Eurovision
JoJo Siwa is ready for the world’s stage. According to the 21-year-old star, Poland is considering her to represent the country in the next Eurovision Song Contest — and she’s totally down to do it. The Dance Moms alum shared the news while getting ready to head to the airport in a recent TikTok video, […]
With their groundbreaking anthem to gender nonconformity “The Code,” Swiss pop artist Nemo transformed from a lesser-known European artist to a bona fide global star in a matter of weeks.
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That’s in no small part thanks to their participation in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, which they won on May 11, 2024. “I remember being on that sofa, hearing the jury votes and just being in a state of complete confusion,” they tell Billboard. “It was incredible. And it was really meaningful because I feel like this kind of [opportunity] doesn’t really happen for Switzerland that often. We have such a great scene and so many amazing artists, so I’m really happy that this puts a spotlight on Swiss music.”
Nemo is eager to share that spotlight with the nonbinary community, both in Switzerland and across the world. “It can be hard to stay hopeful when bad things keep happening to our community over and over again,” they say. “But this helps me feel like there are finally things to be hopeful about.”
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FOUNDATION
Nemo’s career started from a place of sheer curiosity. At age nine, the singer found a flyer in their hometown advertising open auditions for a youth opera and joined. After one performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, they came to a realization: “I love being on a stage.” Nemo went on to perform in a number of operas and even landed a role in a musical in Zurich, all of which helped hone their vocal skills and educate them on writing lyrics. In 2015, they self-released Clownfisch, an EP of songs written in Swiss German. But soon after its release, Nemo realized that writing and performing songs in their native dialect could only get them so far. “Swiss German is great, but it is also a tiny language,” they say. “If I wanted to open my playing field and collaborate with more people, I needed to start writing in English.”
DISCOVERY
After a decade spent jumping between boutique indie labels, Nemo decided to submit a song to Eurovision 2024 — but knew they needed someone “to direct that water.” They reached out to multiple major labels and found what they were looking for at Universal Music Group. Soon after, Nemo submitted an original song, “The Code,” which fittingly interpolates The Magic Flute. The frenetic, operatic track won Eurovision’s top prize by 44 points over the favorite to win, Croatia’s Baby Lasagna. In taking home the trophy, Nemo became the first nonbinary performer to win Eurovision — and has since watched “The Code” become their first charting hit, climbing to Nos. 21 and 52 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200 charts, respectively. “Jumping into the cold water that is Eurovision meant learning how to swim while everyone was watching,” they say.
FUTURE
With so much momentum, Nemo is resolute in making the most of their moment. Following the “very time-consuming” process of curating their Eurovision performance, Nemo has now been spending a significant amount of time in the studio. “The last couple of days, I’ve worked with some amazing writers and producers, and we have so many songs that I want to share,” they say, beaming. “A lot of exciting things are finally happening.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the June 22, 2024, issue of Billboard.
The four members of the Swedish pop quartet ABBA, who triumphed at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the peppy love song “Waterloo,” on Friday (May 31) got one of the most prestigious knighthoods in Sweden from the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The Order of the Vasa was handed out for the first time in almost 50 years. Agnetha Faltskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad became “Commander of the First Class” of the order for “very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life.”
Sweden has several orders, including the Royal Order of Seraphim, which is awarded to heads of state and foreign royals, and the Royal Order of the Polar Star that is given to foreign citizens and stateless persons.
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The Royal Order of Vasa, which is given in recognition of personal efforts for Sweden or for Swedish interests as well as the successful performance of public duties and assignments, was dormant until late 2022, when it was reactivated after regulations opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again.
Earlier this year, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government and the king approved the nominees that included the four ABBA members.
The orders were awarded during a solemn ceremony at the Royal Palace in the gilded Vita Havet Assembly Rooms. The monarch handed them the order in a red box while a diploma was given to them by Queen Silvia.
”The order you get today today is Sweden’s thanks for your exceptional efforts,” the monarch said before handing out orders to “13 exceptional Swedes.”
