- Israel delays picking song for Eurovision following EBU request to screen political songs Ynetnews
- Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber among stars condemning calls for Israel Eurovision ban The Times of Israel
- Celebrities Sign Open Letter in Support of Israeli Inclusion in Eurovision Contest – Israel News Haaretz
- Helen Mirren, Gene Simmonds and Boy George sign letter supporting Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision Euronews
- Boy George, Sharon Osbourne, Gene Simmons & More Sign Letter Rejecting Attempt to Bar Israel From 2024 Eurovision Song Contest Billboard
Tag Archives: Eurovision
Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber among stars condemning calls for Israel Eurovision ban – The Times of Israel
- Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber among stars condemning calls for Israel Eurovision ban The Times of Israel
- Celebrities Sign Open Letter in Support of Israeli Inclusion in Eurovision Contest – Israel News Haaretz
- Helen Mirren, Gene Simmonds and Boy George sign letter supporting Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision Euronews
- Scooter Braun, Emmy Rossum and Helen Mirren Among 400 Stars Supporting Israel’s Inclusion in Eurovision Variety
- Boy George, Sharon Osbourne, Gene Simmons & More Sign Letter Rejecting Attempt to Bar Israel From 2024 Eurovision Song Contest Billboard
BBC criticized for selecting Eurovision contestant who accused Israel of ‘genocide’ – The Times of Israel
- BBC criticized for selecting Eurovision contestant who accused Israel of ‘genocide’ The Times of Israel
- BBC urged to drop Olly Alexander from Eurovision after Israel comments Euronews
- Ex-Mumford and Sons star blasts Olly Alexander’s ‘abhorrent’ Israel views – But says he SHOULDN’T be kicked off Eurovision GB News
- UK Eurovision act Olly Alexander criticised for signing statement calling Israel an ‘apartheid state’ and accusing it of genocide Sky News
- BBC Urged To Fire UK Eurovision Entrant Olly Alexander After He Signed Letter Accusing “Apartheid” State Israel Of Genocide Deadline
BBC Urged To Fire UK Eurovision Entrant Olly Alexander After He Signed Letter Accusing “Apartheid” State Israel Of Genocide – Deadline
- BBC Urged To Fire UK Eurovision Entrant Olly Alexander After He Signed Letter Accusing “Apartheid” State Israel Of Genocide Deadline
- BBC criticized for selecting Eurovision contestant who accused Israel of ‘genocide’ The Times of Israel
- BBC urged to drop Olly Alexander from Eurovision after Israel comments Euronews
- Ex-Mumford and Sons star blasts Olly Alexander’s ‘abhorrent’ Israel views – But says he SHOULDN’T be kicked off Eurovision GB News
- UK Eurovision act Olly Alexander criticised for signing statement calling Israel an ‘apartheid state’ and accusing it of genocide Sky News
Ukraine’s Eurovision 2022 win cheered by Ukrainians, world leaders
“For the first time [since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine], we were able to listen to music and not feel guilty,” Falkovskaya, 23, told The Washington Post from Munich, where she and her mother have settled since fleeing their home in Odessa in early March. “We finally relaxed and shed some tears.”
European Council President Charles Michel congratulated Kalush Orchestra on Twitter and expressed hope that next year’s contest can be hosted by Kyiv in a “free and united Ukraine.”
The reaction to Ukraine’s Eurovision win underscored the political undertones of the quirky musical event, from which Russia was excluded after it invaded Ukraine.
Officials in Kyiv portrayed the win as a sign of success to come in Ukraine’s war with Russia, and Kalush Orchestra used the Eurovision stage to call for help for Mariupol and the soldiers holding out there inside the Azovstal steel plant. On Sunday, the band released a music video for “Stefania,” the song that helped secure its first-place Eurovision finish, that was filmed in war-torn areas of Ukraine.
But for many Ukrainians, the contest was also a rare chance to have fun and think about something other than the war.
“When they said that we had won, I shouted at the whole apartment,” Ivanna Khvalyboga told the BBC from Poland.
Khvalyboga, who is one of the more than 6 million Ukrainians who have fled their country since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, said the win brought “incredible happiness for Ukraine and Ukrainian people.”
For Falkovskaya, who watched the finale with her mother and their two Labradors, it was also a chance to connect with family, as her stepfather watched the contest with them over the phone from Odessa.
“The show made us connect in a way,” she said, describing it as “a cool moment to share with my mom.”
