Sweden Wins a Eurovision Song Contest That Showed Solidarity With Ukraine
After winning the competition last year, Ukraine should have been this year’s host, but Britain stepped in to help the war-torn nation.
The Eurovision Song Contest grand final, held in Liverpool, England, on Saturday, was meant to be Ukraine’s party.
After Ukraine won last year’s edition of the beloved, campy singing competition, the country won the right to host this year’s spectacle.
But with Russia’s invasion showing no sign of ending, the event was relocated to Liverpool.
In the midst of a war, and with millions watching live, Ukraine’s entrant, Tvorchi, was among the favorites to win this year’s edition of the glamorous and, often, oddball event
a sign of the European public’s ongoing solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
Instead, Sweden crashed the celebration. Around midnight in the M&S Bank Arena,
Eurovision’s hosts announced that the pop singer Loreen had won with “Tattoo,” a dance track that grows in intensity with each verse.
Loreen was the bookmakers’ favorite for the competition, thanks to both her catchy track and Eurovision pedigree, having won once before, in 2012.
Her victory means that Sweden, a Eurovision-obsessed nation, will host next year’s contest.
Ukraine’s entry, the pop duo Tvorchi, finished in sixth place.