- author, mark savage
- role, Music correspondent in Malmö, Sweden
-
Swiss singer Nemo has won Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest with “The Code”.
The charming hybrid of opera and hip-hop topped the jury vote, helping the 24-year-old earn an impressive score of 591 points.
The singer becomes the first non-binary artist to win Eurovision. Fittingly, they wrote this song to explain how they came to terms with their identity.
Croatia, which topped the public vote, came in second with its raucous party song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” while Britain's Olly Alexander fell to 18th place out of 25.
The Years and Years singer received a horrific “point deduction” from the general public, but was saved from last place by a jury vote.
They gave his song “Dizzy” 46 points.
This year's contest was overshadowed by protests against Israel's participation amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Eden Golan, a 20-year-old singer from Israel, received a mix of boos and cheers when she performed on stage in Malmö, finishing in fifth place.
“I hope this contest fulfills its promise and continues to protect peace and dignity for all peoples of the world,” Nimmo said in her victory speech on stage.
They then smashed the contest's infamous Crystal Mike trophy, causing the trophy to appear to fall onto the stage as they brandished it in victory.
Eurovision 2024: Top 5 contestants
- Switzerland: Nemo – Code
- Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
- Ukraine: Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa and Maria
- France: Slimane – Mon Amour
- Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane
Other artists expressed similar sentiments.
After singing “Doomsday Blue,” Ireland's Bumby Thug shouted, “Love triumphs over hate.” Meanwhile, Portuguese contestant Iolanda told the crowd: “Peace will prevail.”
Two former contestants, Alessandra Mele and Kariya, declined to announce their country's judges' scores. Mr. Mele cited Israel's participation as a factor, but Mr. Kariya said, “It is not appropriate (to deduct points).''
However, support for Golan's song grew, and he came in second place in the public vote with 323 points. Britain was one of 15 countries in which the public voted to give 20-year-old Golan a maximum score of 12 points.
Contestant disqualified
Adding to the drama, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was disqualified from the competition on Saturday after being accused of making “illegal threats” against a female member of the production staff.
The singer was reported to police after an incident backstage on Thursday. Organizers then decided to exclude her from the contest, saying she does not have a “zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior.”
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said in a statement that the decision was “disproportionate” and that Klein was filmed backstage “repeatedly stating” that he did not want to perform.
Elsewhere, Eurovision was Eurovision.
Finnish artist Windows95Man took off his pants to play a 1990s house banger, while Croatian Baby Lasagna sang about a country boy who sells his cow and moves to the big city.
Bambie Thug gave one of the most memorable performances of the night.
The self-proclaimed “Goth Gremlin Goblin Witch” appeared on stage in a circle of candles, summoned demons, danced ballet with them, and screamed with all her might at the end.
It received positive reviews from viewers and finished in 6th place with 278 points.
This was Ireland's best result in a quarter of a century.
ABBA'S TRIBUTE
The contest was held in Sweden exactly 50 years after Abba brought the country its first Eurovision win in 1974.
Rumors were flying around Malmö that they might appear to celebrate their golden jubilee, although the band themselves denied it.
In the end, they only appeared in a short video as “avatars” for the virtual Abba Voyage concert in London.
The quartet briefly reminisces about the success of their song “Waterloo”, before speaking with Eurovision winners Charlotte Perelli (1999), Conchita Wurst (2014) and Carola (1992). performed this song.
I was a little disappointed.
A more dynamic interval performance came from two-time Eurovision winner Laureen, who performed her new single 'Forever' in a futuristic Barbarella-inspired set.
And Blue Swede frontman Björn Skifs opened the show with Hooked On A Feeling, the first Swedish song to reach number one in the US.
Nemo wowed audiences with his supple, athletic performance, singing an operatic falsetto while balancing dangerously on a spinning turntable.
Their song “The Code” was a very personal depiction of the struggle to accept a non-binary identity.
In the lyrics they sang: ”Somewhere between zero and one / I found my kingdom coming there.. ”
The win marks a big moment for the LGBTQ community, which has long treated Eurovision as a safe haven.
Last year's winner, Laureen, who handed over the crystal trophy to Nimmo on Saturday, recently told the BBC how important the support was to her.
“Eurovision is a community that embraces diversity. [and] Various ways of being.
“It's a very accepting, loving space, and we're the ones creating it through our creativity.”
Bambi Thug, who is also non-binary, ran up to Nemo after his win and handed him a handmade crown, which he wore during his final performance.
Great Britain improved last year with May Muller finishing second from bottom, but they were still relegated to the bottom half of the leaderboard.
Singer Olly Alexander, who became a chart-topping pop star with the band Years and Years, gave a spectacular performance amidst naked men dancing in a dystopian shower room. was unveiled.
However, his live vocals were wobbly and inferior when compared to more powerful performers from France, Portugal, and Greece.
The star pretended to hug the TV cameras when the results were announced, making everyone laugh at his zero score.