Austria's JJ wins 2025 Eurovision Song Contest - as it happened

I know I'm not the only person who still dreams Finland's infamous 'Cha Cha Cha' by Käärijä at the 2023 contest (robbed!).

Finland's Erika Vikman channels the Finnish Eurovision spirit — which I can only assume is absolutely whackadoo — with 'Ich komme'.

It gets so intense towards the end that I'm just left staring at the screen as my eyes are assaulted with blasts of light and 'ICH KOMME' in big letters, which translates to 'I'm coming'.

Our overlords, Courtney Act and Tony Armstrong, also drop that we may be getting a surprise performance from Käärijä tonight?! Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.

— Alexandra Koster

Yes, Australians can vote in the Eurovision grand final.

Votes can be cast via the official Eurovision Song Contest app. Download for Android here and iOS here.

You can also head to https://www.esc.vote/ to cast your vote. Each vote costs 70 cents and you can cast a maximum of 20 votes per transaction.

— Jessica Bahr

If I could have access to a time machine, I would use it to take me back approximately seven minutes so I could watch Iceland's performance again.

A dash of K-pop, a sliver of Irish dancing, mixed with an electronic sea shanty, Iceland's Væb is immediately making me want to invest in some silver get-up.

— Alexandra Koster

As a quick palate cleanser, here are some of the best posts on X right now:

— Alexandra Koster

The girls are here.

Now we've got Remembering Monday with 'What the Hell Just Happened?'.

They literally look like a jazzier, more Sabrina Carpenter version of The Powerpuff Girls. In my view, that's always a sign of a winning performance.

They even cap off their performance with big smiles inside a love heart! This is canon now, as far as I'm concerned.

Remembering Mon- ... I mean, The Powerpuff Girls. Credit: Cartoon Network

— Alexandra Koster

The Eurovision Song Contest is always a visual treat, with many performers going all out with not only their vocals, but also their outfits, visual effects, and stage design.

Here are some of the best images so far.

Norway's Kyle Alessandro opened the Eurovision 2025 grand final with the song 'Lighter', complete with flames. Source: AAP / Georgios Kefalas/EPA

Luxembourg's Laura Thorn performed 'La poupee monte le son'. Source: AAP / Georgios Kefalas/EPA

Tommy Cash from Estonia;s performance of Espresso Macchiato was a crowd-pleaser. Source: AAP / Martin Meissner/AP

Yuval Raphael from Israel performed a ballad 'New Day Will Rise'. Source: AAP / Martin Meissner/AP

Lithuania's Katarsis performed Tavo, and used a powerful wind machine for maximum effect. Source: AAP / Georgios Kefalas/EPA

JJ from Austria delivered a dramatic performance of 'Wasted Love'. Source: AAP / Martin Meissner/AP

— Jessica Bahr

It's not Eurovision unless it literally looks like someone has placed a sheer stocking — or a schmear of Vaseline — over the camera lens.

The crowd is chuffed by Ukraine's entrant, Ziferblat with 'Bird of Pray'.

My favourite part was the screen blackouts that immediately made me believe I had a power outage, as I'm sure it did for many other watch parties out there.

— Alexandra Koster

The wind machine really is working overtime for Lithuania, with Katarsis' 'Tavo akys'.

It's kind of giving an even campier version of Evanescence, which I am absolutely an advocate for.

Katarsis from Lithuania performs the song "Tavo Akys" during the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland. Source: AP / Martin Meissner

The performance is capped with 44 'Tavo's'.

I'm not sure what Tavo means in Lithuanian, but according to Nameberry, a baby names meaning website, Tavo translates to "staff of the Goths", which is just really lovely.

— Alexandra Koster

Next up is Israel's entrant Yuval Raphael with 'New Day Will Rise'.

The 24-year-old survived Hamas' massacre at the Nova music festival on October 7 2023.

READ MORE

October 7 attack survivor to represent Israel at Eurovision

It's your fairly stock-standard Eurovision power ballad.

— Alexandra Koster

I fear this may be the best performance of the night so far, Estonia's entrant Tommy Cash with 'Espresso Macchiato' — which I will be singing for the next year.

I never knew I needed to see someone float above a background of coffee beans until now. Stunning. Gorgeous. No notes.

Tommy Cash from Estonia performed Espresso Macchiato in the grand final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland. Source: AAP / Martin Meissner/AP

— Alexandra Koster

Okay, Alice in Wonderland!

Next up is Luxembourg's entrant, Laura Thorn with 'La poupée monte le son'.

There's also a costume change, so we've really just gotten the full Eurovision experience.

— Alexandra Koster

We start off the performances with a hot (get it?) performance from Norway's entrant, Kyle Alessandro with 'Lighter'.

Unsurprisingly, the stage is plastered with pyrotechnics. Flame on!

— Alexandra Koster

As the finalists for this year's competition roll onto the stage, I can't help but think of a universe where our boy Go-Jo was up there, sprouting the multiple benefits of drinking his delicious milkshakes.

Go-Jo was eliminated in the second semi-final on Friday morning.

READ MORE

Eurovision 2025: Australia and 'milkshake man' Go-Jo knocked out of song contest

Alas, 37 countries have competed in this year's Eurovision, and 26 have made it through to the final. Our finalists are:

• Albania: Shkodra Elektronike — Zjerm
• Armenia: PARG — SURVIVOR
• Austria: JJ — Wasted Love
• Denmark: Sissal — Hallucination
• Estonia: Tommy Cash — Espresso Macchiato
• Finland: Erika Vikman — ICH KOMME
• France: Louane — Maman
• Germany: Abor & Tynna — Baller
• Greece: Klavdia — Asteromáta
• Iceland: VÆB — RÓA
• Israel: Yuval Raphael — New Day Will Rise
• Italy: Lucio Corsi — Volevo essere un duro
• Latvia: Tautumeitas — Bur Man Laimi
• Lithuania: Katarsis — Tavo Akys
• Luxembourg: Laura Thorn — La Poupée Monte Le Son
• Malta: Miriana Conte — SERVING
• Netherlands: Claude — C'est La Vie
• Norway: Kyle Alessandro — Lighter
• Poland: Justyna Steczkowska — GAJA
• Portugal: NAPA — Deslocado
• San Marino: Gabry Ponte — Tutta L'Italia
• Spain: Melody — Esa diva
• Sweden: KAJ — Bara Bada Bastu
• Switzerland | Zoë Më – Voyage
• Ukraine: Ziferblat — Bird of Pray
• United Kingdom: Remember Monday — What The Hell Just Happened?

— Alexandra Koster

Itching to get in on the action? You can watch the Eurovision grand final by heading straight to SBS On Demand.

Tony Armstrong and Courtney Act are hosting and commentating Australia's coverage.

The stream has just kicked off — so quickly run to the kettle to top up your coffee.

— Alexandra Koster

Welcome to our coverage of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest grand final.

Finalists from 26 countries are taking to the stage in Basel, Switzerland.

We will be recapping performance highlights, major moments, and results as they come in.

You can also watch live on SBS and SBS On Demand.

— Jessica Bahr