No smoke machine, jet of flame or dizzying light display has been spared by musicians who are given 3 minutes to make their mark.
WASHINGTON — The Eurovision Song Contest, the largest live music event globally, wrapped up with its grand final on Saturday, amplifying the themes of music and unity despite controversies surrounding Israel’s inclusion.
Sweden is represented by a trio singing about the pleasures of saunas, while a classically trained Austrian countertenor is also favored to win the microphone-shaped Eurovision trophy, as the contest unfolds in Basel, Switzerland.
However, in this famously unpredictable event, the award could well go to compelling performers from nations like France, the Netherlands, or Finland — or even to an Estonian artist singing about Italian coffee. The final commenced at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), with the announcement of the winner expected after midnight (2200 GMT).
Sweden’s sauna song is a favorite
Bookmakers say the favorite is KAJ, representing Sweden with their ode to sauna culture “Bara Bada Bastu,” followed by Austrian singer JJ’s pop-opera song “Wasted Love.”
French chanteuse Louane has risen up the odds with “maman,” as has Dutch singer Claude with soulful ballad “C’est La Vie” and Finland’s Erika Vikman with the innuendo-laden “Ich Komme.” Estonia’s Tommy Cash is also a contender with his highly caffeinated dance-pop song “Espresso Macchiato.”
Israel’s Yuval Raphael has won many fans with her anthemic “New Day Will Rise,” but also faced protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Acts from 26 countries — trimmed from 37 entrants through two elimination semifinals — will perform to some 160 million viewers for the continent’s pop crown. No smoke machine, jet of flame or dizzying light display has been spared by musicians who have 3 minutes to win over millions of viewers who, along with national juries of music professionals, pick the winner.
After a humorous opening film involving a thriller-style chase across Swiss mountains to deliver the Eurovision trophy, the contestants entered in an Olympics-style flag parade.
Then, Norway’s Kyle Alessandro — at 19 the youngest contender — kicked off the competition with flaming power-pop number “Lighter.” He was followed by Luxembourg’s Laura Thorn with the playful “La Poupée Monte Le Son” (The Doll Turns Up the Volume).
Next up was Cash’s “Espresso Macchiato” — a popular favorite with revelers in Basel this week — followed by Israel’s Raphael, showcasing her powerful voice on a rousing ballad.
The show offered a celebration of Europe’s eclectic, and sometimes baffling, musical tastes. Lithuanian band Katarsis delivered grunge rock, while Ukraine’s Ziferblat channeled prog rock and the U.K.’s Remember Monday offered country pop.
The live show is also set to feature a guest performance by nonbinary Swiss singer Nemo — who won last year’s contest in Sweden — and a face-off between two fan favorites: Baby Lasagna of Croatia, the 2024 runner up with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” and Finland’s Käärijä, whose rap-pop party anthem “Cha Cha Cha” came second in 2023.
There are also rumors of an appearance by Celine Dion. Before she was a global star, the Canadian chanteuse won Eurovision in 1988, competing for Switzerland. She sent a video message to one of the semifinals, where three singers performed her winning song, “Ne partez pas sans moi” (Don’t Leave Without Me).
An eclectic competition
Dean Vuletic, an expert on the history of Eurovision, said the competition has become more diverse over the years, both musically and linguistically. There are songs in 20 languages this year, including Ukrainian, Icelandic, Albanian, Latvian and Maltese.
“In the past it was about having a catchy, innocuous pop song, usually in English,” he said. But in the past decade “we’ve seen songs become much more socially and politically engaged, songs that present the audience with some sort of meaning.”
“In recent years the formulaic approach to a Eurovision entry hasn’t succeeded,” he added. “An entry needs to be memorable and it needs to be authentic in order to succeed these days.”
The war in Gaza clouds the contest
This year’s contest has been roiled for a second year by disputes over Israel’s participation. Dozens of former participants, including Switzerland’s Nemo, have called for Israel to be excluded.
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests have both taken place in Basel, though on a much smaller scale than at last year’s event in Sweden, where tensions spilled over backstage and Dutch competitor Joost Klein was expelled over an alleged altercation with a crew member.
Hundreds of people marched through Basel just before the competition, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Boycott Israel.”
Earlier, a group of Israel supporters gathered in Basel’s cathedral square to root for Raphael and to show that “Jews belong in public spaces in Switzerland,” Zurich resident Rebecca Laes-Kushner said.
She said that “it would be such a strong statement against antisemitism,” if Raphael won.
“This is supposed to be about music, not about hate,” she said.
The European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, which runs Eurovision, tightened the contest’s code of conduct this year, calling on participants to respect Eurovision’s values of “universality, diversity, equality and inclusivity” and its political neutrality.
After a controversial ban in 2024 on flags, apart from national ones, being waved in the arena, this year audience members can bring Palestinian flags or any others, as long as they are legal under Swiss law. Performers, though, can only wave their own country’s flag.
Axel Åhman, one third of favorites KAJ, acknowledged that it’s tough to keep Eurovision an unpolitical event.
“The world always seeps in in some sense,” he told the AP. “But we’re here to represent Sweden and we have prepared for this for all our lives and want to make the best of our moment as artists in this huge and legendary competition.”
Eurovision director Martin Green told reporters that the organizers’ goal was to ”re-establish a sense of unity, calm and togetherness this year in a difficult world.”
“All 37 delegations, in difficult times, have behaved impeccably,” he said.
Hilary Fox and Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this report.
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