Ukraine has received the 66th Eurovision tune contest, which was held on Saturday night in Turin in Italy. Driving a tidal wave of assist from the telephone-voting European public, Stefania by Kalush Orchestra completed first after sturdy showings by the UK, Spain and Sweden within the early voting.
“Please assist Ukraine, Mariupol. Assist Azovstal proper now,” lead singer Oleh Psiuk shouted from the entrance of the stage after the band had carried out. In a video handle launched earlier than the occasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned he believed the Kalush Orchestra would win. “Europe, vote for Kalush Orchestra. Let’s assist our fellow countrymen! Let’s assist Ukraine!” he mentioned.
The profitable tune, which mixes rap with components of Ukrainian folks music, was initially written in honour of the group’s moms. The group have subsequently rededicated it to all matriarchs in Ukraine, as traces similar to “I’ll at all times discover my manner house, even when all roads are destroyed” discovered new resonance. The six males who make up the group needed to obtain particular permits to depart Ukraine and journey to Italy through the conflict.
Sam Ryder’s entry for the UK, House Man, led on the midway level, having received the jury vote from round Europe with 283 factors. However after the factors from the general public vote have been added, it completed second.
Earlier than the occasion, Ryder had mentioned he wasn’t involved the place he completed, saying “That is one thing that celebrates inclusivity, expression, love, peace, pleasure, togetherness. And so to consider the scoreboard, for me, takes a little bit of the shine and the magic out of the room solely.”
One of many evening’s most notable performances was Norway’s Subwoolfer with Give That Wolf A Banana. The nameless duo, identified solely below their pseudonyms Jim and Keith, carried out in yellow wolf masks with the refrain pleading “Earlier than that wolf eats my grandma / give that wolf a banana”.
Goth-rock band the Rasmus, internationally identified for his or her 2003 hit Within the shadows, sung for Finland, whereas Australia’s Sheldon Riley wore the evening’s heaviest costume, weighing greater than 40kg.
Serbia’s tune In Corpore San featured a veiled critique of Serbia’s healthcare system, with artist Konstrikta washing her arms on stage whereas asking “What's the secret of Meghan Markle’s wholesome hair?’
Russia didn't compete, having been excluded by the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), on account of the invasion of Ukraine which started on 24 February.
Ewan Spence from the Eurovision Perception Podcast advised the Guardian from Turin that “all through the week, the singers, the broadcasters, the group have proudly stood with Kalush Orchestra and Ukraine. It will at all times stand as a victory at Eurovision; however it means a lot extra. It's the grandest gesture of affection to the individuals of Ukraine from each single nook of each single nation in Europe and past.”
Ukraine first appeared within the Eurovision tune contest in 2003, and had received it twice, with Wild Dances by Ruslana in 2004 and the tune 1944 by Jamala in 2016. The latter precipitated controversy as the topic of the tune was the deportation of the Crimean Tatars within the Forties by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union for alleged collaboration with the Nazis through the second world conflict. It was sung in English and Crimean Tatar, and got here two years after the Russian Federation had annexed Crimea after the 2014 invasion.
There was the standard sprint of controversy at this 12 months’s contest too. North Macedonia’s nationwide broadcaster threatened to drag out after its act, Andrea, was accused of disrespecting the nationwide flag by showing to throw it to the bottom. She issued an apology explaining that she had been attempting to throw it throughout to a member of her crew who was too far-off to catch it.
Organisers censored the tune Eat Your Salad by Latvia’s Citi Zēni. The protest tune in favour of going inexperienced included the road: “As a substitute of meat, I eat veggies and pussy.” With the EBU insisting the phrase “pussy” was dropped, Eurovision audiences had taken to shouting it out loud and clear. The tune did not qualify from Tuesday’s semi-final, avoiding a clumsy pre-watershed second for broadcasters throughout the continent.
There have been additionally issues on the stage. A hi-tech ingredient named the “kinetic solar” was alleged to revolve, permitting acts to make use of both a large LED display screen or a wall of lights. The mechanism for switching it proved to not be quick sufficient, leaving some acts scrambling simply days earlier than the competition to readjust how they introduced their songs.
Regardless of the UK ending second, Ukraine’s victory does nonetheless give the BBC a glimmer of hope of staging the occasion once more for the primary time since 1998. Historically the winner of the present hosts it the next 12 months, however given the present state of affairs in Ukraine, the EBU could also be cautious of planning for an occasion in a 12 months’s time in Kyiv. The 2023 host will probably be chosen from one of many so-called “massive 5” nations who contribute probably the most to Eurovision coffers and who're assured direct entry into the ultimate: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
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