Switzerland wins title on Saturday Eurovision Song Contest In 2024, in the Swedish host city of Malmö, it defeated runner-up Croatia and ranked among the top three of bookmakers to win the competition.
This year’s competition was billed as a feel-good celebration of Europe’s diversity, but it has been thrust into the political spotlight amid calls to exclude Israel. Military action On October 7, Hamas launched a deadly attack in Israel, triggering the conflict in Gaza.
Nemo, a 24-year-old Swiss rapper and singer, won the competition with “The Code,” a drum-and-bass, opera, rap and rock song about Nemo’s journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.
“I hope that this competition will live up to its promise and continue to represent peace and dignity for everyone in this world,” Nemo said after receiving the Eurovision trophy on stage.
“For a song to change my life, for a song where I told my story to touch so many people and maybe inspire others to stay true to their stories, it was the craziest thing that had ever happened to me,” Nemo later wrote in said at a press conference.
Nemo’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest is Switzerland’s third and first since Canadian singer Celine Dion won the title for the Alpine country in 1988 with her song “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” Second-rate.
When the winner was announced, the bars in central Zurich erupted in joyous cheers, with Swiss revelers singing along as Nemo belted out his triumphant rendition of “The Code.”
“I think it’s great, Nemo is great,” said 24-year-old kindergarten worker Maha Nater, who was celebrating the victory in town after watching the marathon.
A karaoke bar began blaring Queen’s “We Are the Champions” as patrons joined in.
Nutt said Nimmo’s victory will open a path for others who have to deal with non-binary gender bias.
“It sets an example worth following,” she said.
Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, real name Marko Purisic, 28, took second place with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” a song about a young man who leaves home and longs to become a “city boy” with better opportunities s story.
Eden Golan, a 20-year-old Israeli, finished fifth in the competition despite calls from demonstrators to boycott the country.
The female solo artist emerged as one of the leading contenders to win after advancing to the finals on Thursday.
A Reuters photographer inside the auditorium said there were both boos and applause during Golan’s performance. Some of the noise could be heard in broadcasts watched by tens of millions of people in Europe and around the world.
There were also boos as the Israeli jury made its case.
Thousands of protesters gathered in the center of Malmo ahead of Saturday’s final, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Eurovision united through genocide” – a variation of the competition’s official slogan “United through music”.
Later, hundreds of people also protested outside the venue, shouting “Eurovision, you can’t hide, you are supporting genocide.”
The European Broadcasting Union has banned Eurovision 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and protesters have been pointing to double standards.
A Reuters reporter outside the venue said police took some of the protesters away before surrounding them and leading them away. Some protesters were seen lying on the ground after police used pepper spray to break up the demonstration.
Twenty-five countries took part in the final after Dutch artist Joost Klein was ejected earlier on Saturday following complaints from members of his production team.
Audience votes accounted for half of Saturday’s final results, while a jury of five music professionals from each participating country made up the other half.
The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest will receive the competition’s official glass trophy, which is shaped like a classic vintage microphone and features sandblasted and painted details. The winner also gets to host the competition the following year.
Nemo broke the fragile prize shortly after receiving it, but was given a new one to replace it.
“Not only did I crack the code, I cracked the trophy,” Nimmo said with a smile at a news conference after his win.
About The Author
