Last year's victor Loreen unveils fresh tune at 23:43.
The ESC in Malmö this year is all because of Loreen. The singer won the European music competition twice, most recently last year. She's singing outside the competition, but isn't completely dismissing the idea of a third participation in the future.
It's 11:30 PM now, and all the acts have been shown - Conchita Wurst sings "Waterloo." All 25 entries have been presented, and now the audience is watching them again in fast-forward. Swedish disco band Alcazar is keeping them entertained until the points are awarded with their 14-year-old hit, "Crying at the Discoteque." This is followed by an AI-generated ABBA tribute reminiscent of Sweden's ESC victory 50 years ago. ABBA won back then with their song "Waterloo," which will now be performed live in Malmö by Conchita Wurst.
11:11 PM - Could a latecomer win ESC?There's tons of excitement in the hall during Croatia's performance. Even though Baby Lasagna's "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" was only a reserve after the Croatian preliminary round, this doesn't affect their confidence in winning at home. The Croatian public broadcaster has already booked the Zagreb Arena for next spring.
23:52 PM - First mention of the Gaza War in the broadcast.Portuguese contestant Iolanda is the first artist to reference the Gaza War during the show. Her fingernails feature a pattern of a keffiyeh. After her performance, she says goodbye with the words "Peace will prevail."
23:33 PM - Spain's entry goes over well in Malmö.So far, the entries from Spain and Greece have been particularly well-received by the audience. Thousands are singing along to the song "Zorra" by the duo Nebulossa in the hall. The Greek singer Marina Satti's contribution also has a lot in common with South American Latin pop. Finland's "Windows95man" is currently performing. Only nine entries are left before the vote.
23:12 PM - Who skipped the rehearsal?The Irish and Greek entries go as planned. Both Bambie Thug (Ireland) and Marina Satti (Greece) skipped the dress rehearsal, though. There's no official reason for the artists' absence. But it was already making headlines before today: Bambie Thug had called for Israel to be excluded.
22:46 PM - Greta Thunberg arrested by the police.According to the Swedish newspaper "Expressen," a group of pro-Palestinian protesters had a scuffle with the police. The reporter on the scene describes the atmosphere as "tense." Greta Thunberg was taken away by the police.
22:39 PM - Whistles during the Israeli performance.The musical part of the evening starts in the hall. The host, Sweden, kicks things off, followed by the contributions from Ukraine and Germany - with applause. After Luxembourg's performance, the Netherlands is skipped. During Eden Golan's song "Hurricane," there are whistles in the hall, but the performance goes off without a hitch.
22:21 PM - Excitement as the artists take the stage.The evening begins with each country entering one by one, accompanied by popular Swedish pop songs. When Israeli artist Eden Golan takes the stage, there's a bit of a commotion.
22:00 PM - Israel's Foreign Minister: Let's show them all!Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz is supporting singer Eden Golan right before the final starts. "Eden boldly stands up to massive hatred and anti-Semitism," he writes on X. "Today, we show all the haters what they're up against." Israel's participation and performance faced a lot of backlash due to the war in Gaza, with calls for Israel to be expelled from the competition.
Live updates from the world's biggest music show: The Eurovision Song Contest final is underway in Malmö, Sweden. 25 countries are left after the exclusion of Dutch singer Joost Klein.
20:58 PM - Entry of the artists.The evening starts with all the nations entering one by one, accompanied by famous Swedish pop songs. The noise levels rise when Israeli artist Eden Golan takes the stage.
20:52 PM - Showing solidarity with Israel.Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz tweets his support for singer Eden Golan shortly before the show begins. "Eden bravely faces enormous hatred and anti-Semitism," he writes. "Today, we show the world who's in charge." Israel's participation and song have met a lot of resistance in the build-up to and during the Eurovision Song Contest, because of the war in Gaza. There were calls for Israel to be excluded from the event.
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Sweden's Alcazar continues to entertain during Eurovision Song Contest's break, performing their 14-year-old hit "Crying at the Discoteque." Despite Loreen focusing on new music, there's speculation she might return to the Eurovision stage in the future.
After Loreen's two victories in the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Sweden, the country's music continues to shine on the global stage, both in and out of the competition.
Source: www.ntv.de
