Bulgaria triumphed on Saturday night at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, held under the shadow of controversy over the continued participation of Israel.
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The win by Bulgaria’s Dara was an unexpected upset. Her song, “Bangaranga,” is an upbeat dance pop banger, which features intense dancing and an infectious chorus.
The fever dream of a song started dialed up to 11 and continued apace. The tune captivated the audience in the Wiener Stadthalle, receiving some of the loudest cheers.
This is the first win for the Balkan nation.
Viewers at home cannot vote for their own country.
Saturday’s grand final, which saw artists from 25 countries compete, also marked the 70th anniversary of the contest, celebrating its deep roots in European pop culture with a medley of classic Eurovision songs performed by contemporary stars.
The contest’s origins were partly about “attempting to bring Europe closer together, particularly following the Second World War,” Martin Green, the executive in charge of the contest, said in an interview last week.
“That sort of DNA stayed with it in a couple of ways,” he added. “It’s still a show that tries to bring the world together.”
But for a competition whose motto is “United by Music,” this year’s edition has been overshadowed by discord and controversy. Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands and Iceland have all withdrawn from the contest in a dispute over the continued participation of Israel, citing the war in Gaza as well as attempts by the Israeli government to encourage mass voting for its entry.
Some die-hard fans of the contest have also made their displeasure known, with some vowing to skip the contest after following it for decades, while pro-Palestinian protests have been held in this year’s host city, Vienna.
Eurovision bosses had said they would be closely monitoring the voting this year after concerns about the result being influenced. The Israeli broadcaster KAN received a formal warning last week over videos encouraging people to “vote 10 times” for Israel.
Green said he respects countries and fans who are boycotting but hopes they will one day return. He has defended Israel’s participation, stressing that KAN, responsible for the country’s entry, is independent from the Israeli government.
The contest executive faced scrutiny on Friday, however, after he appeared to suggest in an interview that there would “theoretically” be nothing to stop Russia, having been excluded in 2022 over the war in Ukraine, from returning to the contest in future on the same grounds.
Despite the boycott, Israel placed second with Noam Bettan’s “Michelle.” The song, which is sung in Hebrew, French and English, is about being in a toxic relationship and learning to put yourself first.
During his performance, a few Palestinian flags were waved and some in the audience turned their backs. There were boos and a chant of “stop the genocide” was audible on the semifinal broadcast on Tuesday, and two protesters were forcibly removed from the crowd.
Bettan told NBC News this week he was aware of the commotion while performing on Tuesday. The booing continued throughout the song, but he said he looked “for the Israeli flags in the crowd, and I saw a lot of people cheering and I heard a lot of positive noise.”
Bettan, born to a French Jewish family, has sought to stay away from the political fights over his participation, saying he was competing to deliver a “good, positive message to the world.”
Saturday’s contest kicked off with Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund. The staging for his “Før Vi Går Hjem,” or “Before We Go Home,” evoked queer clubbing culture.
Greece’s Akylas brought a different energy entirely with “Ferto,” a jokey song filled with TikTok-ready dances that saw the singer don a beanie with cat ears as he jumped around the stage singing about conspicuous consumption.
Moldova’s “Viva, Moldova!” brought a high-energy campiness extolling the virtues of rapper Satoshi’s home country.
Australian pop icon Delta Goodrem represented her home country with “Eclipse,” a dancy power ballad that showed off Goodrem’s impressive vocals and saw the singer lifted high in the air on a platform that extended from a glittering golden piano.
Finland had been a heavy favorite with its entry “Liekinheitin.” The song, performed by violinist Linda Lampenius and vocalist Pete Parkkonen, featured a potentially combustible mix of open flames and a flowing dress.
Sweden performed 20th with Felicia’s EDM track “My System,” which saw lasers dominate 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.” She wanted the performance to have a celebratory feel, “just party onstage together with my dancers.”
Closing out the show was the host country, Austria, with Cosmó’s “Tanzschein,” an ode clubbing.
While organizers will be happy that the contest went off largely without incident, it’s not clear if any of the five boycotting broadcasters will return in 2027. The issue of Israel’s continued participation threatens to remain a flashpoint for years to come.
