Luxembourg: LSC 2025 jury unveiled

RTL Luxembourg, the Luxembourgish national broadcaster has unveiled the international jury for the forthcoming edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest.

RTL Luxembourg is working round the clock to showcase an extraordinary show come January, when Luxembourg selects its Eurovision 2025 act and entry.

The Luxembourgish national broadcaster has unveiled the international jury for the Luxembourg Song Contest 2025:

• Niamh Kavanagh (Ireland 1993 Euroision winner/ Ireland 2010)
• Eldar (Azerbaijan 2011/Eurovision winner)
• Marie Myriam ( France 1977/Eurovision winner)
• Poli Genova (Bulgaria 2011/2016)

The LSC 2025 International Jury will be responsible to determine the finalists for the 2025 Luxembourgish national final during the auditions which are scheduled  to take place from 8-10 November 2024 in Luxembourg. A total of 53 artists will partake in the said auditions. The finalists will be revealed on 18 November 2024.

RTL Luxembourg’s official press release reads:

From 8–10 November 2024, RTL will host the auditions for the next edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest (LSC). Over the course of these three days, an international jury will select the participants from a pool of 79 new songs. 

Despite the more demanding and professional new rules, many candidates have seized the opportunity to try their luck: 53 different artists will compete for a place in the final on the Rockhal stage on 25 January 2025.

To be eligible, artists had to meet one of the following three criteria: have Luxembourgish nationality, have resided in Luxembourg for at least 3 years, or demonstrate a strong link with the Luxembourg cultural and musical scene. Of the 53 candidates, 70% are Luxembourg nationals, 25% are eligible under the residence criteria, and 5% have a cultural link to Luxembourg.

With 12 different nationalities, the candidates reflect the diversity and heritage of the Grand Duchy. In addition to the 70% Luxembourgers, 13% of the candidates come from the Mediterranean basin (Italy, Portugal, Spain) and 11% from our neighbouring countries (France, Belgium, Germany). Greece, Hungary, and the United States are also represented at 6%.

Of the 79 songs that were submitted, 75% have Luxembourgish participation in the writing, and 70% are (co-)written by the candidates themselves – proving the increasingly strong emergence of a true musical scene in the Grand Duchy.

A total of 135 artists initially expressed their interest in the competition through pre-registration, including all those who did not submit a song or did not meet the eligibility requirements.

The press release continues to read:

The 53 candidates will have to convince a jury composed of international figures, experienced across generations in judging musical talent. The panel includes a producer from Portugal and four former Eurovision participants from France, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Ireland.

The finalists for the Luxembourg Song Contest 2025 will be announced on 18 November, marking the end of the selection process. The winner of the contest will represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision finals, taking place from 13–17 May in Basel.

RTL Luxembourg has received more than 100 songs for the Luxembourg Song Contest 2025. More than 60 acts have applied to partake i the competition.

The Luxembourg Song Contest 2025 will be held at the Rockhal in Esch-Belval on Saturday 25 January 2025.

Luxembourg at Eurovision

Luxembourg is one of the founder members of the Eurovision Song Contest and has won the competition five times. In 2024 the Grand Duchy returned to the contest after a 30 year hiatus. In 2024 Tali represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with her entry ‘Fighter’.