Andersson, Faltskog, Lyngstad, who now uses the last name Reuss walked up using a cane, and Ulvaeus received the order in an event that was aired live on Swedish media.
The Eurovision victory turned ABBA into a pop juggernaut, by far the most successful band to win the pan-continental music contest. ABBA’s melodic disco pop sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide. The stage musical Mamma Mia! based on its songs is 25 years old and spawned two movies.
Coincidentally, the 2024 Eurovision was held in southern Sweden. Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th contest with “The Code,” an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity.
The Swedish band members have not performed together live for four decades, but released a comeback album, Voyage, in 2021. The digital “ABBA-tars” opened in London in 2022.
Two other receipients were two 2023 Nobel Prize winners: French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, and Svante Pääbo, who won the coveted award in physics and medicine. They were both made Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star for “outstanding research efforts.”
Another edition of Eurovision Song Contest – the pan-European Olympics of pop songwriting – has come and gone, but the competition’s impact lingers, with six songs appearing on the May 25-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Nemo’s “The Code” won for Switzerland and leads all charting songs, debuting at No. 21, while also cracking the Billboard Global 200 at No. 52.
“The Code” arrives with 21.6 million streams worldwide, 20.8 million of which, or 96%, were from outside the U.S., May 10-16, according to Luminate. It crowns Billboard’s Switzerland Songs, while placing in the top 10 on rankings reflecting activity in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg and Sweden.
Eurovision runner-up Baby Lasanga’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, representing Croatia, and fourth-place finisher Slimane’s “Mon Amour” (France) also debut on both global charts. The former is new at No. 64 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 139 on the Global 200, and the latter starts at Nos. 61 and 144, respectively.
Plus, third-place finalist “Teresa & Maria” by Alyona Alyona and Jerry (Ukraine) hits Global Excl. U.S. at No. 130 and seventh-place finisher “La Noia” by Angelina Mango (Italy) arrives one spot higher at No. 129.
One other Eurovision song appears on both global charts, but you won’t find it on the competition’s leaderboard. Joost’s “Europapa,” representing the Netherlands, was disqualified from competing after the singer threatened Eurovision’s production crew. The ban may have helped spur global consumption, as its No. 24 re-entry on Global Excl. U.S. comes just below the winning track’s debut, and it leads the Eurovision pack on the Global 200, one spot above “The Code,” at No. 51.
The global success of Joost’s entry, particularly on the Global 200, were U.S. sales and streams are part of the chart’s equation, is unique. On average, this year’s six Eurovision tracks drew 3.65% of their worldwide streams from the U.S. in the frame following the competition’s close, in line with last year’s 3.58%. But “Europapa” is an outlier, more than doubling that average. Of 23 million streams worldwide in the tracking week, 7.44% come from the U.S., marking the highest domestic share of any Eurovision song to have hit the global charts since 2021. The song’s spiked American activity is notable since its lyrics are in Dutch (while “The Code” is performed in English).
The total tally of six Global Excl. U.S.-charting songs improves upon the four from Eurovision’s 2023 haul and matches 2022’s six. Still, 2021’s competition remains unmatched with seven, including Måneskin, which won for Italy with “Zitti E Buoni.” That song got as high as No. 10 but proved an appetizer for the group’s “I Wanna Be Your Slave” and “Beggin,” which climbed to Nos. 8 and 2, respectively, later that year.
Defying the odds, Switzerland won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with “The Code” by Nemo on Saturday (May 11) at the Malmö Arena in Sweden. It’s the perfect bookend as Switzerland won the very first competition in 1956 with “Refrain” by Lys Assia. This is the European nation’s third win and the first since Celine Dion claimed victory with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” in 1988.