That moment was made more significant by the war. “When the war happens to you, you start realizing how much you … miss the little things,” Falkovskaya told The Post. When Ukraine won Eurovision, “I got my little things back, and so I’m quite happy today. Hopefully, it stays for a while now.”
In a Facebook post, Falkovskaya wrote that winning Eurovision “has brought so much motivation and power back to our country. The happiness, the tears of joy, the laughter.”
Ukraine’s government tweeted on its official account: “You have melted our hearts, friends,” adding that the win “matters the world to us during this time.”
On social media, Ukrainians cheered a victory that Kalush Orchestra’s frontman, Oleh Psiuk, called a victory “for all Ukrainians.”
A video of Ukrainian television presenter Timur Miroshnychenko reacting to the band’s win while presenting live from a bomb shelter in Ukraine was viewed more than 400,000 times on Twitter.
This is how Ukraine’s Eurovision presenter and commentator Timur Miroshnychenko reacted to the news of Kalush Orchestra’s victory. Due to Russia’s never-ending rocket attacks, Timur had to go on air from a bomb shelter. pic.twitter.com/oIXrDPvQX2
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) May 14, 2022
Ukrainian service members who watched the Eurovision final from their position near Kyiv clapped and cheered as the win was announced, in photos taken by Reuters photographer Valentyn Ogirenko.
Even though Eurovision is a contest, and one country’s win is by definition 39 other countries’ loss, many world leaders immediately cheered Kalush Orchestra’s victory.
NATO’s deputy general secretary, Mircea Geoana, offered his congratulations, saying that the result showed “the immense public support all over Europe and Australia for the bravery” of the Ukrainian people.
British Foreign Minister Liz Truss described it as a “great result” — even as the fan vote bumped her country’s entry into the second spot in a competition that more typically evokes a strong sense of patriotism among die-hard fans.
“Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe!” wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Instagram after the results were announced.
Next year, Ukraine is expected to host the competition, an occasion that Zelensky said he believes will not be the last. The president expressed hope that one day Kyiv could “host the participants and guests of Eurovision in Ukrainian Mariupol” — the southern port city shattered by Russian forces.
“I am sure that our victorious chord in the battle against the enemy is not far away,” he added, seeking to link the Eurovision outcome with Ukraine’s prospects against Russian forces.
Kalush Orchestra’s win also drew praise from the relatives of Ukrainian fighters stuck inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, after the band’s frontman issued a plea from the Eurovision stage.
“I ask for all of you, please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal right now,” Psiuk said after the band performed at the grand finale. Ukrainian officials have said they are negotiating with Russia to secure the release of wounded fighters inside Azovstal, even as some fighters have said they are prepared to fight to the death if necessary.
While Psiuk has said the song “Stefania” was written before the war for his mother, the music video posted by the band Sunday, which features scenes of destruction filmed near Kyiv, repurposes it into an ode of sorts to Ukrainian forces. It is the latest example of Ukraine’s use of cultural diplomacy amid its conflict with Russia.
The video opens with members of Kalush Orchestra walking through the ruins of bombed-out buildings, as Ukrainian service members carry children to safety through fire and other hazards. The children are reunited with their families in refugee centers and train stations, as the service members — all women — stare into the camera, some of them in tears.
The video ends with a shot of a young girl holding what appears to be a molotov cocktail, followed by a message from the band. “This video was filmed in Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka, Hostomel, cities near Kyiv that suffered the horrors of Russian occupation,” it reads. The video is dedicated to “the brave Ukrainian people,” the “mothers protecting children” and to “those who gave their lives to our freedom,” it says.
The music video illustrates how Ukraine has at times placed music, film and other forms of art at the service of political aims. The members of Kalush Orchestra received special permission to travel to Italy for Eurovision, even though Ukraine has banned most men between 18 and 60 from leaving the country in case they are called to fight.
Ukraine’s parliament posted the video on its Telegram page Sunday with a snippet of the song’s lyrics. “The world needs to see it!” the message said. “It is impossible to hold back tears.”
The Eurovision Song Contest is often political, as dozens of countries compete for points from national juries and audiences. In 2016, after Russia annexed Crimea, Ukrainian singer Jamala won Eurovision with a song about the Soviet deportation of Crimean Tatars during World War II.
Another Ukrainian band, Antytila, recently collaborated with Ed Sheeran on a remix of Sheeran’s single “2step.” The accompanying music video also features scenes of destroyed buildings in Ukraine. Antytila’s lead singer, who volunteered to fight Russia alongside others in the band, sings in military uniform about wanting to be reunited with loved ones after the war.
