Today the rehearsals for Eurovision 2026 continue in Vienna. Countries rehearsing on Day 2 include Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland, and Serbia. The seventh to rehearse today is Poland’s ALICJA.
ALICJA’s first rehearsal
The next to take to the Eurovision 2026 stage in the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna was Poland’s ALICJA. ALICJA will be competing in this year’s competition with her entry “Pray” following her selection in a national final.
What did we learn about ALICJA’s staging?
Alicja has built her Eurovision performance from the ground up afresh for Vienna. We can expect a motion based performance centred on an imposing prop. Fashion is one element to look out for with backing dancers dressed elegantly and formally. With Alicja’s connection with the camera being centre focus.
Who is ALICJA
Alicja Szemplińska is a 23-year-old singer born in the Polish city of Ciechanów. Despite her young age, she had already had a strong career in Poland, having shot to fame after winning The Voice of Poland in 2019. In 2020, she had won Szansa na Sukces and was due to represent Poland at Eurovision with “Empires” before the Contest was cancelled. She returned in 2023 with her song “New Home” attempting to represent Poland, but finished in sixth place. Since then, she has released several songs, before coming back in 2026 and winning the selection.
Poland’s Eurovision Journey
In 1994, Poland made their debut at the Eurovision Song Contest represented by Edyta Górniak with the song “To nie ja!” and placed 2nd, Poland’s best result at the contest to date. Since then, Poland has participated 26 times, qualifying for the Grand Final 16 times.
Poland selected Justyna Steczkowska to represent the national at Eurovision 2025 with “GAJA”, thirty years after her first participation. She qualified for the final, ultimately finishing in 14th place with 156 points. Of these, 17 came from the jury, while the remaining 139 came from the televote.
What do you think of “Pray”? Does ALICJA stand a chance of winning? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2026!
News Source: EBU
Photo Credit: Fotografia Kozaczuk