Secondo i bookmaker, però, a vincere l’Eurovision Song Contest 2026 saranno Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen e la loro “Liekinheitin”. Secondo il sito Eurovision World, sicuramente il più attendibile e aggiornato in merito alle previsioni sull’Eurovision Song Contest, il duo stacca di molto tutti gli altri artisti in gara.

Al momento ha il 28% di possibilità di vincere, una percentuale molto alta se paragonata al resto della top ten. Sal Da Vinci al momento si trova all’ottavo posto della classifica.

Chi vince l’Eurovision Song Contest 2026, ecco le previsioni dei bookmaker: 

1. Finlandia – Lampenius & Parkkonen – Liekinheitin – 28%
2. Francia – Monroe – Regarde ! – 12%
3. Danimarca – Søren Torpegaard – Før vi går hjem – 11%
4. Grecia – Akylas – Ferto – 7%
5. Australia – Delta Goodrem – Eclipse – 6%
6. Svezia – Felicia – My System – 5%
7. Israele – Noam Bettan – Michelle – 5%
8. Italia – Sal Da Vinci – Per sempre sì – 3%
9. Ucraina – Leléka – Ridnym – 3%
10. Cipro – Antigoni – Jalla – 2%
11. Malta – Aidan – Bella – 2%
12. Cechia – Daniel Žižka – Crossroads – 2%
13. Bulgaria – Dara – Bangaranga – 1%
14. Regno Unito – Look Mum No Computer – Eins, Zwei, Drei – 1%
15. Romania – A. Căpitănescu – Choke Me – 1%
16. Lussemburgo – Eva Marija – Mother Nature – 1%
17. Croazia – Lelek – Andromeda – 1%
18. Norvegia – Jonas Lovv – Ya ya ya – 1%
19. Moldavia – Satoshi – Viva, Moldova – 1%
20. Lettonia – Atvara – Ēnā – 1%
21. Lituania – Lion Ceccah – Sólo quiero más – 1%
22. Armenia – Simón – Paloma Rumba – 1%
23. Germania – Sarah Engels – Fire – 1%
24. Serbia – Lavina – Kraj mene – 1%
25. Svizzera – Veronica Fusaro – Alice – <1%
26. Georgia – Bzikebi – On Replay – <1%
27. San Marino – Senhit – Superstar – <1%
28. Belgio – Essyla – Dancing on the Ice – <1%
29. Albania – Alis – Nân – <1%
30. Austria – Cosmó – Tanzschein – <1%
31. Portogallo – Bandidos do Cante – Rosa – <1%
32. Polonia – Alicja – Pray – <1%
33. Azerbaigian – Jiva – Just Go – <1%
34. Montenegro – Tamara Živković – Nova zora – <1%
35. Estonia – Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic To Be True – <1%

La canzone “Liekinheitin” mescola rock, atmosfere classiche e dance, rispecchiando un tipo di ambivalenza che poi ritorna anche nel testo. La canzone descrive una relazione tossica e ambivalente: il protagonista sa che sarebbe più saggio scappare, ma è attratto e allo stesso tempo spaventato dall’altra persona, che lo ferisce ma gli fa anche provare piacere. Da quando il pezzo è stato rivelato, il duo nordico è in vetta alle quote dei bookmaker diventando tra i favoriti per l’Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Al 23 marzo 2026, le probabilità che questa coppia salga sul podio sono del 28%. Resta da capire se le scommesse avranno indovinato e se il duo formato da Linda Lampenius e Pete Parkkonen riuscirà a laurearsi campione quest’anno. Si esibiranno nella prima semifinale dell’Eurovision Song Contest il 12 maggio 2026 a Vienna.

Linda Lampenius e Pete Parkkonen sono ormai ben conosciuti nel loro paese, la Finlandia. Da una parte, Linda Lampenius è una celebre violinista classica. Dopo aver suonato con l’Orchestra Helsinki Junior Strings a soli otto anni, Linda Lampenius — anche conosciuta con il nome d’arte di Linda Brava — ha intrapreso numerose tournée in Nord America, Europa e Asia durante la sua adolescenza. Da allora, la musicista ha pubblicato diversi album da solista, che hanno ottenuto grande successo in Finlandia, Svezia e Regno Unito. Dall’altra parte, il cantante Pete Parkkonen si è fatto conoscere dal grande pubblico grazie alla partecipazione a «Idols», dove si è classificato terzo nel 2008. Da allora, ha pubblicato vari album di successo.

Ancora una volta, la Francia si mostra tra le favorite per conquistare la 70ª edizione dell’Eurovision Song Contest, secondo i bookmaker. Ogni anno, infatti, il Paese si colloca regolarmente tra i primi cinque candidati. Ma questa edizione 2026 sarà quella buona grazie alla giovane artista Monroe? La Francia tornerà a trionfare, a 49 anni dal successo di Marie Myriam? La risposta arriverà il 16 maggio 2026, nel frattempo, gli scommettitori vedono la candidata francese al secondo posto. Secondo loro, Monroe ha attualmente una probabilità del 12% di vincere il concorso in questa primavera. 

Diventata conosciuta dal grande pubblico nel 2025 grazie alla vittoria nel programma «Prodiges» su France 2, Monroe ha deciso di mettere in mostra la sua potenza vocale e la sua modernità attraverso il canzone “Regarde !”. L’artista lirica, cresciuta tra Francia e Stati Uniti, ha iniziato a cantare e suonare il pianoforte fin da piccola. Formata nel classico, Monroe si sta lentamente costruendo un universo personale e contemporaneo. Questa volta, la sua canzone “Regarde !” potrebbe davvero portarlo sul primo gradino del podio il prossimo 16 maggio 2026? Ricordiamo che la Francia fa parte del famoso “Big-5”, insieme a Italia, Germania, Spagna e Regno Unito. Questa posizione garantisce a questi quattro paesi di accedere direttamente alla fase finale dell’Eurovision Song Contest senza dover passare dai turni eliminatori.

Søren Torpegaard Lund nato nel 1998, l’artista — che rappresenta quest’anno il Danimarca — ha da sempre una grande passione per la musica. Così, a 17 anni, entra alla Musicalakademiet, una sezione della Scuola danese delle arti sceniche. Diventa così il più giovane studente mai ammesso in questa accademia. È nelle commedie musicali che Søren Torpegaard Lund dà il via alla sua carriera artistica.

Nel 2023, il giovane cantante si lancia nell’avventura dell’Eurovision Song Contest partecipando al Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, la selezione ufficiale danese per il celebre festival. Il suo brano, “Lige her”, però, non viene scelto. Tuttavia, Søren non si dà per vinto e riesce a conquistare il Dansk Melodi Grand Prix nel 2026 con la canzone “Før vi går hjem”. Ora bisogna aspettare e vedere se questa traccia riuscirà a conquistare il cuore del pubblico e dei giudici a maggio. Ad oggi, le quote degli scommettitori lo valutano al 11%.

Attualmente in quarta posizione troviamo il candidato greco Akylas. La Grecia ha al momento una probabilità del 7% di aggiudicarsi la vittoria quest’anno. Quindi, Akylas riuscirà a salire sul primo gradino del podio? È ancora troppo presto per dirlo, ma il suo brano «Ferto» potrebbe continuare a crescere nelle preferenze del pubblico.

Sapete che Akylas ha iniziato a farsi conoscere nel suo paese nel 2021, grazie ai video di cover pubblicati su TikTok. Successivamente, il giovane artista ha partecipato all’ottava stagione di The Voice of Greece. Musicista autodidatta originario di Serres, Akylas crea un sound multiculturale e contemporaneo, intriso di radici greche.