Croatia was tipped to take the 2024 crown, and in the end, it did come down to the two countries vying for first place. Switzerland took a commanding lead with the jury vote, which is always announced first. Adding in the audience votes at the end usually provides for a dramatic ending, and it could have gone either way, but Switzerland collected enough points from the public to maintain its lead. It would have been Croatia’s first win out of 29 tries; it is the country’s best result to date, after three top five finishes — in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Nemo, who identifies as non-binary, received the microphone-shaped glass trophy from the hands of Loreen, who won Eurovision in 2023 for Sweden with “Tattoo.” Nemo has been releasing music in Switzerland since 2015. They competed on Switzerland’s version of The Masked Singer in 2021-22 and was unveiled as the Panda in fifth place.
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It was a Eurovision Song Contest with more drama than in recent memory. Joost Klein from the Netherlands was disqualified after the semi-finals because of an alleged backstage incident. Alanna Mele, designated to be the spokesperson to give Norway’s jury points on air, withdrew the day of the final with a statement that ended with “Free Palestine.” Slimane from France unexpectedly stopped his performance during Saturday afternoon’s (May 11) dress rehearsal for a message of love and peace. Bambie Thug from Ireland protested to the European Broadcasting Union about remarks from the Israeli commentator and missed one of her rehearsals.
One of the biggest questions of the night was whether would ABBA appear, 50 years after giving Sweden its first Eurovision victory with “Waterloo.” While the four members did not appear in person in Malmö, they were represented by their avatars in London, where the virtual show Voyage has been playing for two years. While most of their dialog about their Eurovision win was directly from the show, they did add comments wishing everyone well in Malmö.
Nemo’s win means that Switzerland will host Eurovision in 2025. Cities in that nation can vie to host. Switzerland previously hosted Eurovision in Lugano and Lausanne.
The top 10 countries for Eurovision 2024 and their combined points from the jury and public votes are:
Switzerland, 591
Croatia, 547
Ukraine, 453
France, 445
Israel, 375
Ireland, 278
Italy, 268
Armenia, 183
Sweden, 174
Portugal, 152
Norway finished last with 16 points. The U.K. entry “Dizzy” by Ollie Alexander, did not fare well with the juries, receiving 46 points, but completely failed with the public, being the only nation to receive zero points from viewers voting by telephone, website, SMS and the Eurovision app.
The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest live broadcasts aren’t just about the competing songs. There are flashbacks to past shows, interstitial material and most important, performances by some of the host country’s most beloved artists.
One of Sweden’s brightest stars turned in a tour-de-force performance this week in the first semi-final for Eurovision 2024. Benjamin Ingrosso performed a seven-minute medley of some of his best songs, including his new single, “Look Who’s Laughing Now.”
Ingrosso has a multi-year history with Eurovision. When he was 8 years old, he competed in the Lilla Melodifestivalen for younger artists in 2006 and won. In 2017 he competed in Sweden’s national final with the song “Good Lovin’” but did not win and did not advance to Eurovision. It was a whole different story in 2018 when Ingrosso’s “Dance You Off” won Melodifestivalen and opened the door for him to compete in Eurovision that year.
Billboard met up with Ingrosso at the Malmö Arena to talk about this year’s Eurovision, his new album and what happened when he sang “Wild World” in front of Cat Stevens.
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What is it like for you coming back to Eurovision but not competing?
It’s a very nice thing to come back and not compete, because you don’t win and you don’t lose. You can just go up on stage and have fun. But for me, the biggest difference is that when I was here six years ago, I was a younger, almost a completely different artist. I was 21 and now I’m 26 and I’ve been on tour a lot and I think I have evolved as an artist. People who have not seen me since 2018 will see me as a different performer, and I do believe I’m more of a performer now. Back then I was just an artist singing a song, but now I’m an entertainer. At least, that is what I’m aiming for.
I saw your rehearsal and you’re definitely a performer.
I’ve been working hard to get where I am today. I always love to work on every little thing I do. I really want to become better. Back in 2018, I did like a music video kind of number and this is the opposite. This is more of a live pop show. I’ll be on stage with 21 people for a seven-minute medley of my recent songs.
