other effects that Eurovision has become notorious for, she opted for a soothing ballad, Voyage, made more alluring, I dare say, because it was in French.

How did she do? Très bien, considering that some critics had felt the simple staging would work against her. Zoë Më came 10th. But here’s the paradox. The jury loved it, giving it 214 points, their second-highest score behind Austria’s winning song. However, the public gave her none. Not one point! How mean! The UK suffered the same fate.

What was your favourite song? Write in the comments. M5R