The Eurovision 2024 has crowned its new winner.
Following a dramatic finale where votes from audiences and juries from dozens of countries around the world were tallied, Switzerland emerged victorious with singer Nemo and the song “The Code.”
He claimed the title of the imaginary “king of music” following Swedish singer Loreen, who triumphed with the song “Tattoo” in 2023.
Singer Nemo openly identifies as non-binary, indirectly addressing it in a verse of the winning song, according to BBC. After receiving the trophy, he accidentally broke the precious statue on stage during his performance. Organizers had a replacement trophy ready, which Nemo showcased to journalists.
In second place was Croatia, represented by singer Baby Lasagna, with the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim.”
During the four-hour final in Malmö, Sweden, 25 countries with diverse contestants performed. Croatia, Switzerland, and Israel were the main favorites from the start, according to bookmakers.
After the jury vote, Switzerland led with 365 points, followed by France with 218 points and Croatia with 210 points. The audience vote subsequently confirmed Switzerland as the winner with 591 points, followed by Croatia with 547 points. Ukraine came in third with 453 points.
The motto of the singing competition is “United for Music,” but this year the situation was exceptionally tense. This tension was barely visible in the live broadcast of the final, except for occasional discontent expressed by the audience through boos, particularly during the allocation of points to Israel. However, organizers ensured a top-notch show.
The entire competition was accompanied by extreme security measures, with Israeli singer under strict protection and advised to stay within designated areas like the hotel or arena.
Controversial Israel Israel ultimately finished fifth in the final. Their representative Eden Golan stirred passions due to the Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Israel has faced criticism for its actions in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in central Malmö on Thursday and throughout Saturday, expressing their opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
However, even before the competition, the Israeli artist had to revise her song “Hurricane” a few months ago because the original version was titled “October Rain,” directly referencing the October attack by a Palestinian terrorist group on Israel, which led to Israeli retaliation in Gaza.
Scandal with Dutch singer
Another scandal occurred on Saturday. Dutch singer Joost Klein advanced from the semifinals to the final, but a few hours before his performance, he was disqualified from the competition. This decision was made in response to a complaint from a member of the production staff accusing the singer of intimidation.
“The Swedish police are investigating a complaint filed by a member of the production staff regarding an incident after his performance in Thursday’s semifinal,” the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition, informed TASR. It added that it would not be appropriate for the singer to continue in the competition while legal proceedings are underway against him.
The Swedish police told AFP that in connection with an incident on Thursday evening at the competition venue, they interviewed a certain man accused of intimidation, although they did not name him. Sky News reported that Klein is accused of verbally threatening the production staff.
The Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros told AFP that it considered his disqualification inappropriate and was shocked by the organizers’ decision.
Klein defended himself by stating that he was filmed by a camerawoman without his consent and that he attacked only the camera, not the woman behind it.
Slovakia has not participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for years, citing financial reasons. It is the most-watched singing competition in the world, with tens of millions of viewers tuning in.
