Bhutan at Eurovision Asia

Bhutan at Eurovision Asia covers Bhutan's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest Asia, an Asian spin-off of the European Broadcasting Union's Eurovision Song Contest. Bhutan is one of the debut participants in the first edition of the contest, whose Grand Final is scheduled for 14 November 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. The participating broadcaster is the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS).^[1]

Bhutan's entrant is Nyendra, the stage name of Thukten Nyendra, a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Chhukha. He won the BBS national selection show Rhythm of Bhutan on 11 August 2026 with "Lhayi Semo" ("The Angel"), a song he wrote with Lungten Wangchuk.^[2] Bhutan was the first country to select an entry for the new contest, and Nyendra was the first confirmed artist of the inaugural edition.^[3]

The 2026 selection followed an earlier, aborted attempt. In August 2025, BBS broadcast a selection series called Druk Dra for an Asian Eurovision contest that had not yet been announced; the episodes were withdrawn before the final after the EBU said no such contest had been confirmed.^[4]

Background

The 2025 Druk Dra episode

In August 2025, a Bhutanese selection show aired as a qualifier for a "Eurovision Asia" contest. Eurovoix reported that the show's first episode claimed 18 countries would compete and that the contest would be held in Mumbai, India. On 28 August 2025, Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said the EBU would like to see a Eurovision event in Asia but that "no plans have been confirmed or announced to date." He added that the episodes "have now been taken off air and deleted from online platforms."^[4]

The series ended before its planned final. All five acts in the 2026 Rhythm of Bhutan final had previously competed in Druk Dra.^[5] The EBU later announced the Eurovision Song Contest Asia as an official event, with Thailand as host.

Music context

Bhutanese popular music grew out of the traditional court and folk forms zhungdra and boedra and, from the late twentieth century, the modern genre rigsar. For broader coverage, see Music of Bhutan.

Rhythm of Bhutan 2026

Format

Rhythm of Bhutan was the first edition of the BBS national selection under that name. Five finalists were announced in early August 2026. According to The Bhutanese, each entry had to be an original song of no more than three minutes, performed live, in any genre and any language.^[6]

The two-hour final was held on 11 August 2026 at the BBS studios in Thimphu. It aired on BBS 1 and BBS digital platforms and was streamed internationally on the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel. Phub Tshering presented in Dzongkha and Kelzang Dolkar in English.^[7] The result combined three components:

a professional jury (40 percent), made up of Choeying Jatsho, Pema Samdrup, Sonam Dorji, and Ugyen;
a public vote from viewers in Bhutan (40 percent);
a "Rest of the World" public vote from viewers outside Bhutan (20 percent).

Viewers received eight free votes, which had to be spread across at least three songs, and could buy a package of ten more.^[7] ESCXTRA reported that the Department of Media, Creative Industry and Intellectual Property provided financial support for the show.^[5]

Results

Place	Artist	Song (English title)	Jury	Bhutan vote	International vote	Total
1	Nyendra	"Lhayi Semo" ("The Angel")	24	20	8	52
2	Sangay Lhaden Band	"Pemi Tshewang Tashi" ("The Legend")	20	16	5	41
3	Baeyul 301	"Drenpa" ("The Memories")	2	24	10	36
4	Karma Drupchu	"Pha Yuel" ("The Homeland")	10	10	12	32
5	Pelden Wangchuk	"Jo'Druel" ("The Journey")	16	2	1	19

Points as reported by AussieVision.^[8] Placings match those reported by BBS and the EBU.^[9] The jury and the Bhutanese public split on the leading acts: Baeyul 301 topped the domestic vote but received the lowest jury score, while Nyendra placed first or second in the two weighted domestic components.

Nyendra received a prize of Nu 200,000 (~USD 2,300) along with the right to represent Bhutan. BBS reported that he would receive training and mentoring in the months before the contest. "This means the entire world to me," he told BBS after the result.^[9]

The entry

Thukten Nyendra grew up in Chhukha and moved to Thimphu at 19 to study and pursue music. He graduated from Royal Thimphu College with a degree in mass communication and journalism.^[10] The EBU describes him as a singer-songwriter and producer working in pop, folk-pop, acoustic, and R&B, in English and Dzongkha; earlier releases include "Oh No" and "Tell Me."^[2] A BBS profile published after the selection reported that he wrote and produced a nine-song album, Let Me Tell You a Story, and quoted his mother, Nidup Tshomo, on her early doubts about music as a career in Bhutan.^[10]

"Lhayi Semo" is credited to Nyendra and Lungten Wangchuk.^[5]

Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026

The first Eurovision Song Contest Asia is organised by the EBU with Thailand's Channel 3 and Voxovation. The official contest site lists the Grand Final for Saturday 14 November 2026 at One Bangkok Forum, preceded by a preview show on 13 November. As of mid-October 2026, it listed eleven participating countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Each country chose its entry through a televised national selection running from August to October 2026.^[1]

Contest rules limit songs to three minutes and performers on stage to six. Eurovoix reported that the winner is to be decided by an equal split of jury and televote.^[3] Neighbouring Nepal is represented by Pratik Himal Rai with "Ananta Maya."^[1]

Result

The contest has not yet taken place. Bhutan's running order position, placing, and points will be added after the Grand Final.

Participation history

Year	Artist	Song	Selection	Place	Points
2026	Nyendra	"Lhayi Semo"	Rhythm of Bhutan	Scheduled 14 November 2026	—

References

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