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Describe the work you put into your performance.
Covid stopped everything from happening, but I worked a lot during the pandemic. I released a lot of music in Sweden. Since my Eurovision participation in 2018, I’ve released four studio albums and three live albums. I’ve done a TV show. I’ve done concerts and tours, so I think I’ve been evolving both as a human being and also as an artist.
What advice would you give yourself if you went back in time to when you were performing on Lilla Melodifestivalen?
I would just give him a big hug and say, “I’m proud of you.” I sent a video to my mom last night from the rehearsals and I said, “Imagine if I could go back in time and show the 8-year-old me this number, he would be so proud.” This is like a full circle moment. When I was a kid, I loved John Travolta and tonight I will be on stage in a white John Travolta suit, so I’m doing this for the little kid I was.
Tell me about your new single.
I just released “Honey Boy” last week with the Purple Disco Machine and Nile Rodgers and Shenseea and that song is one of my favorite songs ever. I wrote the chorus two years ago and we’ve been working on it for a while. I performed it last summer on my tour, so my core fans have been asking for this song for a long time. That song will be the end of the medley. I also premiere a new song tonight, “Look Who’s Laughing Now,” and that song will be out this month on May 31.
Did you write “Look Who’s Laughing Now”?
I wrote it in Los Angeles with David Stewart and Jessica Agombar. They had a number one in Billboard. We’re talking the younger David Stewart [not the Eurhythmics Dave Stewart]. They did “Dynamite” with BTS. He just finished Shakira’s new album. He’s supremely talented. We were in Westlake Studios for four days and on the fourth day, the guy that works in the studio asked if I wanted a tour of the place. I walked past Michael Jackson’s gloves and a painting. “Wait a minute. Why are there Michael Jackson pictures everywhere?” “He did Thriller here.” And I said, “And you’re telling me this now? I’ve been here for four days. This could have been inspiration!” But it turned out to be a great song that starts with a Queenish/ABBA beat. There’s some energy in that studio.
Are you working on a new album?
Yes. I’ve been on my first European tour. It is sold out, and I’ve been so blessed to be able to do a European tour for the first time in my career. And on that tour, I’ve been doing 80% new songs, teasing the next album. I did not tell anyone before, because I thought that people wouldn’t buy tickets if it was only songs that they never heard. But to be honest, I made people sing along in a weird way. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, people could learn the songs before the show.
Any plans to do more recording in America for this upcoming album?
I might go back in September after the tour to finish a couple songs. Before Covid, I used to go to Los Angeles often. I think for the next album, I will be doing maybe 80% of the songs in Los Angeles, because I’ve been working with a lot of great songwriters and producers.
The European tour is over, so what is next?
The European tour lasted a month. The new tour is in Scandinavia and it’s on a much larger scale. We’re 12 people on stage. There are 45 people in the crew, so it’s a massive production. We’re playing Stockholm in August in a stadium, which is has a capacity of 30,000. It’s my biggest show ever in my career so far, so that’s going to be cool.
Any thoughts of trying to break into America?
100%. That’s my goal and it’s been my goal ever since I was a kid, although when I was 8 years old, I wanted to become a Broadway musical artist. I did musicals, but that changed and then when I was a teenager, I wanted to become the next David Foster and now I’m really aiming for a global tour in the future.
Marcus and Martinus from Norway are representing Sweden this year Have you given them any advice about performing on the Eurovision stage?
We talked yesterday. I was in the bathroom on the toilet and I heard the guys coming in and I said one word in Norwegian and they said, “Benjamin?” I asked how they could hear what I was saying. They replied, “We’ve been listening to ‘Honey Boy’ for 24 hours. So we recognized your voice in a second.” We talked about the fact that it’s a three-minute performance, so make sure you enjoy those three minutes because they go like this[finger snap]. I told them to have fun and enjoy it and not take it too seriously. To win Melodifestivalen is already a big achievement. It is pretty hard for a country to win Eurovision twice in a row [Sweden won in 2023 with “Tatttoo” by Loreen]. I told them that we’re all proud of them.
