On March 22 we asked our readers to start voting for their favourites to win the first semi final of Eurovision 2015. Since then they have cast a total of 63,348 votes. Estonia’s Elina & Stig, Russia’s Polinga Gagarina, and Belgium’s Loic Nottet each earned more than 9,000 votes. But in the end Albania’s Elhaida Dani — The Voice of Italy winner who gives us black sequined caftan realness on the Eurovision stage — emerged as our readers’ favourite. She earned an impressive 10,324 votes — or more than 16% of all those cast — for her song “I’m Alive”. But it’s really a case of coming back to life. As Elhaida told us in a recent interview, she lost her voice ahead of Eurovision and had to remain silent for three days

Hot on her heels is Belgium’s Loic, who, after a rough first rehearsal, has bounced back and was in top form during the jury final on Monday evening. He earned 9,839 votes, and trailed Elhaida by less than one percentage point.

Russia’s Polina earned 9,631 votes with her peace anthem “A Million Voices”. She looks like a glamorous jellyfish when her LED dress illuminates from above. Could she swim to victory?

Estonia’s Elina & Stig — a long-time favourite of the bookies — came fourth with our readers. But they came first with the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals. They nailed their jury performance on Monday evening — hear our thoughts here. When they sing to each other it’s like they’re having angry sex. Feel the heat and passion!

Based on our poll results the other qualifiers will be Georgia, Armenia, Greece, Romania, The Netherlands and Serbia. That means Belarus, FYR Macedonia, Denmark, Hungary, Finland, and Moldova will not make the final.

Please note: Our poll opened at the end of March, and the bulk of these votes were cast prior to the live rehearsals in Vienna. Interestingly, Georgia’s Nina Sublatti won our poll for best rehearsal in the semi. Could that spell victory for her?

Who are your Top 10 qualifiers? Are our results ridic, or do they generally reflect your preferred 10?

Poll results: Semi final 1

  1. Albania: Elhaida Dani with “I’m Alive” 16.3% (10,324 votes)
  2. Belgium: Loïc Nottet with “Rhythm Inside” 15.53% (9,839 votes)
  3. Russia: Polina Gagarina with “A Million Voices” 15.2% (9,631 votes)
  4. Estonia: Elina & Stig with “Goodbye to Yesterday” 14.99% (9,498 votes)
  5. Georgia: Nina Sublatti with “Warrior” 12.17% (7,708 votes)
  6. Armenia: Genealogy with “Face the Shadow” 7.55% (4,782 votes)
  7. Greece: Maria-Elena Kyriakou with “One Last Breath” 3.07% (1,942 votes)
  8. Romania: Voltaj with “De La Capat” 2.73% (1,730 votes)
  9. The Netherlands: Trijntje Oosterhuis with “Walk Along” 2.62% (1,657 votes)
  10. Serbia: Bojana Stamenov with “Ceo svet je moj” 2.53% (1,600 votes)
  11. Belarus: Uzari and Maimuna With “Time” 2.35% (1,486 votes)
  12. FYR Macedonia: Daniel Kajmakoski with “Lisja esenski” 1.44% (915 votes)
  13. Denmark: Anti Social Media with “The Way You Are” 1.06% (670 votes)
  14. Hungary: Boggie with “Wars for Nothing” 0.92% (582 votes)
  15. Finland: Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät with “Aina mun pitää” 0.8% (505 votes)
  16. Moldova: Eduard Romanyuta with “I Want Your Love” 0.74% (479 votes)

Total Votes: 63,348

Vote in all of our Eurovision polls here

36 Comments
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kujtim lika
8 years ago

elhaida eshte me e mira e te mirave

Besnik
Besnik
8 years ago

Albania was the best, I’m sorry to the rest.

Illyric
Illyric
8 years ago

Ohh pls just shut up and agree that Albania is going to win this contest. zzzz

Otna
Otna
8 years ago

Agreed Mario! I love 8 songs in this Semi, whereas I guess I only really love Ireland/Malta/Czech/Slovenia in SF2 personally, although there are a few more which I quite like.

I think this Semifinal also has less countries that have really no chance to qualify – I think everybody here except Moldova has at least a shot at qualifying… should be interesting!

