Eurovision organisers still hope Celine Dion might take to the stage
Celine Dion won Eurovision in Dublin 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Jennifer Graylock/PA)
The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest are in âclose contactâ with Swiss winner Celine Dion, following reports that she had ruled out performing this year in Basel.
Switzerland, where the competition began in Lugano in 1956, will host Tuesdayâs first semi-final in Basel. It will see the Netherlands return to the stage after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the final last year.
Dion, 57, won in Dublin 1988 with , and there has been speculation that since there has been no Swiss entry triumph until Nemo clinched victory with last year at Malmo, she would return to the stage.
The Canadian singer has stepped away from touring in recent years, because of increasing health issues while living with stiff-person syndrome (SPS), but made an emotional come back at the 2024 Paris Olympics singing Edith Piafâs classic while in the Eiffel Tower.
It was reported that Dion sent in a video message for the first semi-final rehearsals wishing the contestants luck, appearing to rule out her return, but this appeared to be dismissed by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR.
An SRG SSR spokesman said: âAll elements of the first semi-final show were played through and rehearsed intensively.
âThere are currently no changes regarding Celine Dion â we are still in close contact with her.â
The Dutch have placed their hopes on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry reflects on his early musical aspirations and his motherâs support.
He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical , inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblatâs dramatic track .
However, Malmo marketing manager Anna Wittgren has ruled out the city hosting the contest again if KAJ wins, saying it is a âbig undertaking and we have a wide event portfolio to look after and manageâ, while insisting that the decision was not down to the cost of policing the protests last year because that was a bill covered nationally.
She added: âWe look back to 2024 with fond memories but we are happy to let another destination now enjoy the hosting if KAJ wins, and we have plenty of learnings to share.â
Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with , along with some of the big financial contributors â Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsiâs and Spain with Melody Gutierrezâs .
Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single , which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job.
Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, âdoing great and doing the bestâ, after his song went viral.
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification âunnecessary and disproportionateâ, while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him.
Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold.
The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help âprotectâ the wellbeing of artists.
Kiambe feels this means they have âlistened to everything what happenedâ.
However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBT+ flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags, after controversy last year on what could be brought into the arena.
Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Sloveniaâs Klemen with , electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic , and Estoniaâs Tommy Cash with the absurd .
Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marinoâs Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy , Polandâs Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic , Norwayâs Kyle Alessandro with the fiery , Cyprusâ Theo Evanâs blend of singing and spoken word in and Albaniaâs folksy Shkodra Elektronike with .
After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the âbig fiveâ and Switzerland on Saturday.
On Thursday Irelandâs Emmy Kristiansen, the UKâs girl group Remember Monday, and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semi-final.
Protests are expected throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large demonstration on Saturday.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for Basel police said âan application for a demonstration is currently still pendingâ, but âno dateâ for it has been set.
He also confirmed the force received a report of âthreatening gestures during a demonstrationâ, which appeared to be directed at Raphael while she took part in the opening ceremony.
Israelâs government shared a clip on X from the protest on Sunday, and said: âIsraelâs Eurovision representative Yuval Raphael, a Nova massacre survivor, was âwelcomedâ in Basel by a hostile crowd of pro-Hamas protesters. Yet she stands tall, singing for her country. Her love will always outshine their hate.â
More than 1,000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision.
Eurovisionâs semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday on RTĂ from 8pm Irish time, and the final at the same time on Saturday.
