Entertainment
Switzerland’s Nemo Wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest After Event Roiled By Protests Over War In Gaza
Malmö, Sweden – Nemo, a Swiss singer, won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday with “The Code,” an operatic pop-rap hymn to her quest to embrace a nongender identity.
Switzerland’s contender defeated Croatian musician Baby Lasagna for the title by receiving the most points from national juries and fans worldwide. Nemo, 24, is the first nonbinary winner of the tournament, which has long been regarded as a safe haven for the LGBT community. Nemo is also the first Swiss winner since Celine Dion, a Canadian singer who competed under the Swiss flag in 1988.
“Thank you so much,” Nemo remarked shortly after midnight when the results of Saturday’s final were announced. I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person.”
AP – VOR News Image
Switzerland’s Nemo Wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest After Event Roiled By Protests Over War In Gaza
At a post-victory press conference, Nemo stated his satisfaction in accepting the medal for “people who are daring to be themselves and people who need to be heard and understood.” “We need more compassion and empathy.”
Nemo’s victory in the Swedish city of Malmo came after a traumatic year for the pan-continental pop contest, which witnessed significant street protests against Israel’s participation, turning the feelgood musical festival into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the conflict in Gaza.
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was kicked out of the competition after a backstage brawl that authorities were investigating.
Nemo — full name Nemo Mettler — defeated finalists from 24 other countries, all performing in front of thousands of live audience members and an estimated 180 million viewers worldwide. Each contestant had three minutes to combine popular tunes and eye-popping splendor into performances that would win the hearts of spectators. Musical styles included rock, disco, techno, rap, and mashups of other genres.
Eden Golan, an Israeli singer who spent Eurovision week in Malmo under strict security, ascended the stage to a wall of sound – boos and applause — to perform the power ballad “Hurricane.” Despite the protests, Golan climbed the odds table throughout the week and finished fifth, trailing only Nemo, Baby Lasagna, Ukrainian combo alyona alyona & Jerry Heil, and French artist Slimane.
Eurovision officials forced a change to the song’s original title, “October Rain” – an apparent reference to the Oct. 7 Hamas strike that killed over 1,200 people in Israel and sparked the Gaza conflict.
The show was typical Eurovision fare, with Estonia’s 5Miinust x Puuluup performing a pop-zombie folk hybrid, Greece’s Marina Satti and Armenia’s Ladaniva performing folk-inflected power pop, and Finland’s Windows95man performing goofy 1990s nostalgia, emerging from a giant onstage egg wearing very little clothing.
AP – VOR News Image
Switzerland’s Nemo Wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest After Event Roiled By Protests Over War In Gaza
Britain’s Olly Alexander performed the peppy dance single “Dizzy,” Ireland’s gothic Bambie Thug summoned a demon onstage and brought a screaming coach to Malmo, and Spain’s Nebulossa bravely reclaimed a term used as a slur on women in “Zorra.”
On Saturday, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through Sweden’s third-largest city, which has a large Muslim population, demanding a boycott of Israel and a cease-fire in the seven-month Gaza war, which has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Several hundred people gathered outside the Malmo Arena before the final, some shouting “shame” at arriving music fans and clashing with police who were obstructing their path. Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was one among those led away by police.
Klein, the Dutch artist, was removed from the competition after a female production crew member filed a complaint, according to the European Broadcasting Union, the competition’s organizer. The 26-year-old Dutch musician and rapper’s song “Europapa” has been a hit with bookmakers and fans.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that collectively sponsor and broadcast the tournament, said Klein was filmed without authorization as he exited the stage following Thursday’s semifinal and made a “threatening movement” toward the camera.
AP – VOR News Image
Switzerland’s Nemo Wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest After Event Roiled By Protests Over War In Gaza
Tensions were obvious in the hours preceding the final. At the start of the final dress rehearsal, several artists were missing from the Olympic-style artists’ entry; however, they all appeared in the final.
Several competitors mentioned peace or love at the end of their performances, including France’s Slimane, who stated: “United by music for love and peace.”
Nemo described the Eurovision experience as “really intense and not just pleasant all the way.”
SOURCE – (AP)
