After Tali emerged victorious from the Luxembourg Song Contest in the country’s comeback year, in January 2025 it was Laura Thorn’s turn. She saw off six other finalists to secure her spot on Europe’s biggest stage in Basel last May. Now, she looks back at the year that changed her life.
In early August 2024, Laura was contacted by the writer of the song “La poupée monte le son”, asking if she wanted to audition with it. Laura felt sceptical at first. The song didn’t match her personal taste, and she listened unenthusiastically at first. “I really couldn’t identify with it to begin with,” she said. But she decided that if she heard the song on the radio in the future, she would be annoyed at herself for declining the opportunity, so she recorded a video and sent it off to the songwriter.
The final of the Luxembourg Song Contest felt like she was in a film, and when Laura’s name was called, she could hardly believe it was real. She describes the moment of her win as a mix of joy, fear and feeling completely overwhelmed. Suddenly, she was facing all sorts of questions: what would she do about work? How would her daily life be affected? “I didn’t know how to feel,” she said. No sooner had she won the competition than the work began. Her song needed to be promoted, new versions had to be produced, and she had to shoot a video. An alternative electro-version was recorded in Belval as well. “I barely slept,” she remembers. It was a time without breaks, but with plenty of motivation.
On 4 May 2025, Luxembourg’s team were joined by ESC representatives to head to Basel via coach, two weeks before the big final. For Laura this was a special moment. She was excited and happy, but also nostalgic as she knew it would pass by in a flash.
On 11 May she attended the Turquoise Carpet, a 1.3-kilometre-long stretch through Basel before hundreds of journalists, cameras flashing. Laura wanted to stand out and be memorable, so her dancers carried her on a large key prop.
For five hours she gave interviews to big international media outlets and small fan platforms alike. But with severe consequences. “I lost my voice,” Laura recounts. She was unable to speak for two days.
Luxembourg competed in the second semi-final on 15 May. Laura secured a spot in the top 10 and qualified for the grand final, where she finished 22nd overall. Failing to make the final would have been a major disappointment, she reveals.
The day after the show, Laura returned to Luxembourg, where she resumed work as a music teacher at the Conservatoire a few days later. From one day to the next, she was no longer the centre of attention, and everything returned to normal very quickly. To begin with, she found this difficult. She expected everyone to ask her questions about her experience, but reality was different. These days, however, she thinks about Eurovision on a daily basis. She is still recognised on the street and receives messages from fans. The Eurovision bubble remains somewhat intact.
For Laura, one thing is clear: her adventure has launched her career, but also shaped her life, and she will never forget her experience.
