No strings attached: Laura Thorn gets ready for Eurovision

Luxembourg is clearly having fun with its Eurovision comeback. For 2025, the Grand Duchy has sent Laura Thorn – a 25-year-old music teacher by day, pop diva by night – and she’s literally playing with dolls on the Eurovision stage. Her song “La Poupée Monte Le Son” (“The Doll Turns Up the Sound”) is a modern pop track that nods to one of Luxembourg’s own Eurovision legends, France Gall’s 1965 winning tune Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son.

A modern poupée with a message

Thorn’s Eurovision entry comes 60 years after France Gall won Eurovision for Luxembourg with her iconic doll-themed song. La Poupée Monte Le So” asks ‘What would that doll say in 2025?’. According to Laura, the song “represents the evolution of the poupée since France Gall’s victory. Now, the doll no longer needs to be controlled from the outside – it can act and make decisions for itself… it has found its own strength and no longer needs to rely on anyone else. That’s the message.”

In other words, this doll has cut her strings and grabbed the mic. The lyrics drive home a feminist theme, with Thorn describing the character in her song as “une sorte de vengeresse” – an avenger who won’t stay quiet.

It’s a playful #MeToo-era twist on a retro classic, delivered in French with a wink to Eurovision history and a bounce of bubbly French pop.

From Conservatoire to Contest

Until very recently, Laura Thorn was focused on teaching music in Esch-sur-Alzette. Eurovision wasn’t even on her radar until a random text message changed everything. Last summer, out of the blue, she got a message from a complete stranger about an interesting opportunity.

“In a moment like that, you don’t say no!” Laura told RTL, recalling how French songwriters Julien Salvia and Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal tracked her down through her former voice teacher . The songwriting duo had already composed La Poupée Monte Le Son but needed a Luxembourgish singer to bring it to life. Laura, who had just started a new teaching job, went for it, figuring she probably wouldn’t get far.

Fast forward to 25 January, and Laura Thorn wins the Luxembourg Song Contest (LSC) final. Her victory left her momentarily stunned on live TV. “I hadn’t imagined at all that I could win.

Life got very busy, very fast. “I’ve just gained an immense amount of experience,” Laura says of the past months, calling the journey exhausting but “incredibly exciting”.

Big stage, big dollhouse

Laura Thorn and her team have gone all-in on the doll theme. Rehearsals in Basel revealed a life-sized dollhouse on the Eurovision stage. In the performance’s opening, Laura actually starts out inside it. For a moment she really is a poupée in a toy house – until she breaks free.

At first, she moves with stiff, jerky motions. Five male dancers in matching red velvet suits flank her as toy-like attendants, performing a precise routine. As the music builds, Laura’s movements loosen up. The “doll” comes to life, shakes off her strings, and struts out of the dollhouse by the second verse.

Using Basel’s long T-shaped catwalk to full advantage, she leads her dancers forward to the satellite stage, all while transforming from a wide-eyed marionette to a confident pop princess. By the final chorus she’s front and centre, with no strings attached. And just when you think it’s all over, Laura pulls off a surprise Eurovision classic costume change. Watch tonight and you’ll see.

Fans on fire and critics charmed

All this effort would mean nothing if the fans weren’t feeling it – but luckily for Laura Thorn, early reactions have been largely enthusiastic. She has been road-testing La Poupée Monte Le Son at various Eurovision pre-party events across Europe, and the reception has been positive.

At the massive Eurovision in Concert show in Amsterdam in April, Thorn performed live in front of 6,000 screaming fans – the largest audience of her career so far. Far from being intimidated, she was thrilled to spot many Luxembourgish flags waving back at her in the crowd.

In early April, Laura received a special invitation from famed drag performer La Briochée to join her onstage at the historic Madame Arthur cabaret in La Pigalle. The result? A show-stopping drag cabaret duet of her Eurovision song that had the Parisian crowd hollering for more. Dressed to the nines, Laura and La Briochée belted out the song amidst glitter and spotlights, giving the classic cabaret a Eurovision twist. The two became fast friends – La Briochée, a longtime Eurovision fan, said she was proud to support Luxembourg’s return to the contest. The song’s writers even showed up to cheer them on.

Of course, not everyone is placing bets on a Luxembourg victory just yet – the competition is fierce, and some skeptics feel the song might end up being seen as a cute diversion rather than a serious contender. The betting odds currently reflect that tempered expectation. Bookmakers do expect Laura Thorn to qualify for the grand final (she’s in tonight’s tough second semi final) but the consensus is she’ll make the cut.

Hometown pride and tiny dolls for all

Luxembourg is proud of Laura Thorn. Nowhere is this more evident than in her hometown of Schifflange, which has gone full Eurovision-mad. The town is hosting a four-day festival while the contest is underway, complete with public screenings, live entertainment, and arts-and-crafts puppetry workshops for kids. By the end of the week, dozens of mini “poupées Laura” will be floating around Schifflange, a mental image sweet enough to cause a sugar high.

Back in Basel, Laura Thorn has the weight of those hopes on her shoulders – but she’s also got their love to carry her through. “I feel very lucky to have the entire conservatory behind me – that’s not something to be taken for granted,” she said, grateful for all the encouragement from her students and colleagues.

Will Luxembourg’s modern doll surprise Europe and waltz her way to the top? That remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: Laura Thorn has already won the hearts of many by marching to her own beat.

C’est elle qui décide – et c’est comme ça!