The 2026 edition of Eurovision, our grand queer gathering that marks its 70th anniversary, is held in Vienna, Austria. While awaiting the final on May 16, here is a focus on LGBT artists to watch this year at the European Song Contest.
Happy Eurovision anniversary! Dany Dauberson, Jean-Claude Pascal, Patrick Juvet, Dana International, Marija Šerifović, Loreen, Conchita Wurst, Bilal Hassani, Nemo… In seventy years of existence, the European Song Contest has given exposure to many LGBT artists, in addition to establishing itself as a rendezvous as camp as kitsch that we love watching with friends. As we approach the 2026 final, on May 16 in Vienna, Austria, we present five artists ready to carry high and loud the colors of the rainbow on the Wiener Stadthalle stage.
Søren Torpegaard Lund, Denmark
“One of my biggest memories is when Conchita Wurst won. It marked me enormously in my adolescence as a young queer, to stay strong, discover who I was and assert it openly”, recalls Søren Torpegaard Lund, aujourdhui fiancé à un garçon rencontré pendant sa formation en comédie musicale.
To have performed his song during the selections, dressed in ’un pantalon en cuir et d’un haut en résille, the Danish contestant faced a wave of homophobic reactions in his country. “I hate to see that this still happens. But I will strive to stay true to myself”, said the 27-year-old singer. He would be wrong to change: with “Før vi går hjem” (“Before we go home” in Danish), an ode to nightclubs that evokes the paradoxical attraction to toxic relationships, Søren Torpegaard Lund is among the favorites to win.
Akylas, Greece
Akylas is navigating his course quite well, after starting by singing on cruise ships. The 27-year-old queer artist, who never parts with his cat-ear beanie and sunglasses, broke through in 2021 thanks to his TikTok covers, then participated the following year in the Greek version of The Voice.
At Eurovision, he comes with “Ferto” (“Bring it”), a clever blend of Greek sounds and video game vibes, a song that has a knack for staying in the head for a long time. This energetic pop track, a bookmaker’s favorite, carries a message about consumerism as well as the tale of a son thirsty for glory and fortune, who would like to shower his mother with gifts “so that we never lack anything again”. The Eurovision trophy? Ferto!
Lion Ceccah, Lithuania
Twelve years after Conchita Wurst’s memorable victory, it is by one of the important faces of the Lithuanian drag scene, Lion Ceccah, that the Baltic country has decided to be represented this year. With “Sólo quiero más” (“I want just more”), a theatrical and fairly dark pop piece blending Lithuanian, English and Spanish, the 34-year-old artist delivers an addictive song.
Through this track, Lion Ceccah embodies a being half-human, half-robot who, by living in autopilot and letting algorithms and routine dictate his decisions, realizes that he no longer feels anything. Fully covered in silver makeup on stage, he questions: what if we began to desire more feelings, more human contact, and authenticity?
Senhit and Boy George, San Marino
Surprise! The micro-state of San Marino has struck hard this year as singer Senhit, already a two-time contestant at the contest, teams up with Boy George, the iconic singer of Culture Club, for the track “Superstar”.
The duo presents a very Eurovision song that borrows as much from disco as from the 90s eurodance. Kitschy? Certainly, but after all, that’s what we come for – and for the elephant-trouser outfits in silver lamé!
Veronica Fusaro, Switzerland
“If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace!” In the video for her track “Alice”, the character played by Veronica Fusaro does not intervene, even though the temptation seems great… But who is she to Alice, exactly? A worried friend seeing her locking herself into a toxic marriage, or a jealous lover?
Asked about the lesbian subtext of the clip of her touching rock ballad, the 29-year-old singer did not dismiss any interpretation. “The queer connotation is good for the world. I draw from my own life. It’s beautiful to be able to represent that in my journey”, she simply commented, noting that “the central theme of the track remains violence against women”.
