Voting for the annual ESC250 celebration closed on the 16th of December 2024, and now we have a nervous wait to find out the results! The event is hosted by Songfestival.be, with the results revealed tomorrow, on the 31st December 2024 on EFR12 Radio to close out the year. Find out more about it here! While we wait to find out the official results, members of the TES team will be sharing their votes for this year and explaining the reason for their picks. This time it’s Tim is the final member of the team to reveal their votes.
A different winner for a second-year
Last year (in a shocking turn), I’ve had a change of winner, and this year, we continue that tradition, most of my selections are from this century, except one. As usual, I found it very difficult to put 15 entries into my top ten, so we have this for the meantime.
1 point: “Love Shine a Light” – Katrina and the Waves (United Kingdom 1997)
This was the last time that the UK had that sweet victory in the contest, and it might be a while until I see a victory in my lifetime (I did not move to the UK until 2006). No matter what you think of it, it is a classic, and I love how when this is played, whether this is at a Eurovision night out or just hanging out, we all have fun singing along.
2 points: “Fuego” – Eleni Foureira (Cyprus 2018)
I don’t deny the fact that Cyprus was my winner in 2018, Eleni will forever be a legend in the Eurovision community. Whenever “Fuego” comes on at a Eurovision night out, I still do that choreography from the contest (we will be forever be grateful for it SJB). I really hope Eleni comes back and finally get that win.
3 points: “Tears Getting Sober” – VICTORIA (Bulgaria, 2020)
Jeez four years ago seems like a lifetime, and a lot has happened since then. When I first heard the song, we were at a point where things where chaos was about to happen, and it did. But when this song was released, I don’t know what it is, but I just had it on a loop, and I somehow just resonated with it, and looking at it now, I just see how far I’ve grown and how much TGS has helped me at a difficult time.
4 points: “Grito” – iolanda (Portugal, 2024)
Me, liking something else other than bops? well, this is a surprise. Honestly, we’ll just blame Rory for this one. What can I say, iolanda was very convincing each time I saw her perform her entry. When I first saw her perform this in Malmö, I had nothing but goosebumps, and was nearly in tears when she hit that high note.
5 points: “Teresa & Maria” – alyona alyona & Jerry Heil (Ukraine, 2024)
Another entry that sent shivers down my spine. The minute that alyona alyona & Jerry Heil were announced for Vidbir, I just knew that they would bring something unique to the table, and they did not disappoint. When I first heard this live, I was mesmerized and was nearly crying. This year was tense, and to see them proving everyone wrong with their result melts my heart so much.
6 points: “Sound of Silence” – Dami Im (Australia, 2016)
It has been eight years, and I will forever die on this hill when I say that this deserved to be the winner of Eurovision 2016. Dami gave an emotional, charismatic and convincing performance during the shows. It might be a question of whether or not Dami returns, but I really hope she does, she did so well, and whenever I hear that high not it makes me teary eyed.
7 points: “Hold Me Closer” – Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden, 2022)
Do I even have to say anything about this one? When I first heard the song in Mello in 2022, I really underestimated how well this could do as my favorites usually tank when I predict because I know it won’t do well. However, I was so happy to be proven wrong, and when I got the chance to get to know Cornelia throughout the season, she was a ray of sunshine and deserve the world. I can’t wait to see what she gets up to in 2025.
8 points: “Euphoria” – Loreen (Sweden, 2012)
I know what you’re going to say, it’s very cliché. However, I do not care. Euphoria is the song that made me delve deeper into the contest. I traveled a lot because of it, and I met a lot of awesome human beings because of it. Like Loreen sings: “forever ’til the end of time”.
10 points: “Tattoo” – Loreen (Sweden, 2023)
This dropped a place (was my winner in 2023). It will always remain on my list. “Tattoo” was a full circle for me. I had the opportunity to be there when she performed it live for the first time last year in Malmö, and the journey from there on was fun and chaotic, my heart was full when she was announced the winner. Loreen, you will always be stuck on me like a Tattoo.
Special mentions
Before I reveal my 12 points, I would like to give a special shout-out to a few entries that came so close to making my top ten. They are:
- “Zorra” Nebulossa (Spain, 2024) – I really think that this was misunderstood. This was something unique in its own right, and really loved the remix of it with Glora Trevi.
- “Never Give Up On You” – Lucie Jones (United Kingdom, 2017) – Okay, this is the one year where we did it right and I still can’t comprehend how we came 15th, we really should’ve at least come for the left hand side of the scoreboard.
- “Dance (Our Own Party)” – The Busker (Malta, 2023) – Okay, I will admit that this was not my winner in MESC 2023. However, once I saw it performed live, I can see why it became the winner. I had the pleasure of meeting the guys this season, they worked so hard, and I am gutted that this missed out on a spot in the final.
And Tim’s 12 points go to…. “Europapa” – Joost Klein (The Netherlands 2024)
You will probably think this is cliche, but Joost Klein just did something great. His performance had a lot of meaning and I don’t think I can put into words how much this song meant to me this year. I will forever cherish the time I saw this in the arena, with the crowd cheering him along. He deserves the world and I cannot wait to see how he will carve his path career-wise in 2025.
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Now that Tim has revealed his votes for ESC 250 this year, what do you think of his picks? Who received your 12 points this year? As always, please let us know what you think by commenting below. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all of the latest Eurovision news.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Euan T