Culture

Polish singer wins Eurovision second chance 30 years later

Photo by Howard Denner/Avalon/Getty Images
Steczkowska previously represented Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995. Photo by Howard Denner/Avalon/Getty Images
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Justyna Steczkowska will represent Poland at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, returning to the competition after first representing the country 30 years ago.

Steczkowska secured her place at Eurovision 2025 after winning the national selection with her song Gaja. The result was determined by a public SMS vote following live performances from 11 finalists. “At my age, there’s quite a difference between being 25 and being 52, achieving such success and once again having the chance to represent my country at a truly major event like the Eurovision Song Contest, for me, this is something absolutely extraordinary,” Steczkowska told Polish public broadcaster TVP after her victory.
“We’ll get to work. We need to rebuild this show from scratch, and we have to do everything we can to dazzle the world, to simply achieve the best possible result at Eurovision,” she added.

At her first attempt in the contest in 1995, Steczkowska placed 18th, an unsatisfactory result by any measure.

Over 200 songs were submitted which the jury narrowed down to 10 finalists. A special wildcard entry was awarded to Teo Tomczuk by Polish public broadcaster TVP.

The competition featured a mix of emerging artists and established performers, with Steczkowska ultimately securing the most votes.

The Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Basel, Switzerland in May, following Swiss artist Nemo’s victory last year.
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