Zoë
Zoë
8 years ago

Elhaida’s song is boring as fuck. Come on people, the vocals are really good but song in itself is very generic and NOT something you would hear on modern radio. It’s the type of song we’ve heard thousands of times before at Eurovision. So she is a good singer. Frankly, so is Polina. So are MANY other Eurovision contestants and so are many people on this planet. I really do not het the hype over this incredibly mediocre song, that almost no one would listen to more than once outside of Eurovision.

SpirK
SpirK
8 years ago

Swap the Netherlands for Hungary and perhaps Serbia for Belarus, and there you have my prediction.

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

Im so excited 4 tonight! <3 😀
At last our EuroVision is about to kick off today in few hours! <3 😀

Leo
Leo
8 years ago

I think Estonia, Russia, Belgium, Georgia, Hungary, Armenia, Albania, Greece, Romania will surely get through. As for tenth I think it’s between Serbia and Denmark. I just hope Finland don’t get through.

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

The advantage pro with the 2nd SF is that it has the Hero Mans of Sweden that is the #1 hot favorite to win the Diamond Vision…Norway too…Slovenia as well…And of course Malta that is my own personal #1 favorite song on the semi..

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

@ Oh absolutely yes *Otna*… I have 5 songs on the 1st SF that i like more than almost all of the songs of the 2nd SF except one that is Malta…As you can see with my list that i posted below.. Overall i like more the 1st SF…The quality of the songs is better on the 1st rather than the 2nd… The only good that the 2nd SF has compared with the 1st SF is that my least liked songs there are better than my least liked songs on the 1st SF…We have to thank the horrible ”song” of… Read more »

Otna
Otna
8 years ago

I completely agree with euphoria. I don’t understand people saying SF2 is better – I love almost double the number of songs in SF1 than SF2 myself.

Elhaida Dani or Loic Nottet winning ESC 2015 would be a dream come true. Hope it happens! <3

BK
BK
8 years ago

Greece winner

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

1) Georgia ~ 1st SF / 1-0 2) Holland ~ 1st SF / 2-0 5) Malta ~ 2nd SF / 2-1 6) Serbia ~ 1st SF / 3-1 7) Hungary ~ 1st SF / 4-1 8) Armenia ~ 1st SF / 5-1 9) Norway ~ 2nd SF / 5-2 10) Sweden ~ 2nd SF / 5-3 11) Switzerland ~ 2nd SF / 5-4 12) Albania ~ 1st SF / 6-4 13) Russia ~ 1st SF / 7-4 15) Slovenia ~ 2nd SF / 7-5 16) Belarus ~ 1st SF / 8-5 17) Czech ~ 2nd SF / 8-6 18) Iceland… Read more »

Deniz@TurkNL
Deniz@TurkNL
8 years ago

I am so excited you don’t even know.

euphoria
euphoria
8 years ago

Whoever wins the 1st Semifinal, will win the Eurovision. Mark my word)))

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

Well 4 me the 1st SF is more interesting than the 2nd SF…
Although the least liked songs of the 1st SF are inferior than the least liked songs of the 2nd SF..

My personal winner of all the 40 songs of the Diamond Vision is on the 1st SF <3
That is Georgia.. <3
My most liked song of the 2nd SF that is Malta with my dear Amber is my 5th most liked song…

BuyHere.Now
BuyHere.Now
8 years ago

see more here http://www.adal2015.hu

R
R
8 years ago

This is definitely the less interesting semi final of the two.

As long as Belgium, Estonia, Albania and Romania qualify, I’ll be content.

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

My personal prediction about..
~ Winner of the 1st SF – RUSSIA
~ Last place of the 1st SF – FYR
~ Last 10th lucky qualifier ~ SERBIA
~ Unlucky not qualifier that will finish just 11th ~ DENMARK
The ranking of the 1st SF will be like..
1) Russia
2) Estonia
3) Georgia
4) Albania
5) Greece
6) Belgium
7) Armenia
8) Romania
9) Hungary
10) Serbia
————————————-
11) Denmark
12) Holland
13) Belarus
14) Finland
15) Moldova
16) FYR

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

Edit ~ on *NOT* high place on the SF..