Ellen Francis and Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report.
Ukraine wins Eurovision Song Contest in wave of goodwill following invasion by Russia
The band’s song “Stefania,” written about the frontman’s mother, beat competition from main rivals the United Kingdom and Spain at the competition in the Italian city of Turin.
The event marked the first major cultural event in which Ukrainians have taken part since Russia invaded in February, and many in the audience waved Ukraine’s blue and yellow national flag during the evening.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Kalush Orchestra in an Instagram post just seconds after its victory was announced.
“Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe!,” he said in the post.
Alluding to the rule that a winner of the previous year’s competition gets to host the contest, he said: “Next year Ukraine will host Eurovision! For the third time in its history. And, I believe, not the last. We will do our best to one day host the participants and guests of Eurovision in Ukrainian Mariupol. Free, peaceful, rebuilt!”
Tamile Tasheva, the permanent representative of the President of Ukraine to Crimea, suggested Yalta, a resort city on the south coast of Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014, as a possible venue.
The country’s entry “Stefania,” sung in Ukrainian, is a tribute to frontman Oleg Psyuk’s mother, who still lives in the western city of Kalush, from which the band takes its name. “On some days there are rockets flying over people’s houses and it is like a lottery — no one knows where it will hit,” Psyuk told CNN this week ahead of his performance.
“As we speak, our country and our culture is under threat. But we want to show that we are alive, Ukrainian culture is alive; it is unique, diverse, and beautiful.”
The event in Turin saw several of the elaborate and camp performances that have become Eurovision’s hallmark. A Norwegian entry by electro duo Subwoolfer warned of hungry animals eating the singers’ grandparents, while Serbia’s Konstrakta meditated on the secret to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s hair.
But fans rallied behind Ukraine’s entry, and the band received one of the loudest cheers of the night when they took to the stage.
In a bar in central Kyiv, not far from the city’s famous golden roofed Saint Sophia Cathedral, a small Eurovision viewing party was taking place on Saturday night. Max Tolmachov, the owner of the Buena Vista bar, said people who came to the bar were keen to show their support for Ukraine — even if Eurovision wasn’t exactly their thing.
“They want to show their patriotic spirit. This war has been really hard on people and this is an opportunity to put the dark thoughts aside for a bit,” he told CNN.
His bar played a role in Ukraine’s resistance too. During the height of the battle for Kyiv, a military checkpoint was positioned right in front of it. “The soldiers would come in to get some rest, we were cooking food for them — borscht, soups, meat, potatoes, there wasn’t much selection at the time,” he said.
While many were excited to watch Ukraine’s victory in the contest, no big parties took place in the capital on Saturday. A strict curfew that starts at 10 p.m. local time, the same time as the Eurovision broadcast, meant people wouldn’t be able to get home once the parties wrapped up.
Tolmachov had a plan though — his staff agreed to stay through the night so patrons could party until the small hours.
This year’s Eurovision took place in Italy following a victory by punk rock band Maneskin last year. It was the first Eurovision final to take place without major Covid restrictions since the pandemic began; the 2020 edition was cancelled, and last year’s featured crowd restrictions and some remote performances.
Kalush Orchestra initially finished second in Ukraine’s national selection competition, but was elevated after it emerged the winner had previously traveled to Russian-annexed Crimea. The group was unveiled as the country’s entry on February 22, two days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Ivana Kottasova reported from Kyiv. Rob Picheta wrote in London. Tim Lister and Oleksandra Ochman contributed to this report.
The 10 Most Recent Winners of the Eurovision Song Contest: 2012 – 2022
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Ukraine at Eurovision: Fusion of folk and pop song expected to win
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Eurovision 2022: Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra the favorite to win Saturday’s contest
The folk-rap group are runaway favorites in the betting markets and their presence at the tournament has captured the imagination of fans from every competing country.
“As we speak, our country and our culture is under threat. But we want to show that we are alive, Ukrainian culture is alive, it is unique, diverse, and beautiful,” Oleg Psyuk, the band’s front man, told CNN.
“This is our way to be useful to our country,” he said.
At first sight, the six-piece group seem to slot in comfortably with dozens of their more eccentric Eurovision brethren.
Most members wear elaborate national dress, with rapper Psyuk also sporting a pink bucket hat. One member is so submerged by patterned embroidery that only his mouth is visible, while the group’s double bassist comes dressed as a ball of yarn.
But getting Kalush Orchestra to the Eurovision stage took some doing, and their journey is deeply interwoven with the war at home.
