These previous Eurovision acts are hoping for another shot on Europe's biggest stage

For some artists, Eurovision is a once-in a lifetime opportunity. But for others, once they get a taste of that Eurovision stage they want to experience it again. 

Whether to defend their winner’s reputation, show the world a newer and better performance, or even fly a different country’s flag, here are some previous Eurovision acts that chose 2026 as the year to try one more time.

Alexander Rybak

Two-time representative of Norway and one-time winner Alexander Rybak is most well-known for his song Fairytale, which came in 1st place in 2009 with 387 points. At the time this was the highest number of points a winning song had ever received. 

Rybak returned in 2018 with the song That’s How You Write a Song, which placed 15th in the grand final with 144 points.

This year Rybak is returning to Melodi Grand Prix with the song Rise, a track from his latest album. The national final will be held on February 28th, where he will go up against 8 other acts for the chance to represent Norway at Eurovision 2026.

Alicja

Polish singer Alicja never actually graced the Eurovision stage– set to compete in 2020 with the song Empires, the contest was cancelled before she ever got the chance. Nonetheless, like each of the other acts who were selected to represent their country that year, she has earned a place in the Hall of Eurovision Alumni. 

This year Alicja is set to compete in Finał Polskich Kwalifikacji with the song Pray. The national final is set to be held March 7th, where Alicija and 7 other acts will compete to see who will represent Poland at Eurovision 2026. 

Andrea Demirović

Montenegrin singer Andrea Demirović was the first woman to represent the country at Eurovision 2009, with her song Just Get Out of My Life. The song failed to qualify for the finals, placing 11th in semi-final 1 with 44 points.

Demirović competed in Montesong in December of last year, with the song I Believe. Unfortunately the song placed 15th (last) with 0 points.

Ciro de Luca

In 2007 Ciro de Luca competed for Romania as a member of the group Todomondo, with the song Liubi, Liubi, I Love You. The group placed 13th in the grand final with a total of 84 points. 

De Luca was one of 101 artists that submitted a song for Selecția Națională 2026. His song, Ti amo (U ie ah aha), was not selected as one of the 12 finalists set to compete for the win on March 4th.

Emmy

Norwegian singer Emmy flew the flag for Ireland last year with her song Laika Party. The song missed out on a spot in the grand final, placing 13th in the second semi-final with 28 points. 

Emmy hoped to enter this year’s Melodi Grand Prix with the song Sykt Fin. The song was selected to compete for the wildcard spot but lost in a head-to-head vote with Skrellex’s Into the Wild. 

Ermal Meta

Ermal Meta competed alongside Fabrizio Moro in Eurovision 2018 with the song Non mi avete fatto niente. The song placed 5th in the grand final with a total of 308 points.

Meta is participating as a solo act in Sanremo this year, with the song Stella stellina. As the 30 Sanremo songs are not revealed until the start of the festival, we won’t know what the song is like until the 1st night on February 24th.

Getter Jaani

Getter Jaani represented Estonia in 2011 with the song Rockefeller Street. The song placed 24th in the grand final with 44 points.

Jaani participated in Eesti Laul this year with the song The Game. The song placed 5th in the first round, missing out on a place in the superfinal.

Jerry Heil

Together with rapper Alyona Alyona, Jerry Heil represented Ukraine in 2024 with the song Teresa & Maria. The duo nabbed 3rd place in the grand final with a total of 453 points.

Heil competed in Vidbir this year with her song Catharticus. The song came 3rd overall with a total of 16 points.

Koza Mostra

Rock band Koza Mostra represented Greece in 2013 alongside folk singer Agathonas Iakovidis with the song Alcohol Is Free. They placed 6th in the grand final with 152 points.

The band participated in Sing for Greece 2026 with the song Bulletproof. They finished in 9th place with a total of 9 points.

Magdalena Tul

Magdalena Tul represented Poland at Eurovision 2011 with the song Jestem. The song failed to qualify for the grand final, placing 19th (last) in the first semi-final with 18 points.

Tul is competing in the San Marino Song Contest this year, with the song I'll Be Around. The 40 entries have yet to be heard, so we will have to wait until semi-final 2 on March 5th to hear what Tul is bringing to the Sammarinese table.

Maraaya

Slovenian duo Maraaya represented their country in 2015 with the song Here For You. They placed 14th in the grand final with 39 points.