Felix Prochain
Felix Prochain
8 years ago

@Jérôme don’t worry man, she’ll definitely be in the final.
One of my favorites))

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

@ Just chill….Elhaida of Albania will gonna qualify even if she finishes on high place on the SF….I worry more about countries like Hungary,Serbia if will manage to go through indeed..

Jérôme
Jérôme
8 years ago

If Elhaida does not qualify tonight, I swear to God I am not watching ESC ever again. I mean it’s easily the best voice (and I am not talking about the ability to scream louder and longer, but smoothness and warmness), the song is also one of the best in this contest. Why do you have to SHOCK in order to get votes?! Is it still a song contest?

den
den
8 years ago

Elhaida destroyed her chances with that awful outfit, the awkward backing singers and the ugly outfit. She wont win the semi, I think she even may be a shocking NQ tonight!

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

Here is my personal prediction about whic 10 countries will gonna qualify tonight from the SF..

~ Georgia
~ Russia
~ Estonia
~ Armenia
~ Albania
~ Greece
~ Romania
~ Hungary
~ Belgium
~ Serbia
My favorites to qualify like Holland & Belarus will not manage to pass from the semifinal i’m afraid..
Finland will not qualify after all as well i think..

BledLala
BledLala
8 years ago

@LovelyElhaida …there is a video in Facebook Page called ”Eurovision Albania” you can go and watch it and see for yourself….her performance were stunning!!!

Mario My Vision of Gay Love
Mario My Vision of Gay Love
8 years ago

Here is my personal top16 for the 1st SF

1) Georgia 9/10 ~ 12 points
2) Holland 8/10 ~ 10 points
3) Serbia 7/10 ~ 8 points
4) Hungary 7/10 ~ 7 points
5) Armenia 6,5/10 ~ 6 points
6) Albania 6,5/10 ~ 5 points
7) Russia 6/10 ~ 4 points
8) Belarus 6/10 ~ 3 points
9) Estonia 6/10 ~ 2 points
10) Greece 5,5/10 ~ 1 point
—————————————————
11) Romania 5,5/10
12) Denmark 5/10
13) Belgium 4/10
14) FYR 4/10
15) Moldova 1/10
16) Finland 0/10

guest
guest
8 years ago

Albania well deserved first place,now if Elhaida pulls a stun tonight she may as well go all way to the podium,Good Luck Albania,:)

wilyousing
wilyousing
8 years ago

Top 10 for tonight.
1. Russia
2. Estonia
3. Finland
4. Albania
5. Georgia
6. Belgium
7. Armenia
8. Netherlands
9. Romania
10. Greece

Iberian
Iberian
8 years ago

Dear Lolilly, this confirms, Americans have no taste! 😉
Awful Top Ten.

Moroccan
Moroccan
8 years ago

I don’t understand why u say Elhaida is wearing a caftan… her dress is nowhere near a caftan. Anyway i really hope she qualifies and ends in top 10… but still my fav is Greece! Good luck to all

Lovely Elhaida!
Lovely Elhaida!
8 years ago

I only find it hard to believe because many think her staging and performance is dull. She’s also been dropping in the odds…

Lovely Elhaida!
Lovely Elhaida!
8 years ago

@blondboybc Where did you hear that Elhaida got the longest applause with the jury? I find it hard to believe… 🙂 But that would be great if it’s true. 😀

blondboybc
blondboybc
8 years ago

Agree with that top 10, both personally and in terms of my prediction. Apparently Elhaida got the longest applause at the jury semi tonight! Go, Elhaida!

Lolilly
Lolilly
8 years ago

So, everyone… I’m from the USA and 168 of my psychology class students (ages18-24) have voted. It was interesting for me to compare the Americans’ opinion with Europe. This is how they ranked the top 10!
10. Russia
9. Greece
8. Armenia
7. Albania
6. Estonia
5. Belarus
4. Georgia
3. Sweden
2. Italy
1. Australia
What if Australia really wins? Awesome!

lacrymea
lacrymea
8 years ago

I’m just gonna assume real readers of wiwi have Belgium, Russia and Estonia in their top3. Georgia and Albania seem to continuosly have fishy results in this polls.