The band initially finished second in Ukraine’s national selection competition, but they were elevated after it emerged the winner had previously traveled to Russian-annexed Crimea. They were unveiled as the country’s entry on February 22, two days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
“All members of the group are somehow involved in the defense of the country,” Psyuk told CNN via email.
One member, Vlad Kurochka, joined the territorial defense and is fighting on the front line, meaning a late replacement was needed for the contest. Psyuk, meanwhile, volunteers to find internally displaced Ukrainians shelter and organizes the transportation of food and medicines.
The backdrop of conflict complicated preparations for Eurovision. The group were forced to rehearse virtually until they were finally able to meet in Lviv after weeks of war.
And their song has taken on new meaning. “Stefania,” sung in Ukrainian, is a tribute to Psyuk’s mother, who still lives in the western city of Kalush from which the band takes its name. “On some days there are rockets flying over people’s houses and it is like a lottery — no one knows where it will hit,” Psyuk told CNN.
Organizers banned Russia from the contest in February, 24 hours after an initial, widely criticized decision to allow it to take part. The European Broadcasting Union concluded that the country’s presence “would bring the competition into disrepute.”
Belarus, which aided Moscow’s invasion, had already been suspended due to the suppression of media freedom in the country.
Kalush, meanwhile, sailed through Tuesday’s semifinal and elicited wild cheers from the crowd when they came onstage. Eurovision is notoriously difficult to predict, given its point system relies both on jury verdicts and public voting from dozens of countries, but Kalush seem a safe bet to take this year’s crown.
A Ukrainian victory would mean the country had the right to host next year’s contest — but it is far from certain that such an event would be possible in Ukraine next May.
Psyuk, though, is optimistic. “We believe in our song … it has become a song about the motherland,” he said.
“If it turns out that we will win, Eurovision 2023 will be held in Ukraine. In a new, integral Ukraine … a rebuilt, prosperous, happy country.”
The frontrunners
Kalush Orchestra are joining a typically ragtag group of national competitors at this year’s contest, and while they are the clear favorites to triumph, a number of other artists have managed to get Europe talking in the build-up.
Italy could clinch the crown for a second consecutive year if hometown heroes Mahmood and Blanco deliver. Both are successful artists in the country; now they’re joining forces to emulate Maneskin, the punk rockers who won in an upset last year.
Subwoolfer, Norway’s enigmatic electro duo, have also attracted buzz with their entry “Give That Wolf a Banana.”
The pair claim they were formed on the moon 4.5 billion years ago and never remove their yellow canine masks. They most closely resemble a TikTok-ified Daft Punk, had the legendary French pair hired David Lynch as their artistic director and hit the kids’ parties circuit.
Less “out there” are entries from Sweden, Poland and Greece — all three have brought ballads to the table that are sure to interest the national juries.
And here are some words this seasoned Eurovision reporter never thought he’d type: The United Kingdom might win this year.
That’s right — the nation that has, in the past decade, sent what remains of Bonnie Tyler and Engelbert Humperdinck to compete with Europe’s up-and-comers has reluctantly accepted that modernity is not just a passing fad, turning to a TikTok sensation in a play for Europe’s under-65 demographic.
Sam Ryder’s “Space Man” is an unusually strong British entry that takes inspiration from Elton John and Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, and some bookmakers give only Ukraine better odds to win.
But the track relies heavily on the remarkable vocal acrobatics that helped Ryder go viral during the early days of the pandemic — so he can’t afford an off-night if he’s to break the UK’s 25-year Eurovision curse.
The best (and worst) of the rest
Italy is hoping to put on a show on Saturday night, to mark the first post-Covid Eurovision in front of a full audience. The 2020 edition was canceled, and last year’s took place with crowd restrictions.
That competition marked the release of two years’ worth of suppressed weirdness, and the tone of this contest is somewhat more traditional by comparison. But this is still Eurovision, and it is still weird — so casual viewers tuning in exclusively to shake their heads and tut won’t be let down.
Already eliminated are Latvia, whose environmentally conscious anthem “Eat Your Salad” began with the line “I don’t eat meat, I eat veggies and p*ssy.” Organizers unsurprisingly asked them to skip over the feline allusions, and in doing so wiped away the song’s only interesting feature.
Serbia’s Konstrakta begins her entry, “In Corpore Sano,” with the question keeping us all up at night: “What could be the secret of Meghan Markle’s healthy hair?” Then she sort of just … keeps going with that theme. “What could it be?” Konstrakta sings in her native tongue. “I think it’s all about the deep hydration.”
