Boy George San Marino takes Eurovision semi-final with Superstar
Boy George San Marino is heading to Eurovision’s opening semi-final with Superstar, a move that puts the 64-year-old British singer on stage for San Marino alongside Senhit. It is his debut appearance at the contest, and it arrives as the microstate keeps using familiar international names to push its profile beyond the scoreboard.
Boy George co-wrote Superstar and added backing vocals to the disco-influenced track, which was selected through San Marino’s national selection process earlier this year. Senhit is back for her third outing representing the country, and the pairing gives San Marino two recognizable figures in a field of 35 participating nations in Vienna.
Vienna stage for San Marino
Boy George appeared via LED visuals during the San Marino Song Contest final in March, then reunited with Senhit for live rehearsals in Vienna ahead of the semi-final. That path shows how quickly the entry moved from domestic selection to the main Eurovision stage, with the act now carrying San Marino’s best chance of breaking into the final.
San Marino must finish among the top ten acts from the semi-final to reach the grand final on May 16. That threshold makes the performance more than a showcase: it is the only route to a bigger broadcast moment, and it leaves no margin for a weak live run in an open field.
SMRTV's British star plan
SMRTV has increasingly looked to recruit internationally recognised stars to boost the country’s visibility at Eurovision, and officials have previously said the aim is to attract major British names to promote tourism and raise San Marino’s profile. Boy George fits that plan cleanly, which is why his addition matters even before the votes are counted.
Boy George called the Eurovision offer a “bonkers request” and said the performance felt “camp,” language that matches the kind of offbeat project he said he now likes pursuing. He also rejected calls to withdraw over Israel’s participation, saying, “Are people asking me as a principled human being to turn my back on my Jewish friends? It's not going to happen, it's never going to happen,” and adding, “I have many, many Jewish friends that I've had since I was 15 or 16 years old,” while speaking to Sky News.
Senhit, Flo Rida, Boy George
Senhit’s return matters because she already gave San Marino a higher-wattage pairing in 2021, when she represented the country alongside American rapper Flo Rida. Boy George now extends that strategy with a different kind of name recognition, one rooted in a long career but newly deployed for a microstate that needs attention as much as points.
For San Marino, the live test is simple: get through the semi-final and turn the novelty of the pairing into a place in the May 16 final. If the act lands outside the top ten, the campaign stops there, and the broadcaster is left with publicity value rather than a result.
