Sawt Falasteen - Finland's 'Flamethrower' and 4 other Eurovision favourites

The bookmakers put Finland's string-laden "Flamethrower" well ahead of the entries from Greece, Denmark, France and Australia, for now.

Here are the top five favourites to win the world's biggest talent show, held in Vienna on May 16.

- Finland: a blazing violin -

Linda Lampenius, a 56-year-old violinist, and 36-year-old pop singer Pete Parkkonen will try to strike a chord with the public with their passionate song "Liekinheitin" ("Flamethrower"), performed in Finnish.

The handsome dark-haired singer laments his unreturned love, while his counterpart in a sparkling dress answers him by violently vibrating the strings of her instrument behind a curtain of fire, with her long blonde hair fluttering in the air.

Compelling listeners to dance, the song is "a duet of very high musical quality" and "a three-minute burst of drama", Finnish Eurovision expert Anna Muurinen told AFP.

"Flamethrower" has raised hopes across Finland -- whose only win so far dates from 2006 -- that the song will appeal to a broad audience without having to resort to English lyrics.

- Greece: Mediterranean techno -

Akylas Mytilineos will sing "Ferto", meaning "Bring It". The energetic song with a pronounced Greek accent recounts a son's thirst for glory and fortune so that he can give his mother everything they lacked during his childhood.

Sporting black sunglasses and a trademark beanie, the 27-year-old singer identifies as a queer artist, highlighting the need for expression and acceptance throughout his music.

He started his career on cruise ships before his style charmed internet users. In 2022, he took part in the Greek version of The Voice.

Greece won its only Eurovision title in 2005.

- Denmark: after-party electro -

Soren Torpegaard Lund, a 27-year-old singer, will compete with "For vi gar hjem" ("Before We Go Home"), a pop song in Danish with a touch of electro music evoking the atmosphere of a hot late-night club.

Denmark "for once actually is sending a good song", said Lisanne Wilken, a Eurovision specialist and associate professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.

She added that the Danish contestant will also benefit from an unexpected geopolitical boost as US President Donald Trump has made claims on Greenland, which is an autonomous Danish territory.

"The situation with Greenland and Trump has put Denmark even more on the map, and that put the spotlight on it, on the country in a way that never happened before," Wilken said.

She added that Denmark was rarely a Eurovision favourite despite having won three times, the last time in 2013.

- France: operatic pop -

Monroe, a 17-year-old French-American singer, is the youngest performer ever to represent France at Eurovision.

She will sing "Regarde!" ("Look!"), a love song blending pop, opera and references to musicals.

The wider public discovered this singer, sporting long braided hair, in a TV talent show dedicated to young classical music virtuosos.

Monroe, who released her first album last November, was born in the United States and grew up surrounded by both US and French culture.

She names opera star Cecilia Bartoli, but also Whitney Houston, Johnny Hallyday and Celine Dion as her sources of inspiration.

"It makes me want to work on my voice so I can present good things, carry the colours of France and of our lovely culture," Monroe told AFP shortly after she was chosen to represent France, which has so far scored five Eurovision victories.

- Australia: a power ballad -

Australia's ballad "Eclipse" evokes a love affair between planets. The singer is 41-year-old Delta Goodrem, who has sold more than nine million albums.

The song blends delicate piano with impressive vocal crescendos, which Goodrem -- a songwriter, musician, film star and a coach on The Voice Australia -- has brought to perfection.

The worldwide fame of the Sydney-born artist, who signed her first contract aged 15, is fuelling hopes of a first-ever victory for contest-mad Australia.

N.Shalabi--SF-PST