Maraaya is set to compete in the San Marino Song Contest this year, with the song Alu alu. As the songs for the national final have not yet been released, we will be waiting until their performance in semi-final 2 on March 5th to hear their entry.

Mirna

Mirna was one-third of the girl group Moje 3, who represented Serbia in 2013 with the song Ljubav je svuda. They narrowly missed out on a spot in the grand final, placing 11th in the first semi-final with 46 points.

Mirna is competing in this year’s Pesma za Evroviziju with the song Omaja. She will perform in the first semi-final on February 24th for a spot in the final and the chance to represent Serbia at Eurovision 2026.

Monokate

Monokate, lead singer of Go_A, was set to represent Ukraine in 2020 with the song Solovey before the cancellation of the contest that year. Go_A would go on to represent the country the following year in 2021 with the song SHUM. They placed 5th in the grand final with a total of 364 points.

As a solo artist, Monokate competed in this year’s Vidbir with her song Tut. She placed 6th overall with 9 points.

Robert Ox

Robert Ox is a former member of the band Citi Zēni, who competed for Latvia at Eurovision 2022 with the song Eat Your Salad. They sadly did not make it to the grand final, placing 14th in the first semi-final with 55 points.

Ox returned this year as a solo act at Supernova, with the song Ravin’ At The Taj Mahal. He placed 4th overall with a ranking of 4th in both the jury and televote.

Robin Bengtsson

Robin Bengtsson was Sweden’s representative at Eurovision 2017, with the song I Can't Go On. He finished in 5th place in the grand final with 344 points. 

This year Bengtsson is competing in Melodifestivalen with the song Honey Honey. He performed in Heat 2 on February 7th and, while missing out on a spot in the final, qualified for the “Final Qual” round where he will get one more shot at the final. The Final Qual round will take place on February 28th.

Sanna Nielsen

Sanna Nielsen Represented Sweden in 2014 with the song Undo. She placed 3rd in the grand final with a total of 218 points. 

Nielsen is competing in Melodifestivalen this year with the song Waste Your Love. She is set to perform in Heat 5 on February 28th, where she will compete for a spot in the final.

Sissal

Sissal competed for Denmark in 2025, with the song Hallucination. She placed 23rd in the grand final with 47 points, and broke Denmark’s 4-year non-qualification streak. 

This year she participated in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with the song Infinity, where she narrowly missed out a back-to-back representation for Denmark. She placed 2nd in the superfinal with 31 points. 

Star Guy

While you may not know his name you will definitely recognise Star Guy as the sunglasses-wearing, keyboard-playing brother of Emmy, who represented Ireland in 2025 with the song Laika Party. The song missed out on a spot in the grand final, placing 13th in the second semi-final with 28 points. 

Now with the stage to himself, Star Guy is once again away from home turf and competing in the San Marino Song Contest this year with the song Star Shadez. We will first hear his song performed in the first semi-final on March 4th.

Stockholm Cowboys (Stig Rästa & Victor Crone)

Stockholm Cowboys have both separately represented Estonia at Eurovision. 

Stig Rästa is a well-known figure at Eesti Laul but his crowning achievement was Goodbye to Yesterday, a duet with Elina Born that netted them a 7th place with 106 points in the grand final of 2015. 

Swedish singer Victor Crone represented Estonia in 2019 with the song Storm, co-written by none other than Stig Rästa. The song eventually placed 20th in the grand final with 76 points.

As a newly-formed duo, Stockholm Cowboys competed at Eesti Laul this year with the song Last Man Standing. They placed 4th in the first round, narrowly missing out a place in the superfinal.

Vanilla Ninja

Estonian band Vanilla Ninja represented Switzerland with the song Cool Vibes all the way back in 2005. The song placed 8th in the grand final with 128 points.

Vanilla Ninja will finally represent Estonia at Eurovision this year: they participated in this year’s Eesti Laul with the song Too Epic to Be True, which came 3rd in the first round and went on to win the televote-only superfinal with 35.5% of the votes.

WRS

WRS represented Romania at Eurovision in 2022, with the song Llámame. He placed 18th in the grand final with 65 points.

After being selected for and winning the wildcard round of Romania’s Selecția Națională, WRS is set to compete in the final on March 4th with his song All the Way.

Which of these songs would you most like to see at Eurovision this year? What are some previous artists that you would like to see return to Eurovision in the future?

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