Quest’anno, in occasione della 70ª edizione dell’Eurovision Song Contest, l’Australia ha deciso di puntare su Delta Goodrem e la sua canzone “Eclipse”. Cantautrice, pianista e attrice australiana, Delta Goodrem è arrivata sulla scena nel 2002, quando ha interpretato il ruolo in “Neighbours”, soap opera australiana di grande successo. Non passò molto tempo prima che pubblicasse il suo primo album, “Innocent Eyes”, nel 2003. Da allora, Delta Goodrem ha messo in fila altri sei dischi. La sua notorietà in Australia è confermata dal fatto che ha conquistato otto singoli numero uno nel suo paese natale, tutti tratti dai suoi tre album in studio. Questo primavera, Delta Goodrem è stata scelta come rappresentante dell’Australia all’Eurovision Song Contest. In questa fase della competizione, Delta Goodrem si trova al quinto posto nelle quote dei bookmaker, con il 6% di probabilità di vincere il concorso.

Le aspettative sulla performance di Sal Da Vinci all’Eurovision Song Contest 2026, che andrà in scena a Vienna dal 12 al 16 maggio 2026, sono molto alte. “Per sempre sì”, la canzone vincitrice del Festival di Sanremo 2026, ballata pop dalle influenze melodiche e napoletane, sia lontana dalle sonorità più contemporanee che spesso dominano il palco dell’Eurovision Song Contest, e che quindi rappresenterà l’Italia al Song Contest. Proprio questa scelta stilistica divide il pubblico: per alcuni rappresenta l’essenza della musica italiana e della melodia classica, mentre per altri rischia di apparire ‘datata‘ rispetto alle produzioni più elettroniche o sperimentali che spesso conquistano la kermesse europea. 

Allora, ci si può davvero affidare ai bookmaker? Il rappresentante finlandese riuscirà a portare a casa l’edizione 2026 dell’Eurovision Song Contest? La risposta arriverà il 16 maggio 2026. 

Per ricordare, nel 2021 le scommesse avevano piazzato gli italiani dei Måneskin in prima posizione, seguiti dalla francese Barbara Pravi. E le previsioni si erano rivelate giuste, visto che Italia e Francia avevano conquistato rispettivamente il primo e il secondo posto al contest. Nel 2023, la fortunata svedese Loreen era stata anch’ella data in testa dai bookmaker. Da parte sua, l’eccentrico Käärijä arrivò secondo con il brano “Cha Cha Cha”. Un risultato che si è rivelato fedele alle previsioni. Tuttavia, nel 2024, i pronostici si sono invece smentiti. Avevano infatti puntato sulla prima posizione la Baby Lasagna. Alla fine, a spuntarla è stato il cantante svizzero Nemo. Anche nel 2023 i bookmaker avevano sbagliato previsione: La Zarra, candidata francese che si era piazzata terza nelle previsioni, si è invece classificata 16ª. L’anno scorso, i scommettitori avevano puntato sul gruppo svedese KAJ, ma alla fine il vincitore è stato l’autriaco JJ. Insomma, tutto può ancora succedere e cambiare!

Sal Da Vinci, che sta raccogliendo ottimi feedback, potrebbe essere davvero la sorpresa di questo Eurovision Song Contest, ma secondo i bookmaker ad aggiudicarsi la finale saranno i finlandesi Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen. Già dopo Sanremo sono arrivati segnali evidenti che la canzone aveva fatto breccia oltre i confini nazionali. Lo testimonia il fatto che ad oggi è la canzone più ascoltata in assoluto su Spotify tra tutte le 35 canzoni in gara, ma anche le tante versioni in lingue diverse che stanno comparendo sui social in questi giorni.

Ecco di seguito la classifica completa, degli artisti in gara all’Eurovision Song Contest 2026, più ascoltati su Spotify a poco meno di due mesi dalla finale:

1. Italy – Sal Da Vinci – 4.284.612
2. Sweden – Felicia – 1.568.693
3. Finland – Pete Parkkonen – 819.622
4. Finland – Linda Lampenius – 761.279
5. Germany – Sarah Engels – 715.419
6. Israel – Noam Bettan – 631.151
7. Australia – Delta Goodrem – 610.948
8. Greece – Akylas – 548.707
9. Denmark – Søren Torpegaard Lund – 417.181
10. Cyprus – Antigoni – 415.854
11. Norway – Jonas Lovv – 366.413
12. Austria – Cosmó – 345.208
13. Portugal – Bandidos Do Canto – 311.412
14. Bulgaria – Dara – 308.722
15. Moldova – Satoshi – 283.087
16. UK – Look Mum No Computer – 251.876
17. France – Monroe – 205.583
18. Croatia – Lelek – 197.811
19. San Marino – Senhit – 190.405
20. Switzerland – Veronica Fusaro – 181.591
21. Poland –Alicja – 179.892
22. Malta – Aidan – 172.972
23. Luxembourg – Eva Marija – 167.333
24. Estonia – Vanilla Ninja – 166.890
25. Ukraine – Leléka – 161.299
26. Belgium – Essyla – 158.585
27. Romania – Alexandra Căpitănescu – 155.308
28. Montenegro – Tamara Živković – 140.633
29. Lithuania – Lion Ceccah – 131.984
30. Albania – Alis – 128.973
31. Serbia – Lavina – 108.946
32. Latvia – Atvara – 106.036
33. Czechia – Daniel Zizka – 102.068
34. Georgia – Bzikebi – 58.870
35. Azerbaijan – Jiva – 54.638
36. Armenia – Simón – Non presente

Svetta Sal Da Vinci, forte della vittoria a Sanremo 2026 e dal successo virale di Rossetto e Caffè. Rispettivamente al terzo e al quarto posto i favoritissimi finlandesi. La classifica non comprende Boy George, che a oggi (con il suo repertorio solista) conta 1.033.386 ascoltatori mensili.

Ecco di seguito quali sono i brani in gara all’Eurovision Song Contest 2026 più ascoltati su Spotify a due mesi dalla finale: 

1. Italy – Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre Sì – 14.017.563
2. Sweden – Felicia – My Sistem – 11.368.074
3. Finland – Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin – 7.212.069
4. Cyprus – Antigoni – JALLA – 2.888.757
5. Denmark – Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før Vi Går Hjem – 2.885.820
6. Greece – Akylas – Ferto – 2.670.548
7. Germany – Sarah Engels – Fire – 2.302.075
8. Israel – Noam Bettan – Michelle – 1.674.110
9. Croatia – Lelek – Andromeda – 1.273.540
10. Austria – Cosmó – Tanzschein – 1.234.729
11. Norway – Jonas Lovv – Ya Ya Ya – 1.181.054
12. Moldova – Satoshi – Viva, Moldova! – 1.087.833
13. Malta – Aidan – Bella – 1.052.648
14. Albania – Alis – Nân – 978.136
15. Australia – Delta Goodrem – Eclipse – 969.860
16. Bulgaria – Dara – Bangaranga – 939.559
17. Luxembourg – Eva Marija – Mother Nature – 826.349
18. Romania – Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me – 722.006
19. France – Monroe – Regarde! – 699.776
20. Poland –Alicja – Pray – 640.047
21. Belgium – Essyla – Dancing On The Ice – 598.280
22. UK – Look Mum No Computer – Eins Zwei Drei – 578.233
23. Serbia – Lavina – Kraj Mene – 516.604
24. Latvia – Atvara – Ēnā – 504.961
25. Lithuania – Lion Ceccah – Sólo Quiero Más – 502.393
26. Estonia – Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic To Be True – 466.582
27. Portugal – Bandidos Do Canto – Rosa – 348.888
28. Czechia – Daniel Zizka – Crossroads – 315.128
29. Montenegro – Tamara Živković – Nova Zora – 299.092
30. Switzerland – Veronica Fusaro – Alice – 247.520
31. Ukraine – Leléka – Ridnym – 163.209
32. Azerbaijan – Jiva – Just Go – 106.813
33. Georgia – Bzikebi – On Replay – 80.456
34. San Marino – Senhit – Superstar – 44.362
35. Armenia – Simón – Paloma Rumba – Non Presente

Un battage continuo che mette in mostra ‘Per sempre sì’ di Sal Da Vinci oltre ogni logica. Rai sogna Eurovision Song Contest? Le reali possibilità di vittoria.

