Luxembourgish broadcaster RTL released today the eight entries that will compete in its national selection, LSC 2026 (the Luxembourg Song Contest). One of them will represent Luxembourg at Eurovision in Vienna next year.
Listen to the eight entries
Andrew the Martian – “I’m The Martian”
Andrew the Martian is the stage name of André Baptista, a self-taught musician and singer born in Portugal, and who has been living in Luxembourg for ten years. His entry “I’m the Martian” was written, like five others, at the Rocklab Songwriting Camp in Luxembourg earlier this year. It’s co-written by Andrew, the Belgian duo Midfall (Ynke Dingenen and Tchiah Ommar Abdulrahman), who also has entries in Malta’s and Croatia’s selections, and Latvia’s DJ Rudd, aka Rūdolfs Budze, who has been a Eurovision juror for Latvia in 2016 and 2019, and has composed songs for their national selection Supernova before.
Every melody and every lyric we created seemed to guide us toward the next step. It almost felt as if the song was coming to us from somewhere extraterrestrial, André says. I’m The Martian explores the feeling of being an outsider, like a Martian on Earth, especially in moments when you feel misunderstood or when you move to a new place.
Andrew the Martian
Daryss – “Melusina“
“Melusina” is sung in French, and was written by Igit, former candidate of the French national selection in 2018, and co-writer of the French entries in Junior Eurovision 2019, 2020 as well as Barbara Pravi’s “Voilà” in Eurovision 2021. It was written in a few days, with support from Alexandre Finkin and Boban Apostolov, composed in Paris and Lisbon and recorded in Luxembourg.
Very much in the style of a classic “French chanson” and in Igit’s more classic style, the song references Melusina (or “Mélusine“), a mermaid part of the local folklore in the east of France, Luxembourg and the low countries.
Melusina is a true Eurovision adventure. Inspired by the enigmatic mermaid of Luxembourg, the song blends legend and inner rebirth.
Eva Marija – “Mother Nature“
Created at the Rocklab songwriting camp, “Mother Nature” comes from a Nordic team, being co-written by Maria Broberg (aka Maria Mathea), a candidate in Norway’s MGP last year and co-writer or several songs from different national selections in the last few years, as well as co-writer of two Eurovision entries: “Stay” (Moldova 2019) and “Solo” (Poland 2023).
Joining her are Danish songwriters Julie Aagaard (aka Kill J) and Thomas Stengaard, who have quite a catalogue of Melodifestivalen and MGP entries behind them, as well as a few Eurovision Song: “What the Hell Just Happenned” (UK 2025), “We Will Rave” (Austria 2024), but also the 2013 winner “Only Teardrops” from Denmark on Thomas’ part.
There was a really special energy and flow within our group. We based the song on the feeling of childhood, when you’d be playing carefree within parks and forests. Mother Nature uses nature as a symbol of hope, freedom and groundedness. It calls to reconnect with your inner child and let go of your fears.
Eva on her entry “mother Nature”
Hugo One – “Born Again“
Hugo brings a different sound, from the 1980’s, with “Born Again”, co-written at the songwriting camp with Emil Lei from Denmark (behind a few MGP/DMGP/Melodifestivalen songs, including Denmark’s entries in 2019 and 2020) and two LSC veterans, Edsun from Luxembourg (candidate in LSC 2024 and co-writer of “Je Danse” in LSC 2025), and Albin Fredy Ljungqvist from Sweden, who co-wrote both of the entries from One Last Time in LSC 2024 and 2025.
They allowed me to be vulnerable and talk about my past. The energy in the room was electrifying and I’m so proud of the song we wrote together. Like being Born Again, I’m ready for this next chapter in my life.
Hugo on the songwriting process of his entry “Born Again”
Irem – “Bad Decisions (Hush Hush)“
The fans of Patrisha’s entry “Hush” from Supernova 2023 will find it difficult to replace “Baby don’t you cry” by “It’s a secret, keep it in”, as the “Hush hush” part are very close to that song. Joining Irem (a Eurovision juror for Luxembourg in 2024) in the songwriting camp for this entry were Maria Broberg (also behind “Mother Nature) and newcomer Remy Cooper from the Netherlands, also behind two entries in Malta’s selection this year.
The song is almost fully in English, with a bit of French and German here and there. The song is about a secret that Irem revealed to her songwriters during the camp, but that she does not reveal in the song itself.
They thought [my secret] was really exciting, and we were so motivated to turn it into a song that we finished it in just two hours!
Irem ON THE SONGWRITING PROCESS OF “Bad Decisions (hush Hush)”
Luzac – “Prison Dorée“
Luzac is back after participating last year, once again with a song in French composed at the songwriting camp. This time, it’s co-written with Midfall (also behind “I’m the Martian”) and Sam Ray from the UK, who co-wrote “Gambler’s Song” last year for One Last Time.
Like a little bird stuck in a golden cage, “Prison Dorée” expresses the feeling of being trapped in a life that looks perfect from the outside but feels restricting and overwhelming from within.
Luzac on his entry “prison Dorée”
ShiroKuro – “Eye To Eye“
ShiroKuro are a pop/rock trio made of Belgians Matias Pollicino (drums), Nathanaël Paulis (vocals and violin) and Luxembourgish Louis Comblin (guitar and piano).
The main composer and vocalist is Nathanaël, who wrote it during his studies at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, and had it arranged by his bandmates. According to RTL, Nathanaël wanted the song to carry some distinctive Eurovision elements: a memorable hook, a string section, ethnic voices and “a soaring high note”.
The idea was to write a pop-rock track that symbolises the current state of the world, especially through the eyes of young people. “Eye To Eye” is a song about living in a society that you don’t understand, creating states of paranoia within people, and how to deal with all of this.
Nathanaël Paulis on his band’s entry “Eye to eye”
Steve Castile – “Sweet Tooth“
The last entry was born in the songwriting camp, and is co-written with British songwriters Abigail F. Jones (part of the team behind “Lights Off”, Czechia’s entry in 2022) and Simon Davis, along the singer himself Steve Castile (stage name of Steve Calçada). The song is described as a “a dark, obsessive confession about loving someone who seems sweet but is actually bad for you.”, and has the originality of opening with an organ musical introduction. It’s mainly in English, with some French in it.
The song was built around the vocal capacities of Steve, as he explained to RTL.
I showed them my vocal range so they knew what they had to work with. When I demonstrated the subharmonic-type singing, Simon immediately jumped up and said: ‘Let’s start with that!’.
sTEVE caSTILE ON THE SONGWRITING PROCESS OF “sWEET toOTH”
The Rocklab camp sourcing
Six of these eight songs were created during the June 2025 Rocklab songwriting camp, organised by RTL Luxembourg and the Rockhal (the arena hosting the national selection, in Esch-sur-Alzette/Belval), hence a strong influx of foreign songwriters in the process, and a few returning songwriters.
This was also the case last year, although the actual winner did not originate from the 2024 camp, with “La Poupée Monte le Son” being written in Paris by Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal and Julien Salvia (with the support of Christophe Houssin), with Laura Thorn being proposed to sing it only later, before a final submission to RTL.
A January selection at the Rockhal
The Luxembourg Song Contest will take place over a unique show on 24 January at the Rockhal, in Esch-sur-Alzette, just next to the French border. Tickets are not on sales yet but last year the sales started in December.
The winner will be chosen through a combination of public voting (online) and a jury of 40 experts from 8 countries.
Which entry is your favourite? Who do you think can win LSC? Tell us more in the comments below or on social media!
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