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Finland’s viral Eurovision Song Contest star Käärijä teamed up with former Croatian contestant Baby Lasagna to perform at this year’s Grand Final. Check it out below.
The moment took place during the voting interval last night (May 17) in Basel, Switzerland, and saw the two musicians team up for a mash-up of their two Eurovision hits.
Baby Lasagne began with his song ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’, which he performed during the 2024 grand final, and was shortly joined by Käärijä, who sang his own viral hit from 2023, ‘Cha Cha Cha’, at his rival in a video game-esque face off.
The collaboration then evolved into their own original song dubbed ‘#eurodab’. Check it out below.
Speaking to NME in 2023, Käärijä discussed crashing the Top 10 singles chart with ‘Cha Cha Cha’ and finding fans in the likes of Rammstein.
“It feels great – I wasn’t expecting that,” Käärijä told NME of the chart success. “I’m just a stupid Finnish guy who did something crazy and then it went viral. I have to take the time to think about what has happened to me because it’s so huge.”
Austria took home the trophy this year with 436 votes for singer-songwriter JJ and his song ‘Wasted Love’, who beat Israel’s Yuval Raphael.
This makes the country’s third win following previous victories in 1966 and 2014 – this makes Austria the country with the longest gap between years at 48.
Earlier this week, NME reported the bookers’ odds of Eurovision 2025 winners, with Austria’s JJ at 21 per cent in second place. Sweden’s KAJ were the bookers’ favourites, although the final results placed them at fourth place with 321 points.
There was controversy surrounding this year’s event after over 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling to ban Israel. The letter said that the inclusion of Israel in the 2024 edition led to it being “the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history”.
It also accused [Israeli broadcaster] KAN of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people”, and claimed that the EBU was “normalising and whitewashing its crimes”.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ also asked Eurovision for a discussion over Israel’s involvement in the song contest.
UK’s Remember Monday, who finished in 19th place, spoke to NME about competing in this year’s song contest in Basel – and revealed that Queen‘s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was a major influence on their “chaotic” power-pop song ‘What the Hell Just Happened?’
Estonia’s Eurovision 2025 entry Tommy Cash, who finished third with 356 points, also recently spoke to NME about the inspirations behind his controversial song ‘Espresso Macchiato’ and his hopes for winning.
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A new venue called "Shane MacGowan’s Pub" is set to open in New York City, with the approval and support of the late musician’s family.
The Pogues frontman and celebrated songwriter died "peacefully" in November 2023 at the age of 65 after complications related to pneumonia. Now, his legacy will be honoured with a pub bearing his name in downtown Manhattan.
"Shane MacGowan’s Pub" will open at 250 West 14th Street in the West Village, situated between Seventh and Eighth Avenue. The location previously housed McKenna’s pub.
"This will be a living tribute to a true icon," a statement reads. "We are incredibly honoured to be opening this space with the blessing of Shane’s family, bringing his raw, poetic Irish punk spirit to the West Village."
An official opening date has yet to be confirmed, although social media channels for the venue have teased that it is "coming soon".
A tribute album celebrating MacGowan's songwriting is also due for release on November 13. Titled "20th Century Paddy – The Songs Of Shane MacGowan", the collection features interpretations of his work by a diverse lineup of artists including Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Depp, The Libertines, Tom Waits and Primal Scream. Pre-order your copy here.
The first preview from the project arrived in March with Bruce Springsteen's rendition of The Pogues classic "A Rainy Night In Soho", a song he has previously performed live during concerts in Ireland.
Additional contributors to the album include Dropkick Murphys, Hozier, David Gray, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Murder Capital, Kate Moss and many others. Half of all artist royalties generated from the release will be donated to Dublin Simon Community, helping fund essential housing and healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness.
Speaking with NME in November 2024, the surviving members of The Pogues reflected on how younger artists are continuing to champion the spirit of the band. Spider Stacy said: "Fontaines are a fantastic band, but they’re very much carrying their own torch. And Kneecap are without precedent.
"If you’re talking about bands like Lankum and The Mary Wallopers, that’s a different story because it’s more Pogues-like territory – to hear them doing what we do in their unique way is exciting. All of those bands are immense."
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