I was seated at a table closest to the stage at the Polar Music Prize in 2023 when Chris Blackwell was a Laureate, so I had a close-up view of you singing “Wild World.” What was it like when Cat Stevens rose out of his seat and walked on stage to embrace you?
It was insane. First of all, I had rehearsals the whole day for the tour, so I had one hour to jump into the car, put on my clothes, walk up on stage, sing the song and then all of a sudden, people were standing and I just turned around and Cat Stevens was there, right next to me, hugging me. It was a great night. The day after, I thought, “What happened yesterday? Did I hug Cat Stevens?” It was so cool. And then I performed the song on my tour and I never expected it to become such a big thing. A lot of older artists from his generation came up to me in Sweden and they were saying things like, “Well, Cat Stevens gave you a big hug. That’s impressive.”
We couldn’t tell from the floor — when he was hugging you, did he say anything in your ear?
He said nothing to me, but I saw him interviewed by the host and he said, “That guy is really talented. I really want to work with him.” Just the fact that he said that was pretty dope.
With less than four hours to go before the live grand final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, developments on the ground in Malmö, Sweden, are heating up at a fast pace. During the third dress rehearsal for the grand final, still in progress at Malmö Arena, the singer from France stopped his performance to […]
Eric Lehman from Luxembourg started out as a Eurovision fan, attending his first contest in Birmingham, England, in 1998 after Katrina & the Waves claimed victory in 1997 with “Love Shine a Light.” Eventually, Lehman became a journalist, reporting for various outlets in his home country, even though the Grand Duchy dropped out of the contest in 1994.
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Nine years later, when the song contest was held in Riga, Latvia, Lehman stayed an extra day.
“I invited a close friend of mine to come over to my hotel room to have coffee. We discussed the possible return of Luxembourg. At that point, we had not participated for 10 years. My friend said, ‘Why don’t you try to reach out to let them know what the benefits are, of coming back and participating in the Eurovision Song Contest? You are well equipped with all your Eurovision knowledge, and you have all these contacts. Why don’t you reach out and tell them if they need a head of delegation, you are the perfect choice.’ I was very reluctant because I thought I would be too young for this. He said, ‘No, just go and suggest it.’”
Fast forward to 2024. Lehman’s accreditation badge lists his name and title: head of delegation.
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There are not a lot of things fans of the Eurovision Song Contest hate about the long-running, pan-European competition – but one of them is when countries drop out. But as much as they dislike when that happens, they love it when they return.
The small European nation was there at the very beginning of Eurovision in 1956, one of seven countries in that inaugural broadcast. Luxembourg consistently returned to the contest every year through 1993, only missing 1959.
Things went south in 1994. Seven new countries were admitted, bringing the total number of entrants who wanted to take part to 32, too many for one broadcast. A relegation system was implemented and the six lowest scoring countries in the 1993 contest were out. Goodbye Belgium, Israel, Denmark, Slovenia, Turkey and Luxembourg. Italy voluntarily withdrew.
All of those nations did return, sooner or later. But not Luxembourg – until now.
Eric Lehman was 10 years old in 1988. “I watched Eurovision with my family,” he tells Billboard. “My father was working for RTL, the national broadcaster in Luxembourg, and he had worked on the 1984 contest, the last time Luxembourg hosted [after a 1983 win with “Si La Vie Est Cadeau” by Corinne Hermès]. As a kid, I was allowed to stay awake until very late in the night because the show would end at midnight CET. We were represented in 1988 by Lara Fabian, who went on to become a big star. It was the same year that Celine Dion sang for Switzerland. Lara was in the lead, so I was really enthusiastic. I thought we might win. I like geography and hearing different languages and I enjoy music and TV production, so Eurovision was giving me everything I wanted.”
