Poland heads to Vienna with ALICJA and ‘Pray’, chosen by a 100% public vote in Finał Krajowych Kwalifikacji on 7 March. That in itself gives the entry a certain clarity of mandate, and there’s also a bit of unfinished business in play: ALICJA previously won Poland’s 2020 selection with ‘Empires’, only to lose the chance to compete when that year’s contest was cancelled. She gets to sing in the second half of the first semi-final.
‘Pray’ is one of those big, earnest, vocally demanding ballads that arrives convinced of its own importance. There are gospel touches, a very deliberate sense of lift, and plenty of room for ALICJA to demonstrate that she can, in fact, sing the thing within an inch of its life. On a technical level, that may be the song’s strongest card. The difficulty is that it has the air of a committee working through a checklist marked “drama”, “message”, “vocal moment” and “big finish” and made sure none were missed. The lyrics are the weakest link. ‘Pray’ leans heavily on conviction to supply the emotional depth the writing only partly provides.
Poland has gone back to a public-selection route after Justyna Steczkowska’s ‘GAJA’ reached the final in 2025 and finished 14th. ALICJA is no unknown quantity in Poland, having come through The Voice of Poland and built a profile over several years.
History
Poland’s broader recent record is mixed but not hopeless. Ochman managed 12th in 2022. Blanka reached 19th in 2023. Luna then missed the final in 2024, before Justyna put Poland back into Saturday night in 2025.
Juries could reward the vocal ambition if ALICJA keeps the performance controlled. Televoters are a less certain thing. Ballads that take themselves this seriously need a real pulse underneath them, and ‘Pray’ sometimes feels more admirable than moving. A final place is very possible. A truly big result would need the live performance to find the heart the song itself only intermittently reveals.
3 Points
