The eccentricities of Eurovision and why you should watch it





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What exactly is Eurovision?

From metal bands with members decked out in horrific monster get-ups, complete with wings sprouting out from backs, to mascots of a giant middle finger being waved around at the audience while the lead singer belts out a jaunty tune of “I don’t feel hate”, the Eurovision Song Contest simply has it all—the weird, the unimaginable, the absolute ridiculousness. Eurovision is an annual international song competition, mostly featuring European countries with some exceptions, such as Australia, Israel, and a few others. While it may be unfamiliar and foreign to most of us, Eurovision is actually extremely popular, especially in Europe, and has helped rocket many beloved and popular artists into international stardom, including the likes of Celine Dion and ABBA! 

Features that separate Eurovision from the rest

Say yes to the unconventional 

Personally, what I find most intriguing about Eurovision is that unlike many of the song contests or talent shows today, Eurovision is all about celebrating the eccentric and being proud of your own country and who you are. Fan favourites and the better performing acts are usually those that involve unconventional outfits and unconventional beats, typically featuring lyrics in their own national language. This year (2023), the fan’s favourite and first runner-up, is a Finnish singer and rapper, Käärijä. He sang in Finnish and was quite the icon with his bowl-cut, puffy neon green bolero and spiked collar. The song, “Cha Cha Cha”, is described to be a fusion of rap, electronic music, metal and schlager, a sure-fire party anthem that will get hearts thumping and heads banging. His performance first starts off with him punching through a wooden crate that he is trapped in, while he sings in a low, husky tone. A club-like atmosphere is immediately set up as strobe lights flash in blinding green and white. As the music progresses, four other dancers, decked out in hot pink and leashed to a hook, join him. The dancing mostly involved ridiculous moves and extreme head banging, with a memorable moment where they assumed a human-centipede-like position while Käärijä sat on their backs. The performance eventually came to an end with a line that accurately summed everything up: “it’s party, it’s crazy.” Overall, his performance is akin to a masterful acid trip of flamboyance, power and raw energy that got the crowd absolutely losing their minds, screaming “Cha Cha Cha” while waving the flags of their own respective countries in a show of support for Finland. 

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Source: Who is Käärijä? Meet Finland’s Eurovision 2023 entry

Cheer for your culture

Another reason why I love Eurovision is that it is able to elevate local artists to international fame. It helps to celebrate and introduce various cultures and languages, bringing people together to have fun despite their differences. Popularising songs with local flavours and languages helps to mix things up in the global music industry, which is important and refreshing as the music industry today is largely dominated by English songs. The wide appeal of Eurovision also goes to show that we can enjoy a song perfectly well without having to understand the language as music goes beyond words, and is something innate. 

One such example is Go_A, a Ukrainian folktronica band that performed their hit song, “Shum”, at the 2021 Eurovision song contest. “Shum” incorporates a Ukrainian folklore about a traditional ritual performed in spring, and was wildly popular among the viewers, placing second in fan favourites. From costumes to the props used, just about everything in the performance has cultural significance and meaning. All in all, “Shum” is an electrifying blend of culture and futurism, reminiscent of a cult-like ritual that screams power while also being the perfect song for a rave.  

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Source: Go_A answered our questions

An act above the rest

An act that I’d like to highlight simply because of how much of a global sensation they became, is the Italian rock band Måneskin. In the 2021 Eurovision song contest, Måneskin performed their song “Zitti E Buoni”, which gained international acclaim. After Eurovision, Måneskin even went on to win multiple awards such as the American Music Awards and was even nominated for the Grammy’s for the Best New Artist category. 

A reason why the group gained such traction is because of their raw energy and confidence. Decked out in 1970s-inspired flared leather ensembles, they are the essence of flamboyant, 1970s-meets-2000s glam rock. To think that a small Italian rock band can achieve such heights in not only the rock industry but also in the larger music industry, is nothing short of legendary. Their Eurovision performance truly is a masterful display of individuality, and is a reminder to the world that “rock and roll never dies”, as the band has so nicely put it. 

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Source: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Måneskin On Redefining Success, Staying Inspired & Honouring Italy

Say no to culture cringe 

Another thing that struck me about Eurovision is the pride all the countries have for their local artists, which is a stark contrast to how we feel about our own local talent in Singapore. Culture cringe, defined as the perception that one’s own culture is inferior to that of another group or country, is wildly common in Singapore. Say, can you actually name 5 local artists in Singapore? I doubt so. Local music in Singapore is often dubbed as distasteful and inauthentic due to our local accents. It is quite disheartening to see us Singaporeans look down on our own local talent, making mocking or self-deprecating jokes at everything made in Singapore, be it music or other forms of media, like films and books. It doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be like that, as clearly proven by Eurovision. We should embrace and celebrate our differences and be proud of ourselves. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, Eurovision is more than just a song competition; it is about unity and the celebration of cultures. Also, it’s just a generally fun watch with moments that will make you appreciate the stupid, the wild and the beauty of insanity. For instance, Italy’s entry in 2017, Occidentali’s Karma by Francesco Gabbani, featured someone in a giant gorilla suit bounding towards the singer halfway through the performance. Since the performance was a generally calm one with a smooth, catchy beat, the sudden appearance of a monkey took everyone by surprise. All in all, it is without a doubt that Eurovision will make you fall in love with music all over again. 



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