Eurovision Asia Debut Tests Whether Ballads Can Topple Europe’s Pop Formula

As organizers prepared the finale for the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in Asia, they confronted a distinct dilemma: how to inject variety into a lineup dominated by slow-tempo love songs.

Nine of the eleven participating nations selected entries centered on romance, spanning styles from orchestral ballads to a cappella hip-hop. This prevalence suggests the bombastic, high-energy productions that frequently secure victory in the European edition may not resonate with Asian audiences in the same way.

“Europeans tend to favor songs with a dramatic crescendo, a catchy hook, a grand finale, and a strong social message,” said Dean Vuletic, a historian of contemporary Europe at the University of Luxembourg and a leading authority on the contest. “The audience there has little appetite for an innocuous pop song.”

Electro-pop and dance tracks have dominated the European winner’s circle over the past decade. In May, Bulgaria’s Dara triumphed with “Bangaranga,” a dance-pop anthem inspired by her ADHD diagnosis. Switzerland’s Nemo won in 2024 with an EDM opera exploring nonbinary identity, while Israel’s Netta claimed the 2018 title with “Toy,” a pop manifesto on female independence.

Selection methods vary across the region; some nations hold televised national finals, while others delegate the choice to local broadcasting partners. The Philippines, for instance, chose Carmelle through a public vote, whereas Vietnam Television internally selected Toc Tien.

Both artists are considered early front-runners, delivering high-energy folk-pop numbers centered on female empowerment.

Malaysia’s Aina Abdul is another prominent favorite. She will showcase her powerful vocals with “Bluest Sky,” an orchestral ballad detailing a troubled relationship. The track draws comparisons to “Wasted Love,” the opera-techno entry that secured Austria the European crown in 2025.

For Nepal’s Pratik Himal Rai, who married this summer, love was a natural thematic choice because it transcends borders and languages.

“It is love that holds the world together,” he said in an interview.

Rai will perform “Ananta Maya” in Nepali, while other Eurovision Asia contestants blend English lyrics with their native tongues. This contrasts sharply with the European contest, where every winner since 2022 has performed in English. That year, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra broke the streak with “Stefania,” a hip-hop track weaving a Ukrainian lullaby with rap verses and traditional woodwind instrumentation.

Vuletic notes that winning entries typically fuse a nation’s indigenous instruments and musical motifs with internationally trending pop sounds.

This fusion is evident across the Asian lineup: a traditional Bhutanese flute features in Nyendra’s “Lhayi Semo”; Monetrey’s “I Let You Go” incorporates a Cambodian bamboo xylophone and the *tro*, a bowed string instrument; and a *kulintang*—a percussion instrument comprising eight brass gongs—drives the rapid beat of Carmelle’s “Sobra-Sobra.”

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