The competition can also be stuffed with musical quirks. Through the years it has developed right into a multi-genre smorgasbord the place dance divas go head-to-head with rock bands, and rap acts rub shoulders with balladeers. Final yr’s leaderboard was led by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra; their profitable tune Stefania blended hip-hop and conventional people music with infectious pop hooks. It’s customary for the profitable nation to host the next yr’s contest, however due to the continuing conflict in Ukraine, 2022 runners-up the UK are internet hosting on the winners’ behalf.
Eurovision has a wealthy historical past that features serving to to launch the worldwide careers of Swedish pop legends Abba, who gained the 1974 contest with Waterloo, and Canadian celebrity Celine Dion, who claimed victory for Switzerland in 1988 with Ne partez pas sans moi. 4 years earlier than Grease made her an era-defining icon, Olivia Newton-John represented the UK on the 1974 occasion, ending fourth behind Abba with Lengthy Stay Love. Nevertheless, regardless of this spectacular again catalogue and the competition’s fondness for nostalgia – among the many particular visitors this yr are Liverpool-born singer Sonia, who competed for the UK again in 1993 – Eurovision is just not an establishment within the shadow of its historical past: certainly, it’s now extra related than ever. In response to the EBU, final yr’s contest in Turin, Italy was watched by 161 million folks throughout 34 markets the place viewership was measured. That represented an increase of seven million year-on-year.
The key of its enduring success
Much more impressively, Eurovision is now particularly fashionable with Gen Z viewers, a demographic much less wedded to reside TV broadcasts than some other. Within the 34 markets measured by the EBU, final yr’s grand ultimate attracted 56% of the overall TV viewers aged 15 to 24 – a proportion 4 instances greater than common. So, it comes as no nice shock that for the second yr working, youth-focused social media app TikTok has teamed with Eurovision as its “Official Leisure Accomplice”. Rob Lilley, presenter and producer of The Euro Journey, a weekly Eurovision-themed podcast, says the competition’s fast-paced format makes it extremely “Gen Z-friendly”. No tune is allowed to exceed three minutes, and the “postcards” – or VTs – that introduce entrants to viewers final simply 40 seconds every.
