The first semi-final of Benidorm Fest 2025 is here!
Now into its fourth edition, Benidorm Fest has produced three diverse, fan-favourite entries: ‘Slomo’, ‘Eaea’, and ‘Zorra’. All attention is now turning to this year’s lineup to see who’ll be heading to Basel in May.
Here’s all you need to know about the artists competing in Semi-Final 1!
Chica Sobresalto – ‘Mala feminista’
Chica Sobresalto, fronted by Maialen Gubindo, was formed in 2017 alongside Aritz Legarrea, Ander Arlegi, Gorka Cía and Marta Iricibar. The name, Chica Sobresalto, represents a heroine – and Maialen’s alter ego. In 2020 she took part in Operación Triunfo (OT), and a year later set out on the Bailando Raro tour. She’s released three albums so far – Sobresalto, Sinapsis and Oraculo – and two EPs, along with a string of singles and collaborations.
Her next venture is Benidorm Fest with ‘Mala Feminisita’ – a song about the pressure of empowerment when you’re in a bad situation. The title translates in English to ‘Bad Feminist’. You can hear the song below!
Daniela Blasco – ‘Uh Nana’
Palma de Mallorca native Daniela Blasco is a 19-year-old dancer, singer and influencer who, despite her young age, has already got tonnes of experience performing on stage. She trained in dance at a school in Los Angeles, won the Hip Hop International and Urban Display competitions, participated in UFEA’s Final Four & appeared on stage with Justin Bieber when she was 11 years old. Daniela has also appeared on Got Talent España, and wrote a book on achieving success with effort, perseverance, humility and sacrifice.
Her singing career began in 2023 with the debut single ‘Sin mí’, followed by a few more releases over the last year – including a collaboration with KD One, ‘Mi MAMÁ. At Benidorm Fest, she’ll sing ‘Uh Nana’ – a catchy song with flares of pop, hip hop and Latin. You can hear her song below!
David Afonso – ‘Amor Barato’
David Afonso isn’t just a solo singer – he’s also part of one of the Canary Islands’ most well-regarded Orchestras La Sabrosa. As their vocalist, he’s performed in multiple galas, including the Reina del Carnaval in Santa Cruz De Tenerife. Beyond this, he’ll be known to audiences from his appearances on Luar, Aquí Galicia and Noche De Taifas. He’ll be singing ‘Amor Barato’ at Benidorm Fest 2025 and will be hoping his entry connects with viewers at home so he can take a cultural piece of his home in the Canary Islands to Basel. You can hear his song below!
K!ngdom – ‘Me Gustas Tú’
K!ngdom consists of members Ane Rada, Iván Ramírez and Jorge Gomis, and was formed in 2019 in Valencia. Their reliance on energetic, synthpop music has seen them tour within Spain and make appearances at festivals within Europe – they also were selected to create the soundtrack for the Netflix series Valeria. Their latest EP, ‘Confieso’ was released in early 2024, and now they look to gain a bigger fanbase by taking part in Benidorm Fest 2025.
‘Me Gustas Tú’ was created a few years ago, but became the song we know today during a session where the band recalled the lyrics and worked on its composition. They told RTVE that the song is “the way to tell our crush: ‘We like you, we like you so much”. You can hear their song below!
Kuve – ‘LOCA XTI’
Kuve – born Maryan Frutos – is a singer & producer born and raised in Murcia. Her career has seen her release four albums, the latest being ‘NO DRAMA’ in 2023, and her music relies heavily on synth and electro-pop to give an 80s/90s inspired sound with modern elements entwined throughout. She attempted to enter Benidorm Fest in 2024 but was ultimately not chosen as part of the lineup. Undeterred, she tried again – this time becoming one of the participants with her entry ‘LOCA XTI’. Her 2025 entry is all about love and harmony, and she says it can be dedicated to anyone in your life who makes you happy. You can hear her song below!
Lachispa – ‘Hartita de Llorar’
Lachispa – born Claudia Gómez Galindo in Chiclana – has emerged as this year’s favourite to win Benidorm Fest. Gaining fame by performing on Juan y Medio, she took to stages across Spain before attracting attention from Rosalía, who added Lachispa to her choir team, seeing her perform at the Latin Grammys and across the United States.
Lachispa’s music lies mainly in the Flamenco category – a genre which has proven to be a firm favourite in Benidorm Fest over the years. Her song, ‘Hartita de Llorar’ represents an “internal journey”, exploring themes of her fight with anxiety, depression and healing. It uses her Flamenco style with added trap and folk elements to keep listeners hooked. Blanca Paloma won the contest in 2023 with her very own Flamenco song ‘Eaea’, so this is one to look out for when it comes to voting. Will Lachispa be in Basel this May? You can hear her song below!
Lucas Bun – ‘Te Escribo En El Cielo‘
Lucas Bundía – known professionally as Lucas Bun – is a singer from Barcelona. He graduated from Berklee College before becoming acquainted with Grammy Award winner Julio Reyes, who worked with him on his initial releases, including one of his most popular tracks ‘Caída’ del cielo‘. His music has been described as ‘Art Pop’, stemming from his use of multiple genres and emotional melodies. His 2025 Benidorm Fest song ‘Te Escribo En El Cielo‘ uses flamenco, folklore and traditional instruments to create a deeply personal ballad written to his mother, who has sadly passed away. He says the song is ‘not a farewell’ and is his ‘way of approaching her’. You can hear Lucas’ song below!
Sonia y Selena – ‘Reinas’
Sonia Madoc and Selena Leo have reunited 23 years after going their separate ways to perform at Benidorm Fest 2025. They started working together in 2000, attempting to represent Spain in Eurovision 2001 before releasing their debut album, named after their hit single ‘Yo Quiero Bailar‘ – selling over 1.5 million copies in Europe and Latin America. Despite their success, they split in 2002, with Selena pursuing a solo career. Sonia returned to music in 2008, and the pair briefly reformed in 2011 to re-release their track ‘Yo Quiero Bailar’ and unsuccessfully tried to enter Spain’s national selection.
Now, Sonia y Selena are together once again – and are set to take to the Benidorm Fest stage with ‘Reinas‘. Taking inspiration from their previous hits, ‘Reinas’ gives listeners a recognisable but updated take on their sound. They have said their entry symbolises their reconnection and the support from their fans – especially their female and LGBTQIA+ audience. You can hear their song below!
Semi Final 1 of Benidorm Fest 2025 will be broadcast on RTVE on January 28th 2025 at 21:45 GMT // 22:45 CET.
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