Ma quanto è strano veder spuntare ‘Per sempre sì’ di Sal Da Vinci lì, proprio accanto ai giganti che hanno scritto la storia della musica italiana? Se ci pensiamo, è qualcosa di quasi surreale. Il brano vincitore di Sanremo 2026 entra ufficialmente nel giro di Canzonissima, il reboot dello storico programma Rai condotto da Milly Carlucci e che sta già facendo parecchio discutere. La domanda però ci rimbalza in testa da giorni: perché far gareggiare un brano che ha pochi mesi di vita contro ‘Anima Fragile’, ‘Se io fossi un angelo’ e, ancora, ‘Quello che le donne non dicono?’.

Non serve essere degli esperti di comunicazione per capire che Rai sta scaldando i motori in vista dell’Eurovision Song Contest di Vienna. Con l’appuntamento fissato dal 12 al 16 maggio 2026 e l’Italia già qualificata di diritto in finale tra le Big Five, il broadcaster pubblico ha tutto l’interesse a costruire intorno a Sal Da Vinci un’immagine di vincitore annunciato. E, quindi, proporre ‘Per sempre sì’ sul palco di Canzonissima non è un caso, ma un gesto preciso per legittimare la canzone davanti al pubblico generalista. Non è tanto una questione di televoto, perché dall’Italia non si può votare per il nostro rappresentante, quanto di “rilevanza”.

Diciamocelo, l’assedio mediatico è ormai totale. Basti pensare che ogni singola sera il brano è utilizzato per i balletti di Affari Tuoi, un martellamento costante iniziato già a pochi giorni dalla finale. E non finisce qui, perché si sta attenzionando maniacalmente anche lo staging, è già stato confermato che sarà Marcello Sacchetta a curare la performance di Vienna, già nel team del videoclip in cui si celebra l’improbabile matrimonio proprio tra il coreografo e la ballerina Francesca Tocca.

Sarebbe però un errore liquidare tutto come un’operazione di marketing della mutua. I dati reali ci dicono che la canzone ha le gambe per camminare da sola. ‘Per sempre sì’ è il brano di Sanremo più ascoltato su Spotify quest’anno e domina le classifiche streaming tra tutti i trentasette partecipanti di Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (non tra i colleghi di Sanremo, in cui il posizionamento è molto diverso). Sui social è diventata un fenomeno virale pazzesco, con migliaia di reel e versioni che vanno dal giapponese al portoghese, arrivando fino agli Stati Uniti in modo del tutto spontaneo.

Ma quando si passa dai cuoricini su Instagram ai numeri freddi dei bookmaker, il sogno deve fare i conti con la realtà. In cima a tutti oggi c’è la Finlandia: Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen con la loro ‘Liekinheitin’ hanno una probabilità di vittoria che sfiora il 28%. Un dominio che non si vedeva dai tempi dei Lordi, trionfatori dell’edizione di ESC ad Atene – nel 2006 – in Hard Rock Hallelujah. Dietro di loro corrono forte la Francia di Monroe, la Danimarca di Søren Torpegaard, la Grecia di Akylas e l’Australia di Delta Goodrem. L’Italia, per ora arranca all’ottavo posto, superata anche da Svezia e Israele. Il brano finlandese si muove tra rock e atmosfere classiche. E, in patria, ha già polverizzato ogni record.

‘Per sempre sì’ è probabilmente il successo internazionale più concreto che l’Italia abbia presentato negli ultimi anni, eppure i pronostici non ci favoriscono. Il motivo è da ricercare tutto nel gusto europeo (o meglio, le preferenze che ogni anno si manifestano sul palco del Contest): l’Eurovision Song Contest premia da tempo l’originalità, la provocazione, lo show visivo d’impatto. Una ballata romantica, per quanto ben interpretata, fatica a farsi spazio in un contesto che preferisce i “lanciafiamme” finlandesi alle storie d’amore tradizionali. La Rai può proporci Sal Da Vinci ad Affari Tuoi finché vuole, può farlo cantare ai Jalisse e affidarlo ai migliori coreografi, ma il problema non è convincere noi ma l’Europa, e su quel fronte nessuna programmazione televisiva nazionale può fare miracoli.

Aggiornamento: Pianificazione meticolosa della sicurezza per l’Eurovision Song Contest.

La tesa situazione in Medio Oriente pone alle forze dell’ordine austriache ulteriori sfide in materia di sicurezza nella pianificazione dell’Eurovision Song Contest, che si terrà a Vienna a maggio. Lo ha confermato il direttore della Polizia federale, Michael Takacs.

Attualmente 250 agenti sono impegnati nella pianificazione della sicurezza.

“Sì, non abbiamo una minaccia concreta, ma la situazione geopolitica in Medio Oriente ci impone di considerare diversi fattori nella nostra pianificazione e di adattarla continuamente”, ha dichiarato Takacs giovedì.

Le sfide sono completamente diverse rispetto al 2015, quando Vienna ha ospitato per l’ultima volta l’Eurovision Song Contest.

Oltre alla guerra con l’Iran, è ancora in corso la guerra in Ucraina. Ci sono numerosi conflitti che coinvolgono i paesi partecipanti all’Eurovision Song Contest, con i quali l’Austria non ha alcun legame, ma che sono rilevanti per la pianificazione della sicurezza: “Riceviamo settimanalmente nuove valutazioni delle minacce dalla Direzione dei Servizi di Sicurezza e Intelligence dello Stato (DSN), che vengono sempre prese in considerazione nella nostra pianificazione.”

Ampio addestramento per le forze di sicurezza. Per la polizia, la priorità principale è garantire la sicurezza dell’area intorno alla Stadthalle.

“L’organizzatore è responsabile degli interni”, ha affermato Takacs, sottolineando però la stretta collaborazione.

Uno degli aspetti più importanti è la pratica, la pratica e ancora la pratica: “La velocità è fondamentale in ogni situazione. E non si tratta sempre di un attacco armato. Potrebbe anche trattarsi di qualcuno che esprime il proprio disappunto e cerca di interrompere l’evento stesso”, ha dichiarato il direttore della Polizia Federale.

Un aspetto chiave è il controllo di sicurezza di chiunque abbia accesso alle aree rilevanti per l’Eurovision Song Contest. „Solo a Vienna, questo include la Stadthalle, l’area pubblica di Piazza del Municipio e il Praterdome. Non è ancora chiaro se ci saranno ulteriori eventi pubblici di visione negli stati federali“, ha affermato Takacs.

600 volontari da sottoporre a verifica. Il Direttore Generale della Pubblica Sicurezza, Franz Ruf, ha dichiarato la scorsa settimana che 600 volontari dovranno essere sottoposti a verifica per l’Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).

Tuttavia, dai fornitori ai dipendenti delle società di sicurezza private, è probabile che saranno necessari molti più controlli di sicurezza. Secondo Takacs, circa 250 dipendenti della polizia e del Ministero dell’Interno sono attualmente coinvolti nella pianificazione della sicurezza per l’ESC. “E questa è una stima prudente”.

Vari oggetti esposti relativi all’ESC. La dimensione politica dell’Eurovision Song Contest. Secondo Takacs, si sta attualmente definendo quante e quali unità di polizia saranno impiegate. È chiaro che gli agenti di polizia degli stati federali supporteranno gli agenti viennesi. Tra le altre cose, è probabile che vengano impiegati conduttori cinofili dei Länder con i loro cani addestrati a individuare esplosivi: “Questo è un punto importante per me: insisto affinché nessun oggetto entri nella Stadthalle (la piazza del municipio) senza essere stato sottoposto a un controllo per la presenza di esplosivi”, ha sottolineato Takacs.