In 1998, with access to the Internet to purchase a ticket, Lehman traveled to Birmingham by himself to be in the audience for the first time. “I met so many people and became a member of the local fan club and went on to be president in 2000. There are 42 branches today.”
Lehman’s next step was to cover Eurovision for Luxembourg media, including RTL, Radio Luxembourg and local newspapers. Then he became a member of various delegations over the years, including Lithuania, Turkey and France. He also returned as a journalist for Luxembourg television.
All this time, Lehman was determined to bring Luxembourg back into the Eurovision fold. “I fought very hard. I wanted to be the face of Eurovision in Luxembourg. I staged annual charity fundraisers for Televie, a TV marathon that collects funds to fight against cancer and leukemia. They were all Eurovision-themed, which is how we made Eurovision popular again at home.”
Lehman was at the contest in Turin (2022) and Liverpool (2023) and did “massive coverage” for RTL. “I started a big campaign with our previous prime minister, Xavier Bettel.” Lehman and Bettel were granted a one-hour meeting with RTL CEO Christophe Goossens.
“It took me three weeks to prepare this presentation. I got in touch with 14 heads of delegation, EBU staff and former contest producers, to find all the information we would need in order to know what it takes to join Eurovision and what the costs are.”
Lehman, who says he doesn’t even sweat at the gym, could feel drops of water running down his spine during the presentation. “I knew that this was the moment. If we didn’t convince them now, we never would. We explained what the benefits are, that Eurovision has a large audience, especially young people 15 to 29. That is very interesting for them. And it’s not about the three minutes on stage. It’s a good thing for the entire country – nation branding, creating new music, promoting and showcasing new local talents and allowing a team of singers and composers to work with foreign composers and record labels. It’s a way to expand your music industry to the rest of the world.”
Not long after, Lehman got a call from RTL asking if he would he take on the job of head of delegation for Luxembourg’s return to Eurovision.
Thus began a search for candidates to represent the country after a 31-year gap. “We proceeded to the selection process with a nationally televised contest. We received over 500 entries. From that field, we selected 70 songs to audition. And from those 70, we chose eight singers to compete in a national final.”
One of those eight performers was Tali, an Israeli-born singer who had been living in Luxembourg. She was in New York studying theater when Lehman called and asked if she would consider representing Luxembourg in Eurovision.
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And what of the friend who told Lehman he should pursue his dream all those years ago?
“Last year when I was appointed HOD, I knew I needed to find him. We had not been in touch for years because he stopped coming to Eurovision in 2007. I didn’t have his phone number or email address. I checked Facebook and other social media and couldn’t find him. Then I traveled to Malmö. I was in the lobby of the official delegation hotel on the day of the opening ceremony and I saw him after 17 years. I got up and I said, ‘Do you remember me? I’m Eric from Luxembourg.’ He immediately recognized me and we talked for a while and later at dinner I showed him my badge and said, ‘Remember what we said back then in 2003 in the hotel room?’ He started crying and I told him, ‘I was looking for you because I wanted to tell you that your idea and my dream have come true. I have become head of delegation of Luxembourg and I brought the country back.’ Can you imagine? Twenty-one years later, it happened. It’s quite a coincidence because he hadn’t attended the contest for 17 years. And just when I was thinking about him, there he was.”
Tali will sing “Fighter” for Luxembourg in the grand final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. She is fourth in the running order. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the four-hour live broadcast on Saturday, May 11 at 3 p.m. ET.
Joost Klein, the Netherlands’ representative in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, is being investigated by the European Broadcasting Union for an “incident.” No details have been made public yet, but Klein is suspended from rehearsals. It is not known if he will be able to continue in the competition.
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The EBU statement did not shine much light on the situation: “We are investigating an incident reported to us concerning the Dutch artist. He will not be rehearsing until further notice. We have no further comment at this time and will update in due course.”
