MALMO, Sweden – Dozens of musicians, hundreds of journalists and thousands of music fans are gathered in the Swedish city of Malmo, where the Eurovision Song Contest prepares for Saturday’s exuberant and glittering finale.
However, even Eurovision cannot escape global divisions. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are also expected in the city for demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and criticizing Israel’s participation in the dispute.
Here’s a guide to what Eurovision means, how it works and what to watch out for:
The short answer: Eurovision is a music competition, in which artists from countries across Europe, and some from beyond, compete under their national flags with the aim of being crowned continental champions. Think of it as the Olympics of pop music.
The longer answer is that Eurovision is an extravaganza that mixes pop, party and politics – a cross between a music festival, an awards ceremony and a United Nations Security Council meeting. It’s a fun-filled event, a celebration of the unifying power of music and also a place where politics and regional rivalries play out.
Thirty-seven countries are registered for the competition, which this year takes place over several days in the Swedish port city of Malmö. The country is hosting because Swedish singer Loreen won last year’s competition in Liverpool, England.
Through two semi-finals, the 37 participants are whittled down to 26, who will compete in Saturday’s final in front of thousands of spectators at the Malmo Arena and an estimated global television audience of 180 million.
Nations can enter a solo act or a band. They can perform in any genre and language, but rules state that they must sing live and songs must be no more than three minutes long. The staging became increasingly elaborate, incorporating flashy pyrotechnics and elaborate choreography. This year is particularly strong for topless dancers.
After all artists have performed, the winner is chosen by a famously complex mix of telephone and online votes from viewers around the world and ratings from music industry juries in each of the Eurovision countries. As results are announced, countries move up and down the rankings and tensions rise. Finishing with “zero points”, or zero, is considered a national humiliation.
Eurovision’s musical style has diversified dramatically since the contest was founded in 1956. The early years of singalongs and ballads have given way to upbeat pop – epitomized by perhaps the greatest Eurovision song of all time, ABBA’s “Waterloo,” which won the contest 50 years ago.
Today, euro-techno and power ballads remain popular, but concertgoers have also shown a taste for rock, folk-rap and eccentric, unclassifiable songs.
According to bookmakers, one of the top candidates is Swiss singer Nemo, who is singing a melodic and operatic song titled “The Code”. Nemo would be the first artist who identifies as non-binary to win the contest, which has a large LGBTQ+ following and had its first transgender winner, Dana International, a quarter of a century ago.
Another non-binary artist generating a lot of buzz is Irishman Bambie Thug, whose song “Doomsday Blue” is gothic, intense, over-the-top and a real crowd pleaser. (They are the only competitor to have brought a scream coach to Malmo). Ireland has won Eurovision seven times – a total matched only by Sweden – but has performed poorly in recent years.
Other artists expected to do well include Slovenian opera singer Raiven, Ukrainian rap-pop duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil and Spanish singer Nebula, whose song “Zorra” caused controversy because its title translates as an anti- -feminine.
So far the band with the biggest boost is Croatian singer Baby Lasagna. Her song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is perfect Eurovision: exuberant, silly, a little emotional and incredibly catchy. It’s already a huge fan favorite.
Eurovision’s motto is “united by music”, and its organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, strives to keep politics out of the dispute. But it often intrudes.
Belarus was expelled from Eurovision in 2021 due to its government’s crackdown on dissent, and Russia was expelled in 2022 following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This year there have been calls for Israel to be excluded due to its conduct in the war against Hamas.
Israel is competing, but has been instructed to change the title of its song, originally called “October Rain,” in an apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border attack on October 7. It’s now called “Hurricane” and will be performed by singer Eden Golan, 20, in Thursday’s semi-final.
Pro-Palestinian groups are planning large protests for Thursday and Saturday, with the participation of thousands of demonstrators, and the Swedish police are mounting a major security operation, with officers from across the country reinforced by reinforcements from Denmark and Norway.
Palestinian flags hang from some apartment balconies in Malmo, but they were banned from the televised event, along with all flags except those of competing nations. In the first semi-final, one artist managed to make a political statement, singing with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf tied around his wrist.
The EBU said it regretted singer Eric Saade’s decision to “compromise the apolitical nature of the event”.
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