The Eurovision Song Contest is the world’s biggest song contest, a yearly spectacle of music. It’s an international celebration of culture and art and a chance for artists to make a name for themselves on a massive global stage. Despite this, it’s almost completely unknown in America.
In short, it is a contest in which many European countries send a performer with an original song to compete in the semi-finals—and hopefully the grand final— which are held in the country that won the year before. Israel and Australia also compete. The performances are judged based on the song quality, vocal ability, and stage presentation. While it is incredibly popular in Europe and Australia, it is relatively obscure in America. Don’t miss out on it this year.
Eurovision music ranges from something heard on 95.5 FM in Portland to something expected to be heard in a small town in the Alps. Songs are sung in a variety of different languages, making them unique. There might be hard rock in Norwegian, rap in Ukrainian or boy-band style harmonies in Swedish. Many songs also blend traditional folk elements and modern pop elements to form new sounds. An example of this is Ukraine’s 2022 winner, Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania.”
Each year, there are lots of different kinds of songs, but Eurovision is, at its core, a pop music competition. Pop songs are its bread and butter (or whatever they have in Europe instead of bread and butter—I think crumpets and margarine). One of the most celebrated pop songs of the 21st century is “Euphoria” by Loreen, which won in 2012.
In addition, there is always a handful of vocally mind-blowing ballads, often from France or Italy. If you don’t like ballads, however, a great one from last year is Slimane of France’s “Mon Amour,” which came in fourth place.
Eurovision also has a smattering of rock music. It doesn’t always do very well, but a few rock songs are submitted yearly. One of the most iconic is the absolute headbanger “Hard Rock Hallelujah” by Lordi, which won for Finland in 2006.
“Joke” songs are another Eurovision staple. The title might sound insulting, but many artists wear it with pride. There is at least one every year. Verka Serduchka’s “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” is a famous example. It was Ukraine’s entry in 2007 and came in second.
Now, if you watched any of those performances, you would know that they really are performances. The artists don’t just stand and sing their songs—most of the time. Typically, there are set pieces, dancers and lights, creating a high-budget production. Staging is a full third of what determines an artist’s score, so it is taken very seriously. Many Eurovision performances make the well-known Super Bowl halftime show look like the stuffiest classical music performance.
The grand final will stream, live from Malmӧ, Switzerland, on Peacock in the United States on Saturday, May 17. There are semifinals on the Tuesday and Thursday prior. It’s definitely worth checking out.
