This year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was marked by division and controversy, with five countries withdrawing in protest against Israel’s continued participation. Controversies aside, Bulgarian Dara brought the vibrant dance-pop of her “Bangaranga” to victory, the first for her country.
A Bulgaria triumphed on Saturday night at the Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna, in an edition held under the shadow of the controversy surrounding the Israel’s participation.
The victory of Goodrepresenting Bulgaria, it was an unexpected surprise. Her song, “”, is a vibrant dance-pop song, with intense choreography and an infectious chorus, says . It’s the Balkan country’s first victory.
to music, a kind of sonorous fever deliriumhe took off straight away and maintained the pace. He captivated the audience at the Wiener Stadthalle, receiving some of the loudest applause of the night.
Dara is one of her country’s best-known pop artists, shaping the image of contemporary Bulgarian pop with her unique voicepresence on stage and unrestricted mix of musical genres.
Saturday’s grand final, which featured artists from 25 countries, also marked the , celebrating its deep roots in European pop culture with a medley of Eurovision classics performed by contemporary stars.
The origins of the contest were linked to the attempt to “bring Europe closerparticularly after World War II,” he said. Martin Greenthe executive responsible for the competition, in an interview last week.
But for a competition whose motto is “United by Music”, this year’s edition was overshadowed by divisions and controversies. Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands and Iceland Withdrew from the competition in protest against Israel’s continued participation, citing the war in Gaza, as well as attempts by the Israeli Government to encourage mass voting for its candidacy.
Some of the pageant’s most ardent fans too showed their displeasure; some have promised not to attend this year’s edition after decades of following the festival, while pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place in Viennathe host city.
Green says he respects the countries and fans who are boycotting the contest, but that hope that one day they returnand defended Israel’s participation, stressing that KAN, responsible for the country’s candidacy, is independent of the Israeli Government.
Despite the boycott, Israel came second with “”, from Noam Bettan. The song, performed in Hebrew, French and Englishtalks about a toxic relationship and learning to put yourself first. When the public votes were announced on Saturday for Israel, the arena was filled with whistles.
During Bettan’s presentation, there were waving some Palestinian flags and several spectators turned their backs on him. During the semi-final broadcast on Tuesday, whistles were heard and a chant of “stop the genocide”, with two protesters being forcibly removed from the public.
Betta, born into a French Jewish familysought to stay away from the political disputes surrounding his participation, saying that he was competing to bring a “good and positive message” to the world.
Saturday’s contest started with the Danish Søren Torpegaard Lund. The staging of “”, or “Before we go home”, evoked the queer culture of nightclubs.
The Greek Akylas brought a completely different energy with “”, a humorous song full of dances designed for TikTok, in which the singer wore a hat with cat ears while jumping around the stage singing about conspicuous consumption.
“Viva, Moldova!”, from Moldova, brought a camp and energetic exuberanceextolling the virtues of rapper Satoshi’s home country.
Sweden performed in 20th place with “”, an EDM track from Feliciain which lasers dominated the stage as the singer alternated between a face mask and sunglasses to cover her face.
In a Zoom interview last week, Felicia said the song was deliberately retro. “It feels so nostalgic,” she said, “like 2010 is coming back.” I wanted the performance to have a festive tone, “simply a party on stage, together with my dancers”.
The Australian pop icon Delta Goodrem represented his country with “”, a danceable power ballad that highlighted Goodrem’s impressive vocal ability and showed the singer to be elevated in air on a platform rising from a gleaming golden piano.
Finland was one of the big favorites with his song “Liekinheitin”. The theme, played by the violinist Linda Lampenius and by vocalist Pete Parkkonen, it featured a potentially flammable mix of open flames and a flowing dress, but didn’t chart higher than #6.
Em last place in the ranking, for the 4th time in the last 6 years, the United Kingdom. The theme ““, performed by Look Mum No Computer / Sam Battle, received just 1 point.
Eurovision
While organizers are pleased that the contest went largely without incident, it is unclear whether any of the five broadcasters who boycotted the contest will return in 2027. The question of Israel’s continued participation threatens to continue to be a point of tension in the coming years.