L’accesso alla proiezione pubblica sarà regolato come in aeroporto. Le provocazioni e le proteste contro l’Eurovision Song Contest, che è anche una celebrazione della diversità e del movimento Pride, soprattutto da parte di ambienti di estrema destra, sono “sotto osservazione”. Questa parte della valutazione delle minacce è gestita dagli uffici statali per la tutela della costituzione e la lotta all’estremismo (LSE).

Chiunque intenda assistere alla proiezione pubblica in Rathausplatz (la piazza del municipio) o nel Praterdome dovrà aspettarsi severi controlli di sicurezza. “Nella Stadthalle si applicano gli standard aeroportuali, con macchine a raggi X e cani addestrati a individuare esplosivi. Raccomandiamo agli organizzatori dei luoghi di proiezione pubblica di adottare questi standard”, ha affermato Takacs. È preferibile arrivare senza borse o zaini.

La dimensione politica del concorso canoro. Da 70 anni, l’Eurovision Song Contest riflette gli sviluppi della società. Con la mostra “Inarrestabili!”, la Casa della Storia Austriaca (hdgö) dimostra quanto strettamente cultura pop, società e politica siano intrecciate.

„Unstoppable! Eurovision Song Contest Highlights“ (Inarrestabili! I momenti salienti dell’Eurovision Song Contest) come suggerisce il titolo completo della piccola mostra, presenta alcuni oggetti chiave della storia dell’Austria all’Eurovision Song Contest. “Allo stesso tempo, illustra i diversi aspetti della competizione, come il voto inteso come sfera politica”, ha spiegato il curatore Florian Wagner.

Ufficialmente apolitica. Il titolo della mostra fa riferimento all’esclamazione di Conchita Wurst dopo la sua vittoria nel 2014: „We are unity and we are unstoppable!“ (Wir sind vereint und nicht aufzuhalten, Siamo uniti e siamo inarrestabili!). Questa frase descrive il nucleo socio-politico dell’evento, è stato affermato in una conferenza stampa. Utilizzando “i momenti salienti da una prospettiva austriaca”, la Casa della Storia Austriaca (hdgö) dedicherà una mostra all’Eurovision Song Contest, sia nel museo che online, ha dichiarato giovedì la direttrice fondatrice di hdgö, Monika Sommer.

Ufficialmente apolitica, la competizione è stata permeata da dimensioni politiche fin dalla sua nascita: “Affronta questioni di identità, appartenenza e cambiamento sociale, dalla liberalizzazione degli anni ’70, passando per gli sconvolgimenti politici successivi al 1989, fino agli attuali dibattiti su diversità, uguaglianza e conflitti geopolitici”, ha spiegato Sommer.

Nostalgia della monarchia e uguaglianza. La mostra illustra come l’Austria si presentava nel 1967, dopo la vittoria di Udo Jürgens l’anno precedente. “Si percepisce un forte senso di nostalgia per la monarchia”, ha affermato il curatore Wagner a proposito dell’edizione allestita nel Palazzo Hofburg di Vienna.

È presente anche una teca dedicata a Conchita Wurst: il suo abito è esposto alla Casa della Storia Austriaca (hdgö) dal 2018. All’interno, i visitatori possono ammirare una barba di carta per la festa di benvenuto di Conchita e una bambola Barbie a lei dedicata. Tra le esposizioni più recenti figurano la scenografia di “Wasted Love” di JJ del 2025 (completa di coriandoli) e un diorama che mostra come il presentatore dell’ÖRF Philipp Hansa abbia utilizzato il processo elettorale dal 2019 come piattaforma per promuovere l’uguaglianza: indossa sempre una maglietta con la scritta “Equality”.

Mostra online con video. In concomitanza con la presentazione dell’oggetto, viene inaugurata la mostra online “Proteste, scandali, politica: 70 anni dell’Eurovision Song Contest”. Attraverso testi e video, i visitatori possono approfondire la storia (politica) del concorso canoro, inclusa la sua complessa storia ebraica, come l’esibizione del sopravvissuto all’Olocausto Walter Andreas Schwarz nel 1956 e di Carmela Corren, la prima cantante israeliana a rappresentare l’Austria nel 1963. Vengono inoltre affrontati i boicottaggi.

Unstoppable! Eurovision Song Contest Highlights at the Museum. 25 March–11 October 2026, Main Exhibition, Room 3. 

Apolitical? Hardly. While political messages are officially banned at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), they still manage to find their way on stage—in ways that are sometimes loud, sometimes subtle. After all, even entertainment on this scale is also always a story about its own time.

With the ESC coming to Vienna, the House of Austrian History (hdgö) turns its attention to this phenomenon with a wide-ranging programme—at the museum and online. From 25 March to 11 October 2026, the main exhibition New Times. Austria since 1918 includes a new display: “Unstoppable! Eurovision Song Contest Highlights at the Museum”. This features objects that have made Austrian ESC history: the stage design for JJ’s song “Wasted Love”, Conchita Wurst’s iconic dress, and pictures of the grand prix de la chanson, held in 1967 amid the imperial pomp of the Neue Hofburg palace. The display shows the close connections between the song contest and changes in politics, identities and society over the years.

The web exhibition Protests, Scandals, Politics. 70 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest offers a glimpse behind the curtains of this international stage. With a feast of acoustic and visual highlights, it shows not only how people are “united by music”, as the official ESC slogan proclaims, but also how the contest reflects conflicts, debates and social upheavals.

Your ticket to the hdgö gets you discounted admission to the exhibition United by Queerness at QWIEN—and vice versa. The cooperation will run from March 25 to May 24, 2026.

Protests, Scandals, Politics. 70 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest. Political messages are not actually permitted at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Yet from the very beginning, artists have found ways and means of including them anyway. But what counts as political, and what does not?

Song lyrics about loving one’s nation have not raised objections from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Songs voicing protest have sometimes been allowed, sometimes banned—the same goes for songs criticising authoritarian rulers. References to the past have faced similar contradictions—some lyrics have had to be changed, while other songs with historical references have even managed to win the ESC.

This web exhibition invites you to dig into the political history of the song contest, which has had many different names over its long history.

1956: “Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück” — Walter Andreas Schwarz. The first ESC took place as the Gran premio Eurovisione 1956 della canzone europea in Lugano (Switzerland). Television was not systematically archived at that time, and so only the sound recording survives. Representing West Germany was Holocaust survivor Walter Andreas Schwarz with the song ‘Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück’ (In the Waiting Room to Great Happiness). The lyrics are about how difficult it is to be happy in the present day. 

1957: “Wohin, kleines Pony?” — Bob Martin. Austria’s First Last Place at the ESC. Austria competed in the Grand Prix d’Eurovision for the first time in 1957. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) sent Bob Martin (Leo Heppe) to the European pop music contest with the song ‘Wohin, kleines Pony?’ (Where To, Little Pony?), written by Kurt Svab and Hans Werner. In the song, the singer light-heartedly rides his little pony over moors, fields and valleys. They are a “carefree” pair and are enjoying the world: “Who else sees the world as so beautiful. As beautiful as we see it?” A little more than a decade after the end of the Nazi regime, as Austria stepped onto the European stage of televised music, it presented itself in a way that was, tellingly, infantilising and markedly unburdened by the past. Days gone by, or memories of them—as evoked by All the golden dreams of yesterday in the UK song (Patricia Bredin: All), for example, or the entries of Switzerland (Lys Assia: L’enfant que j’étais (The Child I Was) and Luxembourg (Danièle Dupré: Tant de peine (So Much Pain)—were absent from the Austrian entry: it looked only towards the future. The song finished in last place.