The second dress rehearsal for the grand final is now underway at the Malmö Arena in Sweden. The Netherlands is in fifth position. Nothing will seem amiss in the venue. SVT, the Swedish TV broadcaster, will use Klein’s rehearsal from semi-final 2 unless the incident is cleared up in the next few minutes. The EBU is in talks with Dutch broadcaster Avrotros.
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The broadcast begins with the traditional “flag parade,” with the artists striding on the stage in performance order. Klein appeared in the ceremony in the first dress rehearsal on Friday (May 10) afternoon. When it was time for him to perform, his stage props were being set up on stage when they were suddenly removed. He was absent from the evening rehearsal flag ceremony. The voiceover announcer proclaimed, “Netherlands,” but no one appeared to show off the nation’s flag.
The dress rehearsal currently underway is an important one; the national juries are watching and will cast their votes tonight.
While details about the incident are not known, Billboard got wind of speculation that there was a backstage incident between Klein and someone working on the show — but cannot confirm anything. There was tension between Klein and Israel’s singer, Eden Golan, at a Thursday (May 9) night press conference for the 10 qualifying countries in semi-final 2. Golan was asked if her presence at the contest presented a security risk.
The moderator told Golan she need not answer, and Klein shouted out, “Why not?” Golan then voluntarily said that the EBU was committed to a safe and inclusive environment for all. The assembled press corps burst into applause.
Israel follows Netherlands in the running order, so it is likely that the two artists were in close proximity during the afternoon rehearsal.
This is a developing story.
Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden in 2012 with “Euphoria”; she competed in 2023 with “Tattoo,” and she won again — making her the only woman to claim two victories in Eurovision history. (She’s also one of two people to accomplish this: Johnny Logan won for Ireland in 1980 and 1987 and then again as a songwriter in 1992.)
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When she takes the Eurovision stage on Saturday (May 11) at the Malmö Arena in Sweden to sing a medley that includes her new single, “Forever,” she will do so as the undisputed queen of the 68-year-old contest. Expect an overwhelming ovation from the 15,000 people in the venue.
This week, Loreen announced her 2025 U.K. and European tour, kicking off in Netherlands on Feb. 15 with 20 stops across Europe before she makes her way to Birmingham, England, on March 17, followed by a headline show at London’s Eventim Apollo on 19 March before continuing onto Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, then wrapping up in Dublin at 3Olympia Theatre on March 27.
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But first Loreen will headline Birmingham Pride 2024, the Isle of Wight Festival, Stirling Summer Sessions and Manchester Pride. She will also play major festivals in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany.
Billboard took the half-hour train ride from Malmö to Copenhagen to sit down with Loreen and talk about her new release, her Eurovision triumphs and her time on Sweden’s version of Idol.
Let’s start with the present day and talk about your new single, “Forever,” released today (May 10). I’ve heard it described as “spiritual pop.”
That was not me making it up. People are calling it that because I have always been speaking about the importance of sound and music and how spiritual it is and what it does to people – how it can transform a feeling. You can be in a certain state of mind when you listen to a song and all of a sudden, you’re in a different one. It’s very powerful if used the right way. I have also talked about frequencies and how I create music. I’m very much aware of these different waves and what it does, and chakras, how we open up and how we cleanse and transform energy. All music is spiritual for me. It is the common language. So yes, I do love that title, “spiritual pop.” It says a little bit about what music is. Music can cleanse and handle pain. We can use sound for a lot of things. My tribe, when they’re in sorrow, when somebody has passed away, there is a certain move and a certain sound you do. Sometimes when people cry, they have deep pain, they make a certain sound.
It seems like there is a connection between “Forever” and your Eurovision winner, “Tattoo.”
The song “Tattoo,” and the whole performance, is a representation of life. Pain, love, struggles, up-and-down life, the journey of life. Because you saw a lot of emotions there. There was masculine, there was feminine, there was vulnerability, all of that that is human. “Forever” is like the last chapter. What’s the conclusion? The conclusion is love. When you’ve seen all of that, you’ve accepted the pain. You’ve accepted everything. Love is what everything is about. Because everything is energy. That’s physics. Let’s just skip the spiritual and speak about quantum physics. Everything is everything. There is no separation. If we are waves, that means if I generate positive energy, it’s going to affect you. Love is the only thing we get to keep with us when we pass on to the next life or whatever we do.
