Eurovision is over for another year, and it is time to look back on the show that was.
I’ve been to Eurovision a number of times before in my life. The first time was in 2011, when the German city of Düsseldorf welcomed the world for the 56th edition of the Contest.
Similarly, I went to Malmö in 2013, when Loreen triumphed with Euphoria, becoming a smash hit across both Europe and the world. And of course, I was at the contest last year, when Liverpool smashed it out of the park with the amazing spectacle they put on.
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This year, however, was different. The thing that connected the three previous editions was that the cities that were hosting the contest were thrilled to have the attention, the fans and the energy Eurovision brings.
(Image: Rory Gannon/Daily Star)
However, for 2024, this energy was all but gone, as Malmö found itself divided on whether it should even be hosting the show. I attended the shows for two weeks as part of the accredited press (for my own Eurovision website ), and the difference between Liverpool and Malmö was startling.
The city became the focal point for protests against the show, as the inclusion of Israel in the contest overshadowed much of the festivities. It was obvious that there was a split of opinion – the local council was thrilled to have the contest in its city once again, but the locals were very much against the show, to the point shops across the city proudly displayed posters with “Malmö says no to Eurovision” brandished across them.
(Image: Rory Gannon/Daily Star)
The actual competition itself was not spared from the chaos, as the audience heavily booed Israel’s performance, despite the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) trying to lessen the vitriol by sticking some canned applause on top to try and drown the booing out. As well as this, a scandal surrounding Dutch artist Joost Klein meant that he was disqualified, adding an extra level of the chaos to the already tense contest.
Whilst the show was marred with controversy, the best song won on the night as Nemo from Switzerland became the first non-binary winner of the show. They also became the first Swiss winner of the show since Céline Dion took the trophy in 1988.
(Image: Rory Gannon/Daily Star)
And what was most interesting was that in their post-win press conference, they said that “Eurovision needs a little fixing”. And to be honest, I could not agree more – this year’s show has showed fans how the EBU has been willingly able to let things slide and bring about double standards.
As well as this, the lingering shadow of the Israel-Palestine conflict hung over the show for a lot of the week of the shows. This got to the point that many members of the press were anxious to even leave the press centre for fear of being mobbed by protestors.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Looking back on this year’s Contest will always now be tinged with a bittersweet feeling. Whilst there were so many things to celebrate this year, this is the time for change so that viewers and fans alike do not have to go through such a tense Eurovision season like how we have this year.
Overall, there are questions that need to be answered by the EBU regarding the show and what is best to proceed with in order to protect artists’ mental wellbeing. In the meantime, we can only wait to see what changes they will implement, if any.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
