The second Eurovision semifinal kicked off in Vienna
The second semifinal of Eurovision 2026 has kicked off in Vienna, where countries are competing for a spot in the contest’s final. Ukraine takes the stage as number 12, represented by singer LELEKA with the song “Ridnym.” Fifteen performers are participating in the show, and some countries have already secured their place in the final.
The evening at the Wiener Stadthalle brought together 15 contestants, who take the stage one by one with completely different musical styles—from pop-electronic to ethnic motifs and ballads—where each performance aims to captivate the audience not only with vocals but also with visuals and emotion, because in this contest, everything matters.
Ukrainian contestant LELEKA performs in the middle of the program, and her song “Ridnym” is scheduled as the 12th act, between Australia and Albania, which adds extra tension, since the middle of the show is often the moment when the audience’s attention either stays focused or starts to wander due to the evening’s intensity.
Also performing in the second semifinal:
Bulgaria: Dara – Bangaranga
Azerbaijan: Jiva – Just Go
Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me
Luxembourg: Eva Marija – Mother Nature
Czech Republic: Daniel Zizka – Crossroads
Armenia: Simón – Paloma Rumba
Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – Alice
Cyprus: Antigoni – Jalla
Latvia: Atvara – Ēnā
Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før vi går hjem
Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse
Ukraine: LELEKA – Ridnym
Albania: Alis – Nân
Malta: Aidan – Bella
Norway: Jonas Lovv – Ya ya ya
The final is structured simply and intensely: each performance is a brief opportunity to convince the audience to vote, and so the entire program is built as a continuous flow where emotions shift rapidly, and the competition is palpable in every staging, lighting, and pause between songs.
The organizers of Eurovision 2026 have explained the contest’s voting rules.
The Eurovision organizers issued a warning to Israel for violating the voting rules.
Bulgarian singer DARA will open the second Eurovision semifinal today. The artist has long been considered one of the leading stars of the modern Bulgarian pop scene—her tracks garner millions of streams, and the singer herself regularly appears on music charts not only in Bulgaria but also across the Balkans.
Azerbaijani singer JIVA will perform today in the second Eurovision semi-final. This is not the artist’s first time in the contest—back in 2011, she was among the finalists in Azerbaijan’s national selection, and now she returns as one of the country’s leading music stars.
Romanian singer Alexandra Căpitănescu will take the stage in the second Eurovision semifinal today. The artist rose to fame after winning “The Voice of Romania” in 2023 and is now considered one of the country’s most promising young performers.
Eva Marija will represent Luxembourg in the second Eurovision semi-final today. Her musical journey began at the age of three—after she saw Oleksandr Rybak win Eurovision 2009 with the song “Fairytale.”
23-year-old Daniel Zizka will represent the Czech Republic in the second Eurovision semi-final today. The young artist is already being called one of the most promising new voices on the Czech music scene.
SIMÓN will represent Armenia in the second Eurovision semi-final today. The artist has come a long way from being a dancer in show business to becoming one of the country’s most prominent young singers.
Veronica Fusaro will represent Switzerland in the second Eurovision semi-final today. The singer has long been hailed as one of the strongest and most recognizable voices on the contemporary Swiss music scene.
Antigoni will represent Cyprus in the second Eurovision semi-final today. The singer has long been building her career between London, Cyprus, and the Greek music scene, and now she is taking the stage at one of Europe’s biggest events.
Atvara will represent Latvia in the second Eurovision semi-final today. The singer rose to fame on TikTok, but in just a few years has managed to become a full-fledged star of the Latvian music scene.
Søren Torpegaard Lund will represent Denmark in the second Eurovision semi-final today. The artist came to the music contest already well-known in Denmark’s theater world—as a singer, actor, and dancer.
LELÉKA will present her project today in the second Eurovision semifinal. Her music blends Ukrainian roots, a modern sound, and a very personal view of the world, in which home always remains the main point of return.
Alis will represent Albania in the second Eurovision semi-final today. He is a young artist who has quickly risen from a television contest to major festival stages and national recognition.
AIDAN will represent Malta in the second Eurovision semi-final today. He is an artist who, in just a few years, has become one of the country’s most recognizable pop figures and has transformed the local scene into a platform for major shows.
JONAS LOVV will close out the second Eurovision semi-final today, performing last among the 15 contestants. He is an artist from Norway who, in a short time, has transformed from a TV show contestant into one of the most prominent new performers on the Scandinavian scene.
Monroe is representing France today in the second Eurovision semi-final, where 15 contestants will take the stage. She is a young artist who, at just 17, has already gone from being a television discovery to a full-fledged representative of one of Europe’s major music nations.
LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER takes the stage today in the second Eurovision semifinal, where 15 contestants are performing. His act looks like a combination of a concert, a laboratory, and a performance, where music is literally born from mechanisms and strange devices.
COSMÓ takes the stage as an artist who defies genre boundaries and constantly evolves his sound. His journey from children’s competitions to the professional stage in Austria demonstrates just how quickly a new generation of European performers can emerge.
