On Saturday, artists representing 26 countries will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest, a high-octane competition and the world’s most watched cultural event. The winner is chosen by votes from a music industry jury in participating countries and viewers watching at home. Sometimes they reflect the strength of an individual’s performance; Other times, politics comes into play.
Who is most likely to win this year’s event in Malmö, Sweden? Here are the five players who might have the best chances, based on odds from European bookmakers and online chatter.
Dutch
Jost Klein
Joost Klein, representing the Netherlands”Eurobaba” has become one of the most talked about performances of the year.
Klein is a star in his home country who blends pop music with ultra-fast rhythms. In “Europapa,” he recounts a transcontinental journey that also serves as a tribute to his parents, who died when Klein was young.
“My father once told me/The world has no borders,” Klein sings in Dutch. “You see, dad/I did listen to you.”
The song is uptempo throughout, and by the end, a thumping beat kicks in and Klein starts dancing like he’s at a seedy basement rave.Brisk track 160 beats per minute Much faster than is typical for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Klein wrote the track with a group of producers including Paul Elstak, a Dutch musician considered a pioneer of nonsense, Manic style dance music Known for its extremely fast tempo and sped-up sound. The genre also has its own dance style, which Klein performs in conjunction with the songs.
But will Klein actually appear in the final? On Friday, he failed to show up on stage for rehearsals. Shortly after, the European Broadcasting Union, the organizer of Eurovision, said in a statement that it was “investigating an incident involving a Dutch artist” and that Klein “will not be rehearsing until further notice.”
Swedish police responded to a request for information on Klein’s case in a statement on Saturday, saying “a man is suspected of unlawfully threatening” a Eurovision employee. Police said they had interviewed everyone involved and forwarded a file to Swedish prosecutors.
Prosecutors will decide within “a few weeks” whether to charge the man, a police spokesman said in a telephone interview.
Representatives for Klein and Eurovision did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What does this mean for Klein’s performance in the Eurovision Song Contest final? We will see…
Israel
eden golan
As of Friday evening in Malmö, Israeli representative Eden Golan has risen to second place as the favorite to win in the rankings of European bookmakers, According to Odds Checkera betting aggregator.
It comes after months of campaigning by pro-Palestinian groups and some Eurovision fans for competition organizers the European Broadcasting Union to ban Golan from the competition because of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The tension was palpable during Golan’s semifinal performance on Thursday, with some spectators booing and others trying to drown them out with cheers.
Golan’s song was originally called “October Rain” An apparent reference to last year’s Hamas attacks in southern Israel. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, objected to the song’s title and some lyrics being too political and asked Israel to make changes. Golan tweaked the song, which is now known as “hurricane“.
Golan said in a recent interview that representing Israel on the world stage “has so much meaning and meaning because of what we’re going through.” “I’m not going to let anything knock me down or derail me.”
read The Times profile of Golan.
Ireland
bambi thugs
The dark vision of Bambie Thug’s song “Doomsday Blue” has won fans of the Irish contestant on social media in recent weeks – as has the singer’s outspoken pro-Palestinian stance and criticism of Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest .
Eurovision organizers banned artists from making political comments on stage, saying the competition was about uniting, not dividing. But the Irish player – real name Bambi Ray Robinson – has put the rules to the test. In a press conference on Tuesday, Bambie Thug, who is non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns, said Eurovision required them to remove pro-Palestinian slogans from their costumes.thursday bambi thugs wrote on Instagram “My thoughts and prayers are with the Palestinian people.”
At one point during Bambie Thug’s semifinal performance on Tuesday, the singer stood in the middle of a pentagram surrounded by burning candles. They then dance seductively with a man dressed like a demon. As the song ended, the words “Crown the Witch” appeared on a large screen behind the stage.
Croatia
Baby Lasagna
If you believe the bookmakers, the favorite to win this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, whose song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is a crazy three-minute mix of heavy metal and dance music.
The song begins with Little Lasagna (real name Marco Plisik) singing to his mother that he is “a big boy now” and wants to leave his native village for the city. “I’m leaving, I sold my cattle,” he sang, before calling on villagers to join him one last time in a local folk dance.
Pulisic said in a recent interview that while the song may seem ridiculous, it’s also a serious attempt to draw attention to Croatia’s ongoing youth immigration problem.
Pulisic said winning the song contest was not his goal. He said that after a long career as a hired rock songwriter, last year he considered changing tack and applied for a stable job in the Croatian tourism industry. But he said that following the success of “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” which has millions of views on YouTube, he now hopes to make “Baby Lasagna” his career. “If I do that,” he added, “then I win.”
Ukraine
Alyona Alyona and Jerry Hale
In 2022, just months after the Russian invasion, Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest with Kalush Orchestra’s track “Stefania.” This year, Alyona Alyona Rapper and singer Jerry Heil, who represents the country, is one of the favorites to win.
They are working with “Theresa and Maria”, an emotional song that references Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary.
In a recent interview, Heyer (real name Yana Oleksandrivna Shemeeva) said the Eurovision Song Contest was an important opportunity to draw attention to the country’s plight. “We need to show the world that we still need their help,” she said.
While both men hope to win Saturday’s final, Hair said it would be an even bigger victory if Eurovision fans started listening to Ukrainian pop music year-round. “It’s the only way we can be seen every day,” Heyer said, rather than “from Eurovision to Eurovision.”
