Spotify Data Analysis Reveals How to Win Eurovision Song Contest

Photo Credit: Eurovision x Spotify

As the Eurovision Song Contest marks its 70th anniversary, Spotify data provides unique insights into what makes a winning entry.

Eurovision 2026 draws ever nearer, and Spotify has revealed newly released data that provides a deep dive into European listening habits and the most popular entries of all time.

As one of the key moments in Europe’s cultural calendar, Europeans have created over 1.2 million playlists dedicated to the contest on Spotify and streamed its entries over 1.5 billion times in the past year alone.

Topping the list of the most-streamed entries of all time is 2019’s winner, Duncan Laurence’s “Arcade,” representing the Netherlands. The track has amassed over 1.5 billion streams globally. The second most-streamed song, despite placing 20th in the 2022 contest, Armenia’s entry, “Snap” by Rosa Linn. Notably, that track is also in the Spotify Billions Club.

Other popular entries include 2023 winner Loreen’s “Tattoo,” 2021 winner Måneskin’s “Zitti e Buoni,” and 2009 winner Alexander Rybak’s “Fairytale.”

Unsurprisingly, ABBA, who represented Sweden in 1974, is the most-streamed artist to compete in Eurovision, with over 12.5 billion streams across all their songs worldwide. They’re followed by 2021 Italian contestant Måneskin (9 billion), and Céline Dion (7 billion), who competed for Switzerland in 1988.

Some Eurovision entries may not win, but become fan favorites nonetheless, and several entries have gone on to outperform the winners of their respective years of the contest. Rosa Linn’s “Snap,” which placed 20th in 2022, surpassed the winner after finding viral success on social media.

Similarly, the Portuguese entry “Deslocado” may have placed 21st, but its hometown message sparked a social media trend of sharing personal stories, which made it the most-streamed entry from 2025.

Spotify data also reveals a generational difference between top Eurovision entries. Among Gen Z listeners, the most-streamed Eurovision entries were Alexander Rybak’s “Fairytale” (Norway, 2009), Napa’s “Deslocado” (Portugal, 2025), and Joker Out’s “Carpe Diem” (Slovenia, 2023). But for older generations, the most streamed entries were Duncan Laurence’s “Arcade” (Netherlands, 2019), Rosa Linn’s “Snap” (Armenia, 2022), and Loreen’s “Tattoo” (Sweden, 2023).

While there isn’t a literal secret formula for winning the Eurovision Song Contest, there are definitely some details worth considering. According to Spotify’s analysis of the musical data, the perfect tempo for a Eurovision entry is 127 BPM, striking a balance between high-energy danceability and emotional groove. Familiar, uplifting, and easy to sing along to, F Major was found to be the ideal key for a winning Eurovision entry, in a 4/4 time signature.

Based on that information, Ireland’s 1987 winning entry, “Hold Me Now” by Johnny Logan, might be the closest to a perfect entry in Eurovision history, hitting all of these attributes—except for a BPM of just 126.