Last year, the landlocked micronation of San Marino inexplicably included Flo Rida in their song, and then forced the bemused rapper to sit and watch as the people of Europe successively shrugged at his waning star power, dumping the country to a fourth-from-bottom finish.
This year, Achille Lauro — a man who takes his stage name from a famously hijacked cruise ship — picks up the mantle for the smallest country in the competition. With a tattooed, androgynous aesthetic and lyrics that liken his heart to a sex toy, Lauro is probably the bad boy of Eurovision 2022. (Though he’s still got a way to go to beat last year’s winners, who were ultimately cleared of taking cocaine on air following a viral video that sparked an investigation by organizers.)
Other long shots worth your time include Stefan, Estonia’s answer to Johnny Cash. He’s played up the Western theme in his music video, and though his Eastwoodian credentials extend about as far as being able to wear a poncho and stare somberly into the middle distance, his throaty vocals and catchy chorus could trouble the frontrunners.
And then there are party-crashers Australia. Initially invited in 2015 to mark the show’s 60th anniversary, Australia continue to rock up each year, boxed wine in hand, awkwardly laughing along at Europe’s inside jokes and hoping to clinch a victory for the hardcore fans who wake up in the early hours to watch the show back home.
To be fair to Australia, they give it their all — and this year’s competitor Sheldon Riley’s aptly named track “Not the Same” is expected to turn in a respectable finish.
And the popularity of Eurovision in the southern hemisphere is testament to its growing strength, even in its seventh decade.
A US knock-off — something called the “American Song Contest,” which Europeans look at with the same suspicious scowl they wear when handling own-brand mayonnaise in a discount store — recently concluded stateside, and a 2020 Netflix film starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams introduced new demographics to the feverishly followed competition.
Eurovision, for all its oddities, maintains a special place in the cultural calendar. But winning would be uniquely significant for Kalush Orchestra, and it’s hard to imagine a more popular victor in the tournament’s history.
“For us, the victory would mean appreciation of Ukrainian music, its uniqueness and beauty,” Psyuk told CNN. “The victory would also lift the spirit of Ukrainian people, who (have) not had any break (for) joy for more than two months.”
Eurovision airs at 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) on Saturday, and it’s available on Peacock for US viewers.
CNN’s Xiaofei Xu contributed reporting.
How to Watch Eurovision 2022
LONDON — The Eurovision Song Contest started in 1956 as a friendly music competition between public service television broadcasters and has since grown into the world’s largest — and perhaps most eccentric — live music event.
This year, the competition takes place while there is a war in Europe; in February, the event’s organizers announced that Russia would be barred from competing, citing “the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine.”
This week, 35 other countries, including Ukraine, competed in semifinal rounds ahead of Saturday’s final, which attracts more than 180 million viewers around the world. The event, held in Italy this year, rewards live viewership, with clips from performances and reactions spreading quickly across social media.
Below are rundowns on hotly tipped acts, advice about how to watch from the United States and views about how the war in Ukraine is likely to affect the competition.
How does the Eurovision Song Contest work?
Each country selects an act with an original song that must be performed live onstage. The song is picked either by the national broadcaster or through some kind of contest. (For example, Sweden has the “Melodifestivalen” to choose its entry.) There are a number of rules that entrants must follow, including a limit of three minutes on song length and a ban on lyrics or gestures deemed by the organizers to be political.
Despite the name, countries beyond Europe’s traditional geographical borders also compete in Eurovision. Israel debuted in 1973, for example, and Australia has been taking part since 2015. This year, Armenia and Montenegro are returning to the contest after not competing in 2021. Smaller nations are also represented, such as San Marino, a landlocked enclave in Italy with a population of just over 30,000. Last year, San Marino’s entry, performed by the singer Senhit, featured an appearance by the American rapper Flo Rida.
The winner of Eurovision is chosen by a combination of votes by viewers at home and by national juries in each country. The scores from the national juries are tallied first, then the fan votes are announced, act by act, starting with the countries that received the lowest jury points. This part of the show can be tense and even uncomfortable to watch, with cameras last year showing entrants from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain each receiving the dreaded “zero points” from the public.
After the two semifinals have whittled the entrants down, the qualifiers join entries from the “big five” countries — Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — which have an automatic pass to the final because they contribute the most financially to the running of the contest. Twenty-five countries will compete at the final this year.
Traditionally, the competition is held in the country that won the previous year. Turin, in Italy, hosts this year after the rock band Maneskin triumphed in 2021.
