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Laika Party
"Laika Party" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter Emmy. It was written by Emmy alongside four other songwriters and produced by Henrik Østlund and Jonas Jensen. The song was released on 20 January 2025 through ADA Nordic. "Laika Party" represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, where it failed to qualify to the grand final after placing 13th in the second semi-final with 28 points.
The song is described by Emmy as a story that creates an alternate reality for Soviet dog Laika, where she survived in space instead of dying on the Sputnik 2 spacecraft. It received mixed critical reception from both Irish and international media, receiving some praise for its musical composition but also receiving criticism for a lack of uniqueness compared to other Eurovision songs.
"Laika Party" was written and composed by Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Erlend Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Larissa Tormey, Truls Marius Aarra, and Henrik Østlund. The song's subject is based on Laika, a Soviet dog who died while in low Earth orbit upon the Sputnik 2 spacecraft on 3 November 1957. Speaking with The Irish Times, Emmy stated that she first learned of Laika's story after reading a quiz question in a newspaper, writing the song in a Norwegian songwriting camp.
In multiple interviews, Emmy stated that as an "animal lover", she was sad after learning how Laika died and wanted to create a happier alternate reality for Laika where she never died, instead spending her eternal time in space partying. In an analysis by Wiwibloggs' Tom Hendryk, the song also references the fear of loneliness and being put in bad situations with no choice, advocating for perseverance through tough times.
Along with the song's release, an accompanying music video was released on 12 March 2025. The video was filmed and produced over the course of two weeks in Emmy's native Norway. To further promote the song, Emmy participated in various Eurovision pre-parties before the contest throughout the months of March and April 2025, including Melfest WKND on 7 March, Eurovision in Concert on 5 April, the London Eurovision Party on 13 April, and Pre-Party ES on 19 April. On 7 May, Emmy premiered a video of her performing "Laika Party" at Trinity College Dublin on The Late Late Show.
"Laika Party" received mixed critical reception. The Irish Times' Laura Slattery stated that the song "has lots of wonderful things going for it", describing the song as a "more arch melancholic bop than sad banger". The Irish Examiner's Tom Dunne described "Laika Party" as a "martyr song". He further criticised the Irish Eurovision delegation for "outsourc[ing] our Eurovision entry to Norway", stating that while an Irish dog could have been chosen for the song's subject, "the glamour of space trumps mythology every time." Television presenter Donal Skehan stated in the Irish Independent that while the song had "really great production", the song was not memorable to him. In comparing the song to 2024 Irish entrant Bambie Thug's "Doomsday Blue", he stated that Bambie "was far more memorable in terms of just that shock on screen."
In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from several critics, the song was rated 5.73 out of 10 points, earning 26th out of the 37 songs competing in that year's Eurovision in the site's annual ranking that year. Vulture's Jon O'Brien ranked the song 19th out of 37, writing that the song was a "surprisingly touching tribute" to Laika but added that it was a "jaunty, nonsensical ditty not a million miles away from fellow Scandinavians Aqua". ESC Beat's Doron Lahav ranked the song 23rd out of 37, stating that while it was "catchy and danceable", he criticised the lack of change of musical composition within the song.
The BBC's Mark Savage described the song as a "trance-pop anthem" that "despite a peppy performance, it's a bit of a downer". The Guardian's Angelica Frey included the song in her top ten best Eurovision 2025 songs list, describing it as a "delightful synthesis of Aqua, Grimes and a hint of Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road". Eurovision Stars' Jon Lewak wrote that the song was "very catchy"; however, he added that the qualification of the song from the Eurovision semi-final heavily depended on the song's staging.
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Laika Party
"Laika Party" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter Emmy. It was written by Emmy alongside four other songwriters and produced by Henrik Østlund and Jonas Jensen. The song was released on 20 January 2025 through ADA Nordic. "Laika Party" represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, where it failed to qualify to the grand final after placing 13th in the second semi-final with 28 points.
The song is described by Emmy as a story that creates an alternate reality for Soviet dog Laika, where she survived in space instead of dying on the Sputnik 2 spacecraft. It received mixed critical reception from both Irish and international media, receiving some praise for its musical composition but also receiving criticism for a lack of uniqueness compared to other Eurovision songs.
"Laika Party" was written and composed by Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Erlend Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Larissa Tormey, Truls Marius Aarra, and Henrik Østlund. The song's subject is based on Laika, a Soviet dog who died while in low Earth orbit upon the Sputnik 2 spacecraft on 3 November 1957. Speaking with The Irish Times, Emmy stated that she first learned of Laika's story after reading a quiz question in a newspaper, writing the song in a Norwegian songwriting camp.
In multiple interviews, Emmy stated that as an "animal lover", she was sad after learning how Laika died and wanted to create a happier alternate reality for Laika where she never died, instead spending her eternal time in space partying. In an analysis by Wiwibloggs' Tom Hendryk, the song also references the fear of loneliness and being put in bad situations with no choice, advocating for perseverance through tough times.
Along with the song's release, an accompanying music video was released on 12 March 2025. The video was filmed and produced over the course of two weeks in Emmy's native Norway. To further promote the song, Emmy participated in various Eurovision pre-parties before the contest throughout the months of March and April 2025, including Melfest WKND on 7 March, Eurovision in Concert on 5 April, the London Eurovision Party on 13 April, and Pre-Party ES on 19 April. On 7 May, Emmy premiered a video of her performing "Laika Party" at Trinity College Dublin on The Late Late Show.
"Laika Party" received mixed critical reception. The Irish Times' Laura Slattery stated that the song "has lots of wonderful things going for it", describing the song as a "more arch melancholic bop than sad banger". The Irish Examiner's Tom Dunne described "Laika Party" as a "martyr song". He further criticised the Irish Eurovision delegation for "outsourc[ing] our Eurovision entry to Norway", stating that while an Irish dog could have been chosen for the song's subject, "the glamour of space trumps mythology every time." Television presenter Donal Skehan stated in the Irish Independent that while the song had "really great production", the song was not memorable to him. In comparing the song to 2024 Irish entrant Bambie Thug's "Doomsday Blue", he stated that Bambie "was far more memorable in terms of just that shock on screen."
In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from several critics, the song was rated 5.73 out of 10 points, earning 26th out of the 37 songs competing in that year's Eurovision in the site's annual ranking that year. Vulture's Jon O'Brien ranked the song 19th out of 37, writing that the song was a "surprisingly touching tribute" to Laika but added that it was a "jaunty, nonsensical ditty not a million miles away from fellow Scandinavians Aqua". ESC Beat's Doron Lahav ranked the song 23rd out of 37, stating that while it was "catchy and danceable", he criticised the lack of change of musical composition within the song.
The BBC's Mark Savage described the song as a "trance-pop anthem" that "despite a peppy performance, it's a bit of a downer". The Guardian's Angelica Frey included the song in her top ten best Eurovision 2025 songs list, describing it as a "delightful synthesis of Aqua, Grimes and a hint of Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road". Eurovision Stars' Jon Lewak wrote that the song was "very catchy"; however, he added that the qualification of the song from the Eurovision semi-final heavily depended on the song's staging.