Georgia’s 2026 entry is Bzikebi with ‘On Replay’, internally selected by GPB and set for the first half of the first semi-final. The headline here is obvious enough. Bzikebi are not newcomers. They’re the trio who won Junior Eurovision for Georgia back in 2008, now returning to the wider contest as adults. That gives the whole thing a neat narrative hook before one gets anywhere near the song itself.
‘On Replay’ is bright, fast-moving and very clearly built to hit the ground running. It’s upbeat, glossy and relentlessly on-message, with (over) processed vocals, a clean pop structure and the sort of repeated refrain designed to deliver within three minutes. There’s a definite sense that ‘On Replay’ has been assembled for Eurovision first and ordinary life later. That’s not always a flaw, but it leaves the song feeling somewhat like it emerged from a rather blinkered focus group.
Once ‘On Replay’ starts, there’s no let-up – and not much real build either. You more or less understand its game within the thirty seconds. The trouble is that while it stays cheerful and efficient, it never quite finds any extra moment that might make the entry genuinely memorable.
Georgia has long looked more comfortable in Junior Eurovision than in the adult contest, and ‘On Replay’ does feel like part of that crossover thinking. Giga Kukhianidze wrote the song along with the country’s last two winning Junior songs. This suggests a broadcaster leaning into something it believes it understands. Whether that translates fully to the adult stage is another question.
History
Georgia’s recent Eurovision record is best filed under patchy. Nutsa Buzaladze finally broke a long run of non-qualifications in 2024, reaching the final and finishing 21st. Mariam Shengelia missed out last year, placing a deserved 15th in a weak semi-final. More broadly, Georgia has only reached the final eight times from seventeen appearances, with its best result still 9th place, achieved in 2010 and 2011. I don’t see them achieving or breaking that record.
‘On Replay’ feels like a plausible qualifier rather than an obvious one. It knows its target, and there’s ample energy here to make an impression. Especially if the staging sells the joy more than the audio alone can manage. Televoters may respond to the sheer brightness. Juries may be less taken with a song that lacks distinction. A final place is certainly possible, but this looks more like land but solid workmanship than any sort of breakout moment.
6 Points
