Druk Dra
| Druk Dra 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | |
| Qualification round 1 |
|
| Qualification round 2 |
|
| Qualification round 3 |
|
| Semi-final |
|
| Final |
|
| Venue | BBS Studio, Thimphu, Bhutan |
| Organisation | |
| Organiser | Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) |
| Presenters |
|
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 10 |
| Number of finalists | 5 |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | A combination of jury and online vote |
Druk Dra (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་སྒྲ།, romanized: 'Brug Sgra, [ʈuk̚˩ ʈ͡ʂa˩˨]; transl. "Voice of Bhutan"), also known as Road to Eurovision Asia, is a Bhutanese song competition organised by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) to select the country's representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 and ABU TV Song Festival 2025.
On 28 August 2025, the production was postponed. On 31 March 2026, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) clarified that the postponement resulted from a miscommunication with the BBS, and confirmed that the Eurovision Song Contest Asia is scheduled to take place on 14 November 2026.
2025 contest
Production and format
The contest is organised by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service and consists of 5 episodes. The first three episodes were qualification rounds, the fourth was the semi-final, and the fifth is the final.[1] The show is presented in Dzongkha and English interchangeably.
The results of the contest are decided by a combination of the votes from the professional jury, as well as an online vote. The jury is consisted of Pema Samdrup, Choeying Gyatsho and Uygen Dorji.[1]
Contest overview
A total of 10 contestants took part in the contest.
First and second episodes
The first episode aired on 19 August 2025, and second on 20 August 2025. The contestants performed covers.
| Draw (Ep 1) | Draw (Ep 2) | Artist | Online vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Baeyul 301 | 64.37% |
| 2 | 1 | Sangay Lhaden | 1.28% |
| 3 | 8 | Nyendra | 0% |
| 4 | 3 | Pelden Wangchuk | 8.51% |
| 5 | 6 | Tashi Choden | 0.85% |
| 6 | 2 | Tshering Namgay | 19.83% |
| 7 | 9 | Tandih Phub | 3.83% |
| 8 | 7 | Kinga Rinchen | 0.09% |
| 9 | 5 | Drukbi Tshompapo | 0.85% |
| 10 | 4 | Karma Drubchu | 0% |
Third episode
The third episode aired on 22 August 2025. The contestants performed covers. 90% of the result was determined by the jury, with 10% decided by an online vote. Drukbi Tshompapo withdrew from the contest before the episode due to personal reasons. Seven contestants qualified for the semi-final.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sangay Lhaden | Qualified |
| 2 | Tshering Namgay | Qualified |
| 3 | Pelden Wangchuk | Qualified |
| 4 | Karma Drubchu | Qualified |
| 5 | Drukbi Tshompapo | Withdrew |
| 6 | Tashi Choden | Qualified |
| 7 | Kinga Rinchen | Eliminated |
| 8 | Nyendra | Qualified |
| 9 | Tandih Phub | Eliminated |
| 10 | Baeyul 301 | Qualified |
Fourth episode
The fourth episode aired on 26 August 2025. This episode is considered the semi-final, and the contestants performed covers. 80% of the result was determined by the jury, with 20% decided by an online vote,[1] including the votes from the previous shows. Each juror gave a rating to every contestant out of 100. Five contestants qualified for the final.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Jury | Episode 4 online vote |
Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sangay Lhaden | 259 | 20.09% | Qualified |
| 2 | Nyendra | 258 | 17.38% | Qualified |
| 3 | Baeyul 301 | 243 | 16.99% | Qualified |
| 4 | Karma Drubchu | 173 | 12.10% | Eliminated |
| 5 | Tshering Namgay | 166 | 11.17% | Qualified |
| 6 | Pelden Wangchuk | 168 | 11.36% | Qualified |
| 7 | Tashi Choden | 158 | 10.92% | Eliminated |
Fifth episode
The fifth episode was set to be held on 29 August 2025. This episode was supposed to be the final. 70% of the result was set to be determined by the jury, with 30% decided by an online vote.[1] The winner was to represent Bhutan at the Eurovision Asia Song Contest 2025, with the runner up representing Bhutan at ABU TV Song Festival 2025.[1]
Postponement
On 28 August 2025, Martin Green, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, stated that "no plans have been confirmed or announced to date" for the contest in Asia. He further noted that the Eurovision format rights holders in Asia had been in contact with the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), and that the show had been taken off air and removed from online platforms.[2] Sangay Lhaden, one of the finalists, claimed on TikTok that the final was only postponed.
Following the postponement, BBS internally selected Pema Samdrup, a member of the Druk Dra jury, with the song "The Song of Joy" to represent Bhutan at the ABU TV Song Festival 2025.[3]
2026 contest
On 31 March 2026, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officially announced the Eurovision Song Contest Asia[4] and stated that the removal of Druk Dra from broadcast had resulted from a misunderstanding with BBS. On the same day, videos of the competition were reinstated on BBS’s official Facebook page. Bhutan is set to host a national selection for Eurovision Asia 2026.[5] On 23 June 2026, BBS confirmed that Druk Dra would be organised once again in 2026 to select Bhutan's representative for the contest, and revealed the participating artists. Amongst them are 2025 edition competitors Baeyul 301, Drukbi Tshompapo, Karma Drubchu, Nyendra, Sangay Lhaden and Tashi Choden.
The participating artists are:
- Drukbi Tshompapo
- Sangay Lhaden
- Pema Lhamo
- Nyendra
- Tashi Choden
- Dechen Pem
- Karma Drubchu
- Dorji Wangchuk
- Jigme Drukpa
- Baeyul 301
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Granger, Anthony (26 August 2025). "Bhutan: Druk Dra Semi-Final Held". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "EBU shuts down Eurovision Asia speculation". The Eurotrip Podcast. 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Tsinivits, Kyriakos (13 September 2025). "ABU Song Festival 2025: All you need to know". Archived from the original on 31 March 2026. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ^ Yossman, K.J. (31 March 2026). "Eurovision Song Contest Set to Launch in Asia With Bangkok as Host City". Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
Every participating country will host its own National Selection Show.