How can Americans watch the competition?
The streaming service Peacock will be airing the final on Saturday from 3 p.m. Eastern time. The service also streamed the competition’s semifinals. The figure skater Johnny Weir will be providing commentary on the broadcast.
The commentary can often add some humor to the many long hours of televised competition. In Britain, the comedy host Graham Norton has become renowned for his reactions and quips.
“We’ve got a real range of music tonight,” Norton said while introducing the 2021 competition from the Dutch city of Rotterdam. “Brilliant staging, great lighting, some wonderful vocalists, and others — well, some as flat as Holland.”
How has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected the competition?
Initially, the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, said that Russia could continue to participate because the competition was a “nonpolitical cultural event.”
The day after the invasion, however, with Ukraine and other countries threatening to withdraw, the broadcasting union backtracked. Russia could not take part, the union said in a statement, because the country’s inclusion “would bring the competition into disrepute.”
Sentimentality, friendly bias and politics can affect the voting. This year, Ukraine is favored to win, with the rap and folk band Kalush Orchestra representing the country. Its song, “Stefania,” is an ode to the mother of one of the band members. The act received special permission from the Ukrainian government to travel for the competition and has performed throughout Europe to raise funds for the war effort.
Ukraine won the contest in 2016 with “1944,” by Jamala. The song was a memorial to Crimean Tatars during World War II, but it was also interpreted as a comment on the Russian invasion of Crimea, which took place two years earlier.
What happens if Ukraine wins this year?
If Ukraine does take the title, the war and humanitarian crisis in the country would most likely present challenges to its hosting the competition in 2023.
In the past, when a country has been unable to host, another has stepped in. The last time that happened was in 1980, when Israel declined to host after winning for a second straight year. The competition was held in the Netherlands instead.
If Australia ever wins the competition, the logistical difficulties of hosting a primarily European contest on a different continent mean that a European country and broadcaster would co-host the following year’s contest alongside Australia, according to the European Broadcasting Union.
Which other acts should I know about?
Sweden has won Eurovision six times (second only to Ireland), with ABBA one of the acts to have claimed victory for the country. The Swedish entrant this year is Cornelia Jakobs, who sings “Hold Me Closer,” a warm and emotional pop track that builds with each subsequent verse.
The Spanish entry, performed by Chanel, has also been predicted to do well at the final, with a catchy song, “SloMo,” accompanied by a high-energy dance routine.
The prospects for Britain, after last year’s zero points overall, are looking up. The country’s entry, “Space Man,” is performed by the TikTok star Sam Ryder and has been gathering some momentum.
There has also been praise for Australia’s entry, “Not the Same,” performed by Sheldon Riley. The song reflects his childhood experiences, including a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome he received at age 6.
Maneskin has gone on to global fame since winning the 2021 competition, performing on “Saturday Night Live” and at the Coachella festival this year.
Are there any surreal acts this year?
Eurovision entrants have a tradition of employing surreal staging, lyrics and costumes to stand out.
This year, the Norwegian entry, by the pop duo Subwoolfer, has gained attention. Their song, “Give That Wolf a Banana,” has the pair wearing wolf masks, with backing dancers in yellow morph suits.
The Moldovan entry, “Trenuletul,” by Zdob si Zdub and the Advahov Brothers, has built a following by pairing traditional instruments like the accordion with the electric guitar. Their song’s upbeat lyrics are matched by the band’s enthusiastic choreography.
What about North American versions of Eurovision?
The NBC show “American Song Contest” reimagines Eurovision for the United States, with 56 entries from 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia. Instead of airing over the course of a week, like Eurovision does, the contest has been airing weekly on the network since March.
The final took place on Monday, when AleXa, representing Oklahoma, won with “Wonderland.” The song received 710 points overall from the jury and public voting, 207 ahead of the second-place entry, from Colorado.
But underwhelming ratings suggest that “American Song Contest” failed to capture the excitement of Eurovision. In an interview with The New York Times, Audrey Morrissey, an executive on the show, suggested that U.S. audiences might need time to get used to the format. “It is a very different sort of mechanism — there isn’t another show where performance happens and there isn’t a critique right after,” she said.
Next year, there will be a Eurovision Canada, where entries from the country’s three territories and 10 provinces will compete in an offshoot of the original. International expansion has been an ambition for Eurovision. Martin Österdahl, an executive supervisor of the competition, told a podcast recently, “We’re changing our focus slightly in our strategy from managing a contest to managing a brand, and that brand will be a global entertainment superbrand.”