159. Melfest is back! A Swedish perspective on all 30 artists for 2026!

In this unscripted episode, Jan and Dave react to the historic vote taken at the 95ᵗʰ EBU General Assembly on Thursday. Included in the vote to approve new rules for Eurovision 2026 was an understanding that there would be no further vote on any country's participation. Its approval means that Israel's broadcaster Kan is free to participate at the 70ᵗʰ Eurovision Song Contest, something that immediately triggered the withdrawl of the broadcasters from Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, and The Netherlands (with decisions from Belgium and Iceland yet to come). We share our initial thoughts on this news.We would like to hear what YOU think of these events. Get in touch via email ([email protected]), or by leaving us a comment on Facebook or our other socials below as we will be sharing some of your comments on our next news episode.For more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, guest Karin from Sweden's 12p podcast is back to spill the tea on all 30 artists competing in Melodifestivalen 2026! We'll find out what artist recently appeared on Drag Race, why SVT made one artist change their name, and we'll take the pink balaclava off of Fröken Snusk! All that and more on this week's episode!06:00 - Heat 125:55 - Heat 243:25 - Heat 355:10 - Heat 41:05:25 - Heat 51:30:06 - Karin's Picks to win each HeatFor more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, we celebrate the fantastic news that three old friends are back in the Eurovision family, and will perform at the 70ᵗʰ Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna — Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania! We take a look back at their previous efforts in the Contest and pick our favourites from each country in this special episode!04:35 - 🇲🇩 Moldova10:57 - 🇷🇴 Romania16:46 - 🇧🇬 BulgariaFor more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, we're finally back after a brief hiatus, and discussing something we never thought possible — is Canada getting ready to join the Eurovision family?Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney released his budget, and included were $150 million CAD (€92.45 million) for national broadcaster CBC to explore joining the Contest. Even more eyebrows were raised when Eurovision's Director Martin Green confirmed that talks between CBC and the EBU are in early stages.To cover this story from all angles, we first check in with Dale Roberts from Aussievision to find out how Canada's potential début is similar and different than Australia's from 2015. You can read more of Dale's thoughts on this on Aussievision's website.Then we check in with some well-known Canadian Eurovision fans to get the reaction on the ground in Canada. In our first ever round-table, we are pleased to welcome:Alexander Plant, host of the ESC101 podcastMatti McLean, artist and performer, creator of the show “A Canadian Explains Eurovision to Other Canadians“Shawn Vickar, Eurovision content creator @worldvishawnFor more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

Not the season opener we expected! In this episode, the Building Bridges podcast welcomes a special guest from Ireland. The Eurovision TikTok and Instagram creator Adam McCallig reacts to the recent news of Ireland's potential Eurovision boycott and shares his opinion on RTÉ's statement.For more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, Sebi, Jan and Dave record in the early morning hours, to react to the big host city announcement of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Austria. The build-up is particularly thrilling for Sebi, who lives in Vienna but grew up close to Innsbruck. Find out to which city we will build a bridge to next May, live in our episode.For more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, Sebi, Jan and Dave catch up on the most recent events in the Eurovision world in July. They discuss the rumored hosts for next year's contest, which of the two remaining cities would be their preferred choice and talk about their wishes for 2026. Furthermore, two major Eurovision parties will take place in Vienna and Milano this year.For more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, Sebi and Dave explore Austria’s evolving Eurovision 2026 host city race and share updates on recent withdrawals and likely frontrunners, using Sebi's local expertise and insight as an Austrian! They also dive into speculation about who might host the live shows, discussing the qualities and challenges of various Austrian media personalities. Plus, they reflect on past Eurovision hosting choices, the departure of Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl, and what fans can expect from Austria's approach to next year’s Contest.Find more information about the host city race in our article at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, Sebi and Dave kick off a new series that will deep-dive into aspects of Austria as our next host country. For now, we look at the Austrian cities who have put their names forward to potentially host the 70ᵗʰ Eurovision Song Contest in 2026. While some bids look better than others on paper, as a local, Sebi adds some insight to the conversation that the foreign media might have missed!03:31 - Oberwart09:57 - Vienna14:04 - St. Pölten17:51 - Linz/Wels19:51 - Ebreichsdorf20:36 - Graz23:56 - InnsbruckFind more information about the host city race in our article at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!

In this episode, Sebi and Jan hit the Media Centre right after Semi Final 2 ended to get the mood in the room after the final 10 qualifiers to the Grand Final were announced on Thursday evening. Find out the thoughts of:🇸🇮 Petra Skrivarnik (@hitradiocenter)🇱🇺 Vanessa Strauch (@lessentiel.lu)Julia (Accredited Media)🇪🇸 Aitor Bermejo (@esc_plus)🇮🇪 Chris Makin (@chrismackin4)🇳🇴 Chris (@escnorge)For more information about this episode, check out our website at buildingbridgespod.com as well as our social media profiles on Instagram, X, and TikTok!Thank you so much for listening! We'll be back with another episode very soon!