Eurovision

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra gave an impromptu rendition of their Eurovision-winning song, Stefania, at the Polish border as they made their way home on Monday.The band, whose music blends traditional folk and hip-hop, were presented with blue and yellow flowers as they were greeted at the border by servicemen and women, before breaking into song.Stefania had been among the favourites to win the Eurovision song contest in the northern Italian city of Turin, but decisive victory came from the public, with 439 points from the…

What can the Eurovision song contest teach us about the human condition? Some years, not much except that we like shiny things; this year, that we all thirst for justice, support the victim against the aggressor, are overwhelmed by the sight of love and courage – and therefore, Ukraine was bound to win. In fact, if winning were all that mattered, it would have been quicker for the rest of Europe to not turn up. But (another lesson) winning is not all that matters.It’s horribly poignant to recall that last year we were…

Netflix has shared an amusing callback to the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga following this year’s Eurovision final.The event saw the UK achieve its best result since 1998, with Sam Ryder’s “Space Man” ultimately finishing in second place.One day after the event, the official Netflix account shared a still from the Eurovision comedy film, which starred Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. The image is taken from a scene which originally went viral a year ago after fans claimed that the film had…

Europe doesn’t hate the UK after all, it was just waiting for a decent song. This is what seasoned Eurovision watchers concluded after seeing Sam Ryder take a triumphant second place on Saturday night.It was a runner’s up slot that felt like a victory, given it had been widely expected that Ukraine would and – in the wider scheme of things – should win the contest.After a long, emotional evening in Turin, Kalush Orchestra won for Ukraine with their anthemic folk/hip-hop song Stefania. The band members had received special…

Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday in a clear show of support for the war-ravaged nation. The six-man band that mixes traditional folk melodies and contemporary hip-hop in a purposeful defense of Ukrainian culture was the sentimental and bookmakers’ favorite among the 25 bands and performers competing in the grand finale. The public vote from home was decisive in securing their victory. The band’s frontman, Oleg Psiuk, took advantage of the enormous…

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. The Eurovision Song Contest is a yearly musical event known for its over-the-top performances, being responsible for ABBA’s international breakout, and most recently, giving us rock band (and Eurovision 2021 winners) Måneskin. And while we in the U.S. now have The American Song Contest, nothing compares to the original. What Is Eurovision? Eurovision is the…

Eurovision is underway this week, which means it’s about time we revisited the epic film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.With a star-studded cast including Will Ferrell as co-writer and co-star opposite Rachel McAdams, the movie follows Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, an Icelandic pop duo determined to win over their small town and represent Iceland at the Eurovision finals.Yearning for Eurovision success, the pair discover that the odds are stacked against them. No one in the small town of…

When Tonina Torrielli represented Italy in the Eurovision song contest in Lugano, Switzerland, in May 1956, not only did she never discover how well her song performed, as just the winner was announced after a secret vote, but she was not even aware she was taking part in the first edition of what was to become the biggest music competition in the world.“They packed me off, just like a parcel, to Lugano, without saying what it was for,” said Torrielli, who lives in Turin, where the 66th Eurovision song contest is taking…

Martin Lee, lead vocalist, songwriterWe all watched the Eurovision Song Contest and it was our manager, Tony Hiller, who suggested we should enter it. Of all our songs, Save Your Kisses for Me stood out. At first it went: “Oceans of love, oceans, oceans of love” but “Kisses for me, save all your kisses for me” was a stronger hook.We knew the judges would vote after just one or two listens, so we needed something catchy at the end. We tried writing about animals because people all over the world love them, then tried…

The UK hasn’t had a good Eurovision for a long time, but last year’s contest was woeful even by our own low standards. We finished at the bottom of the leaderboard in 2019 with 11 points, the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic, and then 2021 saw James Newman’s snappy dance-pop number Embers receive nul points in both the jury and audience votes: the first song to score zero on both counts in Eurovision history.That makes this year’s Eurovision odds feel faintly surreal: according to bookmakers, the UK’s 2022…