1958: Not loved enough. “The sun shines on everyone equally. Why not on Austria, too?”, sang the actor Hans Moser in the Austrian science fiction film 1 April 2000 (1952). In 1958, Liane Augustin took to the stage for Austria at the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne with a song that was surprisingly similar to Hans Moser’s political demand in the film (‘Die ganze Welt braucht Liebe’ (The Whole World Needs Love), music: Günther Leopold, lyrics: Kurt Werner). She feels—in comparison to the rest of the world—too little loved and asks: “The whole world needs love (…) Should it be any different for me?”

1959: “Der k.und k. Kalypso aus Wien” — Ferry Graf. Monarchy Nostalgia Brings Second-to-Last Place at the ESC. In 1959, Ferry Graf competed in the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européene in Cannes with ‘Der k. und k. Kalypso aus Wien’ (The Royal and Imperial Calypso from Vienna),  music: Norbert Pawlicki, lyrics: Günther Leopold. “It [the calypso] must be from Vienna”, sings Graf, putting the Austrian capital at the heart of the song. However, the theme is not city life but rather historical associations with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as hinted at in the title. Mentions in the lyrics of Brno/Czechoslovakia and Hungary conjure up, on the one hand, the former size and grandeur of the territory. On the other, they are references to a historical period which—unlike Austria’s Nazi past—was seen as more harmless by European audiences. The three Sissi films of 1955-1957 had already shown that the Habsburg Monarchy served well as an appealing backdrop against which Austria could present itself on the international stage. Other examples of Austrian nation building come through in the music itself. Calypso, a musical style that developed in the historical context of slavery in the Caribbean, is combined with elements of folk music (polka, yodelling) and the waltz (Johann Strauss Jr.’s waltz Wiener Blut op. 354 can be heard).

1961: “Nous les amoureux” — Jean-Claude Pascal. The queer history of the ESC has long roots. Jean-Claude Pascal won in 1961 with the—initially unnoticed—gay love song ‘Nous les amoureux’ (We the Lovers),music: Jacques Datin, lyrics: Maurice Vidalin. The lyrics tell the story of two lovers who face many obstacles on their path. The gender of the song’s lovers is left open. Many of the allusions to social or political issues made at the song contest are deliberately vague. This allows people to interpret them in different ways and keeps them somewhat hidden. Decades later, Pascal revealed that, in his view, the love story told in the song was about two men. 

1962: “Nur in der Wiener Luft” — Eleonore Schwarz. With a combination of Viennese song, operetta and artful coloratura aria, Eleonore Schwarz came last for Austria at the 1962 Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne (‘Nur in der Wiener Luft’ (Only in the Viennese Air), music/lyrics: Bruno Uher). “Fried chicken, Schubert and the State Opera” make an appearance in the lyrics alongside “St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the City Hall man, Sacher and a sausage seller”. The song attempts to convey a sense of Viennese joix de vivre and atmosphere. “If you look out of the window, it sounds like Johann Strauss” she sings elsewhere in the song. One of the great mysteries of ESC history is what became of Eleonore Schwarz after her performance. Since 2019, the podcast Merci, Chérie – Der Eurovision Podcast has been attempting to reconstruct her biography.

1963: First Israeli Singer at the Eurovision Song Contest. Carmela Corren sings for Austria. Carmela Corren, born Carmela Bizmann in Tel Aviv in 1938, was discovered by a US television crew who saw her singing during her military service. She made her international debut with a performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, followed by a tour with Cliff Richard. In the early 1960s she moved to Germany where singers with foreign accents were in high demand on the Schlager music scene. She recorded her first German-language single Sei nicht traurig, geliebte Mama (Don’t Be Sad, Dear Mother) by learning the words phonetically. Her artistic breakthrough came in 1962 with the song Eine Rose aus Santa Monica (A Rose from Santa Monica) at the Deutsche Schlagerfestspiele, a pop contest in Germany. More singles, numerous television appearances and film work followed. In 1963, Corren was selected by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) to represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest in London. She came 7th with ‘Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder’ (Maybe a Miracle will Happen), music: Erwin Halletz, lyrics: Peter Wehle. The song was written by Erwin Halletz and Peter Wehle, with a section in English by Norman Newell. A few acts after Corren, another Israeli singer, Esther Ofarim, sang for Switzerland. It was not until ten years later that Israel took part in the ESC for the first time as a country. In 1964, Corren married jazz musician Horst Benny Geiger and they had two children. Her subsequent career was more modest. Even a later move to the USA did not lead to a comeback. Corren lived a secluded life with her partner Larry in Hollywood, Florida, where she passed away on 15 January 2022.

1964: Protest at the Grand Prix Eurovision. In 1964, a man holding a banner stormed the stage of the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen between two songs. It was a protest against the dictatorships in Spain and Portugal. Given the highly charged nature of this protest, it is all the more remarkable that only part of the television broadcast of this ESC has survived. All that remains of the incident are photographs and the audio track. 

1965: “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” — France Gall. A look at the history of the ESC reveals how images of women have changed over time.  The high number of doll metaphors in song lyrics is striking (‘Poupée de cire, poupée de son’ (Wax Doll, Rag Doll), music/lyrics: Serge Gainsbourg). French singer France Gall won for Luxembourg in 1965. In the lyrics she asks: “Am I better, am I worse than a mannequin?”

1966: Udo Jürgens Wins the Song Contest. First Place for “Merci, Chérie”Text: Udo Jürgens/Thomas Hörbiger. On 5 March 1966, Udo Jürgens won the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne in Luxembourg. In 1964 he had asked Warum nur, warum? (Why, Oh Why?) and come sixth, while in 1965 he reached fourth place with Sag ihr, ich laß sie grüßen (Tell Her I Say Hello). His third attempt was rewarded with victory: Merci, Chérie received almost twice as many points as the runner-up in 1966. At the end of the evening, the previous year’s winner, France Gall, presented him with the winner’s medal. The following year, the contest was held in Vienna’s Hofburg palace. These Song Contest performances launched Udo Jürgens’s international career, with successful chart hits and tours of several European countries. Jürgens, however, was not the only returning artist in 1966. Domenico Modugno had reached number 1 in the US charts in 1958 with Nel blu dipinto di blue (better known as Volare) and won two Grammys, but had only come third in the contest. The following year he had entered with Piove (“Ciao, ciao bambina”)—a song that also became a classic hit but only managed sixth place. Returning in 1966, he finished last with Dio, come ti amo (God, How I Love You). Norwegian singer Åse Kleveland became the first woman to perform at the Song Contest in trousers in 1966. She came third with Intet er nytt under solen (Nothing New Under the Sun). She returned to the song contest in 1986—not as a singer but as a presenter. That same year she became chairperson of the Norwegian government’s Equal Rights Council. Between 1990 and 1996, Kleveland served as minister of culture in the government of Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway’s first woman prime minister. Two years after his victory, Udo Jürgens was back at the Song Contest but in a different role: he composed the song 1000 Fenster (1000 Windows) for Czechoslovakian singer Karel Gott, who performed it for Austria in 1968—the year of the Prague Spring.

1966: “Intet er nytt under solen” — Åse Kleveland. Åse Kleveland was the first woman in the history of the contest to perform in trousers (‘Intet er nytt under solen’ (Nothing New Under the Sun), music/lyrics: Arne Bendiksen). She later became a politician who campaigned for gender equality and joined the cabinet of Norway’s first woman prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. Born in Sweden, Kleveland served as Norway’s minister of culture from 1990 to 1996. 

1967: Song Contest in the Hofburg Palace. Sandie Shaw Wins in Vienna. On 8 April 1967, the Grand Prix de la Chanson took place in Austria for the first time. After Udo Jürgens’s victory the previous year, the ORF chose the Großer Festsaal ballroom in Vienna’s Hofburg palace as the venue for the contest. The evening began with an orchestral performance of Wiener Blut and a waltz version of Merci Chérie. Presenter Erica Vaal explained how the contest would work in six languages, but apologised to the “Ladies and Gentlemen of Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Portugal and Yugoslavia” for not speaking their languages. She promised to learn more languages should the song contest take place in Austria again. The 1967 Song Contest was the last to be broadcast in black and white. This was reflected in the television commentary, with ORF commentator Emil Kollpacher providing viewers with information about the colours on stage. Between the songs and the voting, the Vienna Boys’ Choir sang The Blue Danube, while the camera showcased the imperial splendour of the ballroom by focusing on the double-headed eagle, paintings and chandeliers. Earlier in the evening, Peter Horten­—a former Vienna Choir Boy himself—had sung Warum es 100.000 Sterne gibt (Why There are 100,000 Stars), with lyrics by Karin Bognar, for Austria. Sandie Shaw won the Grand Prix de la Chanson in the Hofburg for the United Kingdom with Puppet on a String. The fact that she was not wearing shoes during her performance caused a stir. Shaw was “barefoot grounds for divorce”, wrote Roman Schliesser in the Kronen Zeitung newspaper. In the 1980s, indie pop band The Smiths not only repeatedly quoted from Shaw’s lyrics but in 1984, they shared the stage with her on BBC show Top of the Pops. Sandie Shaw wore shoes, while the band performed barefoot.

1968: “Tausend Fenster” — Karel Gott. The ESC was broadcast on television in colour for the first time in 1968. In the year of the Prague Spring, Czech singer Karel Gott represented Austria with the song ‘Tausend Fenster’ (A Thousand Windows), music: Udo Jürgens, lyrics: Walter Brandin. The lyrics tell of people’s lonely lives, “like on small islands—you don’t even know who is living next door”. The song can also be understood as a wish to lift the “Iron Curtain”. Following a change in the Czechoslovakian leadership, reforms had recently started to take effect in the economy, culture, media and even within the Communist Party itself. On 21 August 1968, tanks rolled in and half a million soldiers from the Warsaw Pact countries used force to prevent any kind of change in Czechoslovakia. The Prague Spring was over. This outcome has striking parallels with the ESC: that year, the contest was won by Spanish singer Massiel with the song La, la, la, meaning that the following year, the contest would take place in a dictatorship for the first time. 

1969: Four Winners. The Franco regime in Spain attempted to use the Gran Premio de la Canción de Eurovisión to present itself as modern and attractive. Artist Salvador Dalí, who was sympathetic to the dictatorship, was involved as a designer. In the end, singers from four different countries tied for first place, receiving the same number of points. Since there were not enough medals, the organisers had to improvise. Only the singers were presented with medals on stage, not the composers who were also at the contest. 

1970: “All Kinds of Everything” — Dana. As violence escalated in the Northern Ireland conflict, the Republic of Ireland sent Catholic singer Dana to the ESC (‘All Kinds of Everything’, ‘music/lyrics: Derry Lindsay, Jackie Smith). She had grown up in Derry—in a region claimed by both the Irish and British sides. At a time when many people were dying in the conflict, the lyrics emphasised innocence and cuteness. The song sings of small animals such as butterflies and bees. Even “a snowflake or two” make it into the lyrics. Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest. Later she entered politics and campaigned against abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

1971: Marianne Mendt Sings about “Musik”. Return to the Song Contest. Austria did not take part in the 1969 Gran Premio de la Canción Eurovisión in fascist Spain. This decision was explained by a supposed lack of suitable artists or songs. After the contest in Madrid ended in scoring chaos with four singers tied for first place, Austria opted out again in 1970, and was not alone in doing so—only 12 countries sent songs to Amsterdam. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) returned to the Song Contest in 1971 with Marianne Mendt. The lyrics, sung in Viennese dialect, are about the social significance of music: it is sold as something it is not and could be so much more—namely, the language of imagination and freedom. More overt criticism of the music industry—sung in English and standard German—was expressed by the band Schmetterlinge in 1977 (Boom Boom Boomerang). The song Musik (Music), music: Richard Schönherz, lyrics: Manuel Rigoni, introduced the genre later known as “Austropop” to an international audience for the first time at the ESC in Dublin. The song came 16th out of a total of 18 entries. French singer Séverine won for Monaco with Un banc, un arbre, une rue (A Bench, A Tree, A Street).

1973: The First Female Conductors. The first women to conduct the orchestra at the contest were Monica Dominique from Sweden (‘You’re Summer – You Never Tell Me No’, performed by: Nova, music: Monica Dominique/Carl-Axel Dominique, lyrics: Lars Forssell), and Nurit Hirsch from Israel at the Concours Eurovision de la Chanson in 1973 (‘Ey sham’ (אי שם, Somewhere), performed by: Ilanit, music: Nurit Hirsh, lyrics: Ehud Manor). Both women were also involved in writing the songs. In 1973 Israel became the first country from outside Europe’s geographical borders to take part in the ESC. A few months earlier, members of a Palestinian terrorist organisation had murdered eleven Israelis at the Olympic Games in Munich. This prompted the organisers in Luxembourg to increase security measures at the event in order to protect artists and visitors from attacks.

1974: “E depois do Adeus” — Paulo de Carvalho. On 6 April 1974, Portuguese singer Paulo de Carvalho performed the song “E depois do adeus” (And After the Farewell), music: José Calvário, lyrics: José Niza at the ESC in Brighton, coming last. On the night of 24-25 April 1974, the song was played on Portuguese radio at 10:55pm. For a select group of people, the broadcast had a special meaning: it was the first agreed secret signal marking the start of a military uprising against the dictatorship. Precisely because “E depois do adeus” was seen as an apolitical love song and had recently been shown on international television, it could be aired without raising any suspicions. The Carnation Revolution ushered in the democratisation of Portugal and ended the colonial wars that the Portuguese state had been waging since 1961 against liberation movements in Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. The lyrics of E depois do adeus came from a collage of letters and postcards sent by the poet José Niza to his wife from the war in Angola. 

1976: “Panagia mou, panagia mou” — Mariza Koch. Turkey took part in the ESC for the first time in 1975 but did not send a song in 1976. While Turkish television still broadcast the show, it did not play the Greek entry. The song ‘Panagia mou, Panagia mou’  (Παναγιά μου, Παναγιά μου), by Mariza Koch (Musik: Mariza Koch, Text: Michael Fotiades) was understood as a reference to the occupation of Northern Cyprus by the Turkish army in 1974. The lyrics talk about tents being put up not for tourists, but for refugees.

1977: “Boom Boom Boomerang” — Schmetterlinge. Song Contest as Protest Platform. After La, la, la (1968) and ‘Boom Bang-a-Gang’ (1969) (music: Schurli Herrnstadt/Herbert Zöchling-Tampier/Willi Resetarits, lyrics: Lukas Resetarits), the 1975 winner was a song titled Ding-a-Dong. In 1977, the band Schmetterlinge hoped to win with Boom Boom Boomerang. It was singer Beatrix Neundlinger’s second appearance at the ESC—in 1972, she competed with the band Milestones. Schmetterlinge had come to prominence in 1976 with Proletenpassion (Passion of the Proletariat)—an oratorio about the history of the labour movement, which premiered at the Vienna’s Arena. The band positioned itself as left-wing and anti-capitalist. Not having a record deal made the ORF’s offer all the more tempting: Schmetterlinge would write a song for the contest and, in return, the Ariola record label would release a recording of the Proletenpassion. The song opens with the lines: “Music is love for you and me—music is money for the record company”. The costumes were double-sided: from the front, the performers wore beige with a red heart on their chests; from the back, they looked like they were wearing a dark suit with banknotes in their hands. The singers also wore masks on the backs of their heads. These looked like cigar-smoking men and were meant to represent music industry bosses. Before the introduction of public voting in 1998, points were awarded by juries of music industry experts. This protest song directed against the music industry finished in second-to-last place, with 11 points.

1979: “Dschinghis Khan” — Dschinghis Khan. In 1978, Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta won the Concours Eurovision de la Chanson for Israel. As a result, in 1979 the contest took place outside Europe for the first time. West Germany sent the group Dschinghis Khan to Jerusalem with the song ‘Dschinghis Khan’ (music: Ralph Siegel, lyrics: Bernd Meinunger). Thirty-four years after the end of the Nazi dictatorship, the lyrics describe blind obedience to a strong leader who spreads fear and terror. A few weeks later, this highly exaggerated and ironic exploration of the subject reached number one in the Israeli charts.

1980: “Bitakat hob” — Samira Bensaïd. At the 1980 Eurovisie Songfestival in The Hauge, Morocco became the first independent African country to participate in the contest. Samira Bensaïd is still Morocco’s only ever representative at the ESC (‘Bitakat hob’ (بطاقة حب, Love Card), music: Abdel Ati Amenna, lyrics: Malou Rouanne): the country has boycotted the competition ever since in protest at Israel’s participation. Having won two years in a row, Israel did not take part in 1980 because the date of the contest fell on Yom haZikaron, the national remembrance day. Broadcasters from all North African countries that border the Mediterranean are members of the EBU and therefore eligible to compete in the ESC. Morocco’s long-standing boycott follows its decision not to recognise Israel—a decision that was reversed in 2020. 

1986: “Die Zeit ist einsam” – Timna Brauer. Eurovision and the Waldheim-Affair. ‘Time is lonely and tired’ („Die Zeit ist einsam und sie ist müde“), music: Peter Janda, lyrics: Peter Cornelius. These lyrics open Austria’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in Bergen, Norway, on May 3rd, 1986. The melancholic ballad is performed by 25-year-old Timna Brauer. Selected in an internal decision by the ORF, she takes to the stage at a time of political turbulence. One day after the song contest, presidential elections are held in Austria. The favourite in the race for the highest office in the state is Kurt Waldheim. His Nazi past comes to light during the election campaign and causes national and international debate. Austria’s self-image as the first victim of National Socialism is shaken. Brauer’s lyrics can be read as a reflection of the mood against the backdrop of the Waldheim affair. Austria feels ‘lonely’ and marginalised by the international community. The poor ranking (the entry finishes third from last) is attributed to the ‘anti-Austrian’ attitude in the rest of Europe. However, Austria struggled with poor results long before 1986. After Udo Jürgens’ victory in 1966, only two entries made it into the top 5. In the media, however, the blame for the mediocre results was mostly placed on others, such as the jurors (‘Abolish the scoring system’, Kronen Zeitung 1986), or the entire competition was called into question and the rankings were dismissed as a ‘lottery’ (Kronen Zeitung, 1987). Taking responsibility is difficult here as well. The argumentative strategies used to maintain Austria’s victim role seem to be reflected in the comments and reports on the ESC.

1986: “Romeo” — Ketil Stokkan. In 1986 Ketil Stokkan represented Norway with ‘Romeo’ (music/lyrics: Ketil Stokkan), a catchy, humorously staged pop song about the love story between Romeo and Juliet. The backing dancers deliberately played with gender roles. This staging is considered the first explicit drag performance at the contest. The costumes took their inspiration from theatre history, referencing the Rococo era and the Commedia dell’Arte. A more parodic form of cross-dressing featured in the 1973 contest with a performance during the interval act between the songs and the scoring by Spanish clown and Hitler admirer Charlie Rivel. For his entrance music, he used the first few bars of the aria Voi che sapete from the Mozart/Da Ponte opera The Marriage of Figaro. Crossing gender boundaries also plays a role in this opera. 

1990: “Keine Mauern mehr” — Simone. Song Contest and the Opening of Borders. After the band Riva won the Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 1989 for Yugoslavia, the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Koncertna dvorana Vatroslava Lisinskog in Zagreb on 5 May. Austrian-Yugoslavian television presenter Helga Vlahović co-hosted the evening alongside Oliver Mlakar, who was already familiar to European audiences from the transnational TV show Games Without Borders. The defining theme of the contest was the opening of borders in the Warsaw Pact countries. Austria was represented by Simone, who sang ‘Keine Mauern mehr’  (No More Walls), music: Marc Berry, Nanna Berry, lyrics: Mario Botazzi, in German, English, French and Serbo-Croat. The lyrics begin by looking back: “This time last year, no one would have thought that our desire for freedom would make this leap forward.” The bridge to the chorus is a reference to the potential inherent in the present: “For our future is only just dawning: many languages, many ears.” Simone finished in 10th place. Ahead of her, in 9th place, was the last West German entry in ESC history, sung by Chris Kempers and Daniel Kovac. It was titled Frei zu leben (Free to Live) and includes the lyrics: “We are not lonely, but everyone is alone—let’s finally tear down the invisible walls.” The winner in 1990 was Toto Cutugno for Italy with the song ‘Insieme: 1992’ (Together: 1992), music & lyrics: Toto Cutugno. His lyrics are about love without borders and the utopia of a united Europe, which he envisions happening two years into the future.

1991: Interval Act, Arturo Brachetti. Variety artist Arturo Brachetti filled the time between the songs and the scoring with a magical quick costume change performance that played with gender boundaries. The perception of the ESC as a queer event grew over the course of the 1990s.

1993: The first post-Yugoslav countries. Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were the first post-Yugoslav countries to take part in the ESC. The Bosnian delegation travelled from the war zone, encountering life-threatening situations. They described this at a press conference. As a result, the artists were accused of instrumentalising the contest for political aims. In response to the growing number of participating countries following the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, the ESC introduced a qualifying round, which also gave these countries a public stage for the first time. In social and political terms, the contest thus became a symbol of cultural recognition, national self-assertion and European belonging beyond military and economic power.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: ‘Sva bol svijeta’ (All the Pain in the World), performed by: Fazla, music: Edin “Dino” Dervišhalidović, lyrics: Fahrudin Pecikoza-Peca, Edin “Dino” Dervišhalidović.
• Croatia: Don’t Ever Cry, performed by: Put, music: Andrej Basa, lyrics: Đorđe Novković. 
• Slovenia: ‘Tih deževen dan’ (A Quiet, Rainy Day), performed by: 1X Band, music: Cole Moretti, lyrics: Tomaž Kosec.

1994: The invention of Riverdance. Riverdance was created as an interval act for the 1994 ESC and went on to become a global phenomenon. Riverdance is often seen as a traditional dance with an especially long history. In his research, historian Eric Hobsbawn, who grew up in Vienna, found that supposedly ancient traditions were often much younger than was assumed to be the case. He coined the term “invention of tradition” to describe this.

1998: “Diva” — Dana International. Dana International (‘Diva’ (דיווה), music: Tzvika Pik, lyrics: Yoav Ginai) was the first openly transgender singer to win the ESC. Since then, the queer dimensions of the contest have gained wider public recognition. The trophy was presented to Dana International by Katrina Leskanich. She won the ESC in 1997 with her band Katrina and the Waves and entered into a civil partnership with her manager 10 years later.

2000: “All to you” in Stockholm. “The Rounder Girls” are representing Austria at the ESC (‘All to You’, music/lyrics: Dave Moskin). Austria experienced a political upheaval in the year 2000: On February 4, the first coalition government between the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) under Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP) was sworn in. The coalition with the far-right FPÖ was cause for major uproar both domestically and internationally. On February 19, 2000, the largest protest against the newly formed government took place in the city center of Vienna.  The soul group The Rounder Girls performed at the demonstration. Christine “Tini” Kainrath of Vienna, Kim Cooper of New York, and Lynne Kieran of London established the vocal group in Vienna in 1993. Shortly after, an ORF-Jury announced that the trio would represent Austria at the 45th Eurovision Song Contest with their song All to You in Stockholm on May 13, 2000. There were concerns of a cultural boycott toward Austria at the Song Contest, especially since fourteen EU member states had already reduced diplomatic relations with Austria due to the  government. Contemporary media outlets celebrated the diverse female group as the most important Austrian entry as they stood in strong contrast to the xenophobic politics of the current administration. The trio’s statement to the political tension: “We are living proof of the European idea!” The Rounder Girls placed fourteenth out of twenty-four participants in the ESC finale.

2001: “Everybody” — Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL. Estonia was the first former Soviet country to win the ESC with the song ‘Everybody’, music: Ivar Must, lyrics: Maian-Anna Kärmas, performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. After a poor result the previous year, Austria was not eligible to send a song to the ESC in 2001. Prior to the introduction of the semi-finals, attempts were made to limit the number of participants. 

2007: Two Break-Up Songs. Ukrainian drag queen Verka Serduchka sang in a mix of English, German and a made-up language. In some places it sounded like she was singing “Russia goodbye”. In fact she was singing “Lasha Tumbai” (‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’/Dancing Лаша тумбай, performed by: Verka Serduchka, music/lyrics: Andrei Danilko) and the song won her second place. After the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro, both countries now competed separately for the first time. Maria Šerifović won the ESC for Serbia—with a song about a breakup (‘Molitva’/Молитва, performed by: Marija Šerifović, music: Vladimir Graić, lyrics: Saša Milošević Mare).

2009: “We Don’t Wanna Put In” — Stephane & 3G. Having already not taken part in 2008, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) also chose not to participate in the 2009 ESC in Russia. The contest, held in Moscow, was controversial due to Russia’s human rights record. The song ‘We Don’t Wanna Put In’ by Georgian band 3G was rejected as too political—the title that could also be read as “We don’t wanna Putin” (performed by: Stephane & 3G, music: Stephane Mghebrishvili, lyrics: BiBi Kvachadze). The EBU requested that the Georgian delegation either change the lyrics or enter a different song. In protest, the Georgian broadcaster refused to participate in Moscow and accused the EBU of giving in to pressure from the Russian regime. 

2012: “Love Me Back” — Can Bonomo. The Jewish singer Can Bonomo represented Turkey at the ESC (‘Love Me Back’, performed by/music/lyrics: Can Bonomo). To date, 2012 was the last year that Turkey sent a song to the ESC.

2014: “Rise like a Phoenix” — Conchita Wurst. Conchita Wurst wins the ESC. ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’, performed by: Conchita Wurst, music/lyrics: Alexander „Ali“ Zuckowski, Joey Patulka, Julian Maas, Charlie Mason received points from all over Europe. There was a significant discrepancy between the points awarded by the expert jury and by the public vote in Germany, Russia and Hungary, among others. In these countries, the experts ranked Conchita Wurst’s entry significantly lower than the public did. Overall, Wurst won both the public and jury votes. If only the public had voted, her victory would have been even more decisive. The queer history of the Song Contest goes back a long way. Jean Claude Pascal won in 1961 with a song about a love story between two men, a fact that went largely unnoticed. Queer entries became more frequent from the mid-1990s onwards. In 1997, Iceland’s Paul Oscar was the first openly gay man to compete in the ESC, finishing in 20th place. That year’s winner was the band Katrina and the Waves—singer Katrina Leskanich married her female manager in 2008. In 1998, Israel’s Dana International was the first transgender person to win the contest. Austria was a latecomer when it came to queer performances at the ESC but then won first time, writing itself into Song Contest history. Wurst’s statement when presented with the trophy—“We are unity and we are unstoppable!”—is now iconic.

2015: Eurovision Song Contest in the Wiener Stadthalle. A Second Time in Austria. Conchita Wurst’s victory brought the ESC back to Vienna. The Hofburg palace—the venue in 1967—was now too small for the contest and so the Wiener Stadthalle was chosen. Yet parallels with 1967 remained. The Vienna Boys’ Choir performed and—one year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea—Austria presented itself as a bridge builder between East and West. Although there had been no ESC orchestra since 1999, two classical orchestras appeared in the 2015 show—not as part of the contest but to emphasize Austria’s importance as a country of music. At the start of the broadcast, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra played the Eurovision theme (Te Deum by Marc-Antoine Charpentier), the opening bars of The Marriage of Figaro and an excerpt from the 4th movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens. At the Stadthalle, the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra performed Rise Like a Phoenix. In April 2014, the Wiener Stadthalle changed its postal address from “Vogelweidplatz 14” to “Roland-Rainer-Platz 1”. Architect Roland Rainer, who designed the Stadthalle, was awarded several public commissions in the Second Republic despite having supported biologistic and racist architectural concepts during the Nazi period. Rainer kept quiet about his Nazi past but it had been public knowledge since at least 1993 due to a controversy in the journal FORVM . In 2015, the former director of the Architekturzentrum Wien, Dietmar Steiner, described Rainer as the “Waldheim of architecture”. In the run-up to the 2015 contest, a civic initiative campaigned to rename the square. City politicians promised to add an explanatory plaque giving historical information about Rainer to the street name sign—but this never happened.

2015: “Aina mun pitää” — Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät. The Finnish punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät competed at the ESC in Vienna (‘Aina mun pitää’ (I Always Have To), Interpreten/Musik/Text: Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät). The 2012 prize-winning documentary The Punk Syndrome told the story of the band and its members. The title appropriates the term “Down Syndrome”. The film shows how musicians create art with disabilities. The band’s entry did not qualify for the grand final but broke the record for the shortest song in the history of the contest: punk music makes its point faster. The song lasted just 1 minute and 27 seconds.

2016: Interval Act, Mede/Måns Zelmerlöw and cast. The interval act ‘Love Love Peace Peace’, performed by: Petra Mede/Måns Zelmerlöw and cast, music: Fredrik Kempe, lyrics: Edward af Sillén, presented a satirical and exaggerated history of the ESC. Elements from past entries were crammed into one song: semi-naked drummers, pyrotechnics, artificial snow, costume changes, food preparation, figure skating and a musical instrument that looked traditional but was actually invented especially for the ESC.

2018: “Toy” — Netta. 2018’s winning song, ‘Toy’, performed by: Netta, lyrics: Doron Medalie, Stav Beger music: Doron Medalie, Stav Beger, Jack White, was not the first ESC entry to compare a woman’s situation to that of a doll. In 1965 France Gall won with Poupée de cire, poupée de son, and Sandie Shaw won in 1967 with Puppet on a String. The lyrics of both songs are open to interpretation: are they a subtle critique of patriarchy or do they perpetuate sexist ideas about women as easily controllable objects? Only Israel’s 2018 winning entry left no room for doubt: “I’m not your toy, you stupid boy!” sang Netta, making it clear that “The Barbie got something to say!” 

2023: Liverpool represents Ukraine. The broadcaster which sends the winning song has the right to host the contest the following year. In 2022 Kalush Orchestra won the ESC for Ukraine. The Russian war of aggression meant that the Ukrainian broadcaster was unable to stage the event in Ukraine. Liverpool hosted the ESC on behalf of Ukraine.

2025: Criticism of the Boycott. Since the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza, calls for boycotts of Israeli artists and institutions, drawing on antisemitic traditions, have become more and more frequent. Among those affected has been the public broadcaster, KAN, which nominates the Israeli entry for the ESC. The fact that KAN is an important pillar of critical journalism, including on the Gaza war, has been ignored, likewise the range of opinions of Israeli artists about their government. Former ESC winner Dana International took to Instagram to address different audiences: in English she criticised the boycott campaign, while in Hebrew she raised critical questions about the social and political situation in Israel: „Ihr wollt nicht mehr, dass wir mit Euch singen? Versteht Ihr, wie brutal und beleidigend diese Entscheidung ist? Wie viel Hass und Schaden sie anrichtet?“ / “You no longer want us singing with you? Do you understand how violent and insulting that decision is? How much it adds only hatred and harm?”.