The 67th edition of the European Song Contest took place on Saturday 13 May in Liverpool, UK. Sweden won the trophy for the seventh time in its history, thanks to singer Loreen and her electro-pop song Tattoo. France, represented by La Zarra and her song Évidemment, finished in 16th place and caused an uproar by flipping off the results of the televoting.
An expected win for Loreen
Loreen is no stranger to Eurovision fans. The Swedish singer already won the contest in 2022 with her song Euphoria, which was an international success. Ten years later, she did it again with Tattoo, a song about unforgettable love set to catchy electro beats. Her sober and elegant performance won over the professional jury and the public, who awarded her 283 and 300 points respectively, for a total of 583 points.
Loreen thus becomes the second artist to win Eurovision twice, after Ireland's Johnny Logan. She also equalled Ireland's record of seven wins per country. Sweden will now host the competition in 2024 for the fourth time since 2010.
Scandalous move for La Zarra
France did not shine at this year's Eurovision. La Zarra, a young singer who came to prominence on The Voice, performed Évidemment, a pop-rock song that pays tribute to France Gall. Despite a powerful voice and a colourful production, she did not convince the juries or the viewers, who gave her only 67 points.
But what really stood out was the gesture she made when the results of the televote were announced. After receiving only three points from the public, she raised her middle finger towards the camera, which was interpreted as a middle finger. This gesture was considered disrespectful and inappropriate by many internet users and commentators, who expressed their indignation on social networks.
The Zarra defended herself by saying that it was a sign of rallying with her fans and that she had not wanted to disrespect anyone. She apologised to anyone who may have been offended by her gesture.
An evening full of emotions and surprises
Eurovision 2023 was co-hosted by the UK and Ukraine, who won the competition in 2021 with Go_A and their song Shum. As Ukraine could not host the event due to the conflict on its territory, the UK offered to be the host country and chose Liverpool as the host city.
The evening was hosted by Graham Norton and Kateryna Osadcha, who were both humorous and complimentary. The theme of this year's event was United By Music, a slogan that was intended to be unifying and optimistic after the Covid-19 health crisis.
Highlights of the evening included:
The energetic and festive performance by Australia, who entered the competition for the eighth time with the band Voyager and their song Promise. Australia finished in second place with 456 points.
The Beatles tribute from the UK, who chose Mae Muller to represent the host country with her song I Wrote A Song. The young British artist sang on a stage decorated with a replica of the famous Abbey Road pedestrian crossing. She came in a respectable sixth place with 231 points.
ABBA's surprise appearance during the intermission show. The legendary Swedish group, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision victory with Waterloo, performed two songs from their new album Voyage: I Still Have Faith In You and Don't Shut Me Down. A magical moment that delighted fans around the world.
Eurovision 2023 will therefore go down in history as an edition rich in emotions and surprises, which confirmed Sweden's domination of the contest and tarnished France's image.
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