Tag: Eurovision Song Contest

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Eurovision 2018 Doesn’t Disappoint In The Drama Department

UK contestant SuRie interrupted mid-performance by protester

The Grand Finals of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest were held last night in Lisbon, Portugal, and there were definitely memorable over-the-top moments of different kinds.

The annual music competition is viewed by over 200 million people in the world and often features high-camp concepts.

Winning doesn’t guarantee world fame although there have been a couple of champions who went on to amazing success.

You know, folks like Celine Dion (represented Switzerland in 1988) and Abba (represented Sweden in 1974).

During last night’s performance by the UK’s entry, SuRie singing “Storm,” a man ran onstage, grabbed her microphone and started yelling something along the line of: “Nazis of the UK media, we demand freedom?”

What?

SuRie’s composure was incredible. Her head definitely present, she stepped back allowing security to do it’s job.

Within seconds security had the man in custody and handed the microphone back to SuRie just in time for the lyrics, “Don’t give up!”

And the crowd goes wild!

Watch the performance, stage invasion (1:40 mark) and amazing recovery below.

SuRie was been given the chance to sing again as the show’s final performance but declined. In a statement, Team SuRie said they were “extremely proud of her performance and have decided that there is absolutely no reason to perform the song again.”

Surprisingly, Team UK placed near the bottom of the results. Which just goes to show – who knows?

I thought she was pretty terrific.

Also part of the drama this year was a Chinese broadcaster censoring the performance by Ireland’s Ryan O’Shaughnessy which featured two men dancing together.

The European Broadcasting Union banned the channel, Mango TV, from broadcasting saying in a statement that the censorship was “not in line” with its “values of universality and inclusivity.”

In the end, the winner of the mega-competition was Netta Barzilai of Israel whose performance of pop anthem “Toy” included beatboxing, chicken noises and arm flaps.

That decision caused it’s own drama as supporters and opponents decried political frictions between Israel and other countries in the Middle East.

Here’s the winning performance (complete with chicken dance):

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Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw Wins Eurovision 2015

Måns Zelmerlöw of Sweden has won Eurovision 2015 with his performance of “Heroes.”

But the winner of the grand, over-the-top annual song competition ran into a bit of trouble with the LGBT community last year when he said LGBT couples should not be parents while appearing on a TV cooking show.

The 28-year-old claimed it “isn’t equally natural for men to want to sleep with one another” and branded homosexuality an “avvikelse” (abnormality), according to WiWiBloggs, before quickly adding that “there isn’t anything wrong with it at all”.

Zelmerlow later clarified his remarks in a statement, apologising to “all who take offence”. “I believe and hope that the vast majority know that I respect differences and all forms of love,” he said.

Supporters blamed the food and drink on the TV show that caused him to “misspeak.”

Zelmerlöw seemed to show support for the LGBT community as he accepted his award last night:

‘I have so much to say… I’m so extremely happy,’ he said as he accepted the award, according to the BBC.

‘We are all heroes, no matter who we love, who we are or what we believe in.’

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Eurovision Song Contest: Sweden’s Robin Stjernberg – “You”

Sweden’s entry this year in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Great hook to the chorus, and great vocals by Robin Stjernberg. Could be a contender here…

Last year’s Melodifestivalen winner, Loreen, ended up winning Eurovision with her smash hit Euphoria. Due to that win, the finals for the Eurovision Song competition will be held in Sweden this year.

Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city, will play host to the show in May.