Eurovision Song Contest

On May 14th, Ukraine was crowned the winner Saturday of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, a songwriting competition that brought together several European nations and streamed on Peacock Live. The winning Ukrainian band, Kalush Orchestra, benefitted from a last-minute wave of 439 votes from the television audience, which launched the nation to first place with a total 631 votes. While their song, “Stefania,” was initially written as a tribute to the frontman’s mother, it soon became an anthem for the war-torn country.

The remaining artists who placed in the Top Five were: 

  1. United Kingdom (466 votes): Sam Ryder, “Spaceman”
  2. Spain (459 votes): Chanel, “SloMo”
  3. