The Pop Corporation

Eurovision is tonight, so if you don’t want spoilers, look away. The bookmakers have been having their say, after doing whatever research they do, and listening to whatever grapevine they’ve been earwigging. Will they be right? Maybe, maybe not. We’ll find out on the night.

We can listen to their five favourites in advance, and see if we broadly agree with the notions of what will be popular during the event, which is held in Switzerland this year.

Sweden – KAJ – ‘Bara Bada Bastu’

Far and away this year’s favourites, but is that based on reputation alone? The Swedes have a long and glittering history in the competition – of course, giving the world ABBA after their win in Brighton with ‘Waterloo’.

As fun as this song is, it just doesn’t feel like a winner to us. Not to say that it won’t do well on the night, and it feels like it’ll play well in the room – but a winner? It’s a smidge too meme-y to feel like a classic. Stranger things have happened though!

Austria – JJ – ‘Wasted Love’

We’re generally against a ballad in Eurovision, unless it’s got some oomph behind it. Austria’s entry is a powerful ballad (not a power ballad) and rather operatic too. We feel this is going to do very well, but obviously, we’d like to hear some kind of tasteless trance remix of the track, but that’s just us.

If this is delivered well live, the jury will almost certainly go nuts for it. You feel like, of all of the favourites, Austria could land the title.

France – Louane – ‘Maman’

The French are often fancied at Eurovision, what with them being one of the primary financiers of the show. However, they quite often fall flat at the show itself, perhaps in part because the French feel a bit too cool to send anything silly and trashy.

This year, another classy affair. If a ballad is going to win, then you feel that France isn’t going to take the crown away from the Austrian entry.

Netherlands – Claude – ‘Cest La Vie’

Another ballad, but one with the decency to have something of a drop in it, so you can have a dance in the living room while you swig Bailey’s straight from the bottle.

Of all the bookies’ favourites, this one feels more like a winner to us. It might like the razzle dazzle we’ve seen with some other winners from recent years past, but Claude feels very relatable (always a point scorer at Eurovision) and the song grooves along nicely when it gets going. A decent outside bet, for the flutterers among you.

Israel – Yuval Raphael – ‘New Day Will Rise’

This song is going to be booed. The performer has apparently been in training to try and sing the song with ‘added distractions’. There’ll be some surprise heavy voting when it comes to the public vote, as we’ve seen in previous years. They’ll almost certainly be political votes, amongst those who apparently enjoy the song.

Look, it’s basically impossible to avoid bias with this song, and we’re including it here solely based on the fact that it is the fifth favourite according to the betting shops.