And just like that, another Eurovision year is over. What a year it has been. While it has been a strong year for entries it has also been a particularly tense and controversial year.

While the EBU continue to maintain the Eurovision is a non-political event, Malmö 2024 has been mired with politically charged controversy from the very beginning and was never able to shake it off.

Sweden are well-versed in hosting the Eurovision, having hosted seven times in total (four times since 2000) with viewers coming to expect big spectacles and slick production. But this famously neutral country has found itself at the centre of debate and demonstrations.

Israel
Perhaps one of the most contentious issues was the involvement of Israel in this year’s contest. With the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, many felt it would be appropriate to exclude Israel, as was done in 2022 with Russia following the Russia-Ukraine war. The EBU rejected this which lead to many campaigns across Europe and beyond, petitioning national broadcasters and threats to boycott. Some cited the main Eurovision sponsor Moroccan Oil as an Israeli company perhaps having some influence over the situation.

Israel’s initial entry ‘October Rain’ was rejected by the EBU as they believed the lyrics referenced the 7th October Attack on Israel by Hamas. After several re-writes – and some whispers that perhaps nothing will be approved – the final version ‘Hurricane’ was finally approved on 7th March, just in time for the deadline and allowing Israel to compete. 

Israel were booed by audiences throughout rehearsals and the contest itself. ‘Anti-boo technology’ was used to silence the boos from the international broadcast and replaced with pre-recorded cheers. Large protests and demonstrations took place outside the arena on the lead up to the contest and on the day of the grand final. Sweden’s international threat level was raised and there was increased police presence throughout Malmo.

Israel ended up scoring relatively highly, placing second in the televoting and fifth overall.

The Netherlands
After qualifying for the grand final, and being one of the favourites to win, The Netherlands were disqualified reportedly due to an incident between the artist Joost Klein and a member of the production team. The matter was handed to the police and an investigation is supposedly still ongoing. This is the first time in the history of Eurovision that an act has been disqualified only hours before the final. The Netherlands were due to perform fifth in the running order. As a result of the disqualification, there was no fifth place, with the fourth entry followed by the sixth entry. The Netherlands were still able to vote in the final.

Hours before the contest was due to begin, there were emergency crisis talks amongst the EBU as the disqualification of The Netherlands started a wave of anger and withdrawals. The spokespeople for Norway, Alessandra Miele, Finaland’s Kaarija, and Netherlands Nikke de Jager all withdrew within hours of the contest. While Norway’s and Finland’s were replaced, The Netherlands opted not to replace their spokesperson so EBU Executive Martin Österdahl revealed the votes himself instead. He was confronted with a raucous cacophony of boos from the entire arena while revealing the points.

There were whispers that some of the countries’ entrants were also threatening to withdraw: UK, Ireland, Portugal and Switzerland. These were never confirmed and all were present at the final, fulfilling all of their contractual obligations.

My Highlight

While there were some stand-out performances this year; notably France, Greece, Georgia and Switzerland, my biggest highlight has to be from the first semi-final interval act.

The one and only Benjamin Ingrosso. I was lucky enough to see him perform live at the Eurovision in Lisbon 2018 when he was representing Sweden. While that was a great performance he has grown into a truly phenomenal performer. The entire performance was utterly world-class and for me, the biggest highlight of the entire week.

Big congratulations to Switzerland and their entrant Nemo and a big thank you to Malmö 2024 for putting on a great show despite all the noise and chaos. I am sure the entire country is now breathing a sigh of relief.

Let’s hope for a smoother contest next year.