[Mia Fan]

Next up it’s Ireland – this year they’re represented by Norwegian singer Emmy, who is bringing a slice of 00s-style Europop about Russian dog Laika, the first dog to orbit the earth back in 1957. It’s an upbeat journey through time and space, bringing a message of hope and positivity to the Eurofandom.

This performance has definitely had a glow-up since Emmy’s winning performance on the Late Late Show Eurosong Special. Emmy’s silver playsuit has been replaced by a silver metallic dress with a pleated skirt, silver boots and a helmet-like hood.

She starts the performance spotlit on a shiny metal platform in the centre of the stage that looks like a lunar module, with her brother Erlend on keyboards at stage level in front, wearing a metallic silver shirt and his trademark star-shaped shades. There are four female dancers, all in silver trousers and black/silver vests, who dance in front of Erlend during each chorus.

So it has the same vibe and energy we saw at the Irish national final, but the routine is much more precise and polished, and the staging is on a Basel scale. The biggest difference is the impact of the neon lighting and LED walls – the floating bones are gone, instead replaced by neon planets and animated marching space cats for each set of bam bams. During the chorus the main LED wall features a constellation that forms the shape of Laika the dog out of stars. We’re not crying, you are.

🔥 PYRO UPDATE: big firework jets in the final chorus, like a party in the sky.

Eurovision / Reddit.