Eurovision Song Context

A podcast where we bring in smart people. We talk about smart things, then veer into glitter, wind machines, and geopolitics. Experts. Insight. Eurovision chaos.

About the show

We start with expertise and end up in Eurovision. It’s kind of our thing.

Eurovision Song Context is a monthly podcast that looks at the Eurovision Song Contest through an unexpected lens: expert insight. Each episode, a guest from a different field — psychology, fashion, politics, design, linguistics, and more — talk about their work and how it helps us understand 2–3 Eurovision entries in a whole new light.

Are these songs genuinely good? So bad they’re good? Or just weirdly unforgettable?

Longform episodes come out on the 12th of every month (the "douzeth"). We're where brilliant minds meet bad key changes.

Eurovision Song Context on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 64: Bonus: Eurovision 2025 Sanremo / Festival da Canção with Sheldon Rocha Leal

    March 15th, 2025  |  1 hr 2 mins
    achille lauro, bombazine, eurovision 2025, fedez, fernando daniel, festival da canção 2025, francesca michielin, italian music, jéssica pina, lucio corsi, marco rodrigues, margarida campelo, olly, portuguese music, sanremo 2025, the kolors, willie peyote

  • Episode 63: Bonus: Eurovision 2025, Anglosphere in Crisis? Australia, Ireland, the UK

    March 12th, 2025  |  1 hr 2 mins
    emmy basel, esc, eurovision, eurovision 2025, go jo, remember monday

    Russ and Suzie from Euroriffs join me for an emergency recording to discuss whether two-thirds of the anglosphere won't make it to the Eurovision Grand Final. Also: possible hygiene issues on ice cream trucks.

  •

    Episode 62: (Part 2) Inside the Rainbow Gulag with Tony De Luz

    February 12th, 2025  |  47 mins 34 secs
    blanka, brooke, eurovision, lisa frank, natalia gordienko, silvia night, tony de luz

    I talk with former Lisa Frank illustrator Tony De Luz (featured in Amazon’s Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story) about the ultra-colorful, hyper-cute esthetic that Lisa Frank and Eurovision share. We watch acts like Sylvia Night, Natalia Gordienko, Brooke, Blanca, and Nemo and dig into world-building, kitsch, capitalism, and why so many of us still crave rainbow overload. 🎧✨

  •

    Episode 61: (Part 1) Inside the Rainbow Gulag with Tony De Luz

    February 12th, 2025  |  53 mins 33 secs
    blanka, brooke, eurovision, lisa frank, natalia gordienko, silvia night, tony de luz

    I talk with former Lisa Frank illustrator Tony De Luz (featured in Amazon’s Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story) about the ultra-colorful, hyper-cute esthetic that Lisa Frank and Eurovision share. We watch acts like Sylvia Night, Natalia Gordienko, Brooke, Blanca, and Nemo and dig into world-building, kitsch, capitalism, and why so many of us still crave rainbow overload. 🎧✨

  •

    Episode 60: (Part 2) Happy Chords, Sad Chords with Ethan Hein

    January 12th, 2025  |  50 mins 10 secs
    alexander rybak, eurovision, loreen, music theory

    NYU music theorist and producer Ethan Hein breaks down why “sad” chords aren’t inherently sad, using Beatles cadences, blues voice-leading, and Eurovision classics like “Euphoria” and “Fairytale” as case studies. We also talk Groove Pizza, his browser-based Accordion instrument, and what makes a chord progression feel tragic, wistful, or euphoric on the ESC stage.

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    Episode 59: (Part 2) Holiday Party & ESC Gift Exchange 2024!

    December 12th, 2024  |  44 mins 33 secs

  • Episode 58: (Part 1) Holiday Party & ESC Gift Exchange 2024!

    December 12th, 2024  |  44 mins 21 secs

  • Episode 56: (Part 1) Sad Chords, Happy Chords with Ethan Hein

    November 27th, 2024  |  57 mins 35 secs
    alexander rybak, eurovision, loreen, music theory

    NYU music theorist and producer Ethan Hein breaks down why “sad” chords aren’t inherently sad, using Beatles cadences, blues voice-leading, and Eurovision classics like “Euphoria” and “Fairytale” as case studies. We also talk Groove Pizza, his browser-based Accordion instrument, and what makes a chord progression feel tragic, wistful, or euphoric on the ESC stage.

  •

    Episode 55: Update on the Future of the Pod!

    October 29th, 2024  |  1 min 44 secs

  • Episode 54: (Part 2) ESC "Would You Rather" with Suzie and Russ- unedited

    September 12th, 2024  |  59 mins 7 secs

  • Episode 53: (Part 1) ESC "Would You Rather" with Suzie and Russ- unedited

    September 12th, 2024  |  1 hr

  • Episode 52: (Part 2) When Cultures Collide with Michael Gates

    August 12th, 2024  |  49 mins 6 secs
    eurovision, when cultures collide

    Our guest is Michael Gates, he’s an expert in Cross Cultural Communications who regularly advises multi-cultural teams in improving understanding, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

    We’ll talk about Lewis Model of Cross-Cultural Communication, and the classic book When Cultures Collide.

    We’ll then talk about… what else… when Eurovision Cultures Collide, including The Netherlands and Sweden.