The funny thing is that I didn’t have the song before I had the narrative. I knew that I was going to perform it [in Eurovision] and I felt in my body that this is an opportunity. This is an important moment, because 200 million people are connected to this. It’s a pretty huge gathering, so I knew exactly what I needed to say. I went into the studio with the performance in my head. All the details you’ll see on Saturday.
You have all the knowledge within you. You don’t have to go and look for it. You just have to trust it. That’s how my creative process works. I take the microphone and I just sing without any judgment and then certain sentences come out and I listen back to it.
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Was the starting point for “Forever” the melody, the lyrics or the harmonies?
I had the narrative. I knew this was going to be a declaration of love. Love is key. How is it going to be presented? It usually starts with the harmonies. It’s pretty simple; I sing by the piano. Now we have a pattern, and from there, it’s just singing. A free start from beginning to end. And everything came almost in one take. Of course, we tweaked it a little.
You’ve competed twice in Eurovision, but Saturday night you will be on that stage and no one will be voting. Will it feel different than when you were in a contest?
With “Tattoo” I managed to block out the fact that it was a competition. I worked really hard to block that out, because if I had those thoughts in my head that I was in a competition, that would totally distract and disturb my energy. So I have a way thinking, “It doesn’t exist.” I do it purposely. My team didn’t talk about the competition. I did other things. The only thing that mattered was generating my energy and sending it out. I don’t like the word pressure. I like the word important. This moment is important to me, because I understand what it can do. I have a huge respect for the fact that there are millions of people spending their valuable time watching this. What I’m going to feel is very focused and very much love, definitely. I can tell you that I practiced even more for this song then I did with “Tattoo.” You’ll see what I mean.
Compare your “Euphoria” experience with your “Tattoo” experience. With 11 years in between the two Eurovision performances, were they very different?
Extremely different. “Euphoria” was the first step for me. I mean, I hadn’t performed in front of an audience like that before. It was the first time I decided to rely on my intuition. And if you look at “Euphoria,” you’ll see sometimes I was there. People said, “Oh, Loreen is mysterious.” Yes, but I was shy. I was in and out, like you could see me, you couldn’t see me. That was a representation of where I was as a person. “Euphoria” prepared me for “Tattoo,” because 11 years later, did I trust my intuition? Completely and fully. Do I have to understand what my intuition is telling me? No. I will follow it anyway. And if you compare “Euphoria” to “Tattoo,” “Euphoria” was very mysterious. “Tattoo” was very light, very open about everything. It told the truth without being scared. It’s showing love without being scared. Those 11 years were necessary. It made a huge difference.
In 2004 you were a contestant on the first season of Idol in Sweden. Did that prepare you to be on a larger stage, like Eurovision?
Idol was very interesting for me. It was educational. Because I was a spiritual kid, I sang from a very sacred place. I didn’t think I was going to be an artist. That was not my idea. It was just a sanctuary, a safe space. Idol came with all these rules. It was an energy I wasn’t used to, but it was so important for me. They told us, “This is right. This is wrong. Stand like this.” At that time in my life, it confused me, which was a good thing. It was such an important lesson because after Idol, I knew I needed to learn all these things. I needed to learn about my voice. I needed to learn about producing. Idol shook me in a good way. I didn’t feel it then. It’s always like that, isn’t it? Without Idol, I don’t see how that process could’ve started. I was thinking, “I’m going to make it on my own. I’m going to start understanding things.” Looking back, I’d like to thank Idol for being such a big teacher for me, pushing me in the right direction. It’s good to get feedback sometimes and ask, “What am I?”
Loreen will perform on the grand final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the four-hour live broadcast on Peacock at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 11.