LONDON – It’s spring in Europe – time for the annual flowering of the spectacle and sound known as the Eurovision Song Contest.
Taking place in May in Malmö, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see artists from 37 countries compete for the continent’s pop crown in a light-hearted extravaganza that strives – not always successfully – to banish international conflict and division. And you don’t need to be in Europe to watch or help choose the winner.
Here’s a guide to all things Eurovision.
On the one hand, it’s simple: Eurovision is an international pop music competition in which artists from countries across Europe, and some countries beyond, compete in a contest broadcast live on television to be crowned Eurovision champions.
But it’s also so much more – a celebration of diversity, national pride and the joyful power of pop. And shine. So much shine.
Launched in 1956 to promote unity after the Second World War, Eurovision has become an over-the-top, joyous celebration of pop music, with an audience of hundreds of millions around the world. It has grown from seven countries to almost 40, including non-European nations such as Israel and Australia.
He is now known for songs that range from anthemic to downright silly, often featuring elaborate costumes and spectacular staging.
Paul Jordan, a pageant expert known as “Dr. Eurovision,” he said, “is almost indescribable in terms of its scale, in terms of its madness – but I would probably compare it to the musical version of the Olympic Games.”
This year’s contest will be held in Malmö, southern Sweden, with two semi-finals on May 7th and 9th, followed by a grand final on May 11th. Traditionally, the competition is organized by the previous year’s winner, and Sweden triumphed in 2023 with “Tattoo,” a power ballad by pop diva Loreen.
The Nordic nation is a Eurovision powerhouse that has won the contest seven times, a number matched only by Ireland.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Eurovision’s most iconic moment, ABBA’s victory in the 1974 contest with “Waterloo”. The victory propelled the band to stardom and helped boost the Swedish music industry.
Fans are hoping for an appearance from the Swedish supergroup in Malmö, although band members have played down these suggestions.
Eurovision’s motto is “united by music” and the organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, strives to keep political divisions out of the competition, although it doesn’t always succeed.
Russia has been banned since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last year’s contest was held in the English city of Liverpool because the 2022 winner, Ukraine, was at war.
This year, pro-Palestinian activists and some musicians urged organizers to remove Israel from the event due to its conduct in the war against Hamas, which has killed more than 33,000 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel was not suspended, but was forced to change the lyrics of its competing song, originally titled “October Rain,” an apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border attack on October 7 that killed some 1,200 Israelis. Renamed “Hurricane”, the powerful ballad will be performed by 20-year-old singer Eden Golan.
With feelings running high, organizers issued a statement saying they “strongly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest.”
Jordan said Eurovision organizers were sometimes accused of inconsistency in defining the contest’s boundaries.
“No political entries allowed… and yet Finland 2013 has a song about marriage equality,” he said. “You had other songs about world peace – technically they’re political too. So what the divide is between politics and non-politics is a pretty blurry line.”
Pro-Palestinian groups plan demonstrations in central Malmö during Eurovision week that they hope to attract thousands of protesters from Sweden and neighboring countries.
Malmö district police chief Petra Stenkula said security would be “tight”, with Swedish police reinforced by officers from Denmark and Norway.
Eurovision’s complex voting system, which awards points to juries of music industry professionals as well as viewers across Europe, makes winners notoriously difficult to predict.
Jordan said there used to be a “typical” Eurovision sound – a three-minute pop song in English with a key change – but the contest is now much more diverse. Many artists perform in their national languages and some turn to folk traditions and instruments, although slick production and electronic beats still predominate.
Winners range from Canadian singer Celine Dion, who competed for Switzerland in 1988, to scary mask-wearing Finnish metallers Lordi in 2006, bearded Austrian drag performer Conchita Wurst in 2014, Italian rock band Måneskin in 2021 and the Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra. in 2022.
Bookmaker favorites this year include Swiss singer Nemo’s powerful non-binary song “The Code” and Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna’s electronic number “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”.
Other entries to watch include Joost Klein from the Netherlands with the pop-rap song “Europapa”, “La Noia“ by Italian TikTok star Angelina Mango and “Teresa & Maria” by the Ukrainian duo formed by rapper Alyona Alyona and vlogger Jerry Heil.
The Spanish entry, “Zorra”, by the duo Nebulossa, generated controversy because its title can be translated as an anti-feminine insult.
The United Kingdom, which has not won since 1997, is pinning its hopes on Olly Alexander’s giddy pop song “Dizzy”. Host country Sweden is represented by identical twins Marcus & Martinus – who, somewhat confusingly, comes from Norway – confidently titled “Unforgettable”. Eurovision voters will be the judges of that.
The competition will be broadcast on national broadcasters in participating countries, on the Peacock streaming service in the United States and on the Eurovision YouTube channel. Viewers in the US and other non-participating countries can vote online or using the Eurovision app; Viewers in participating countries can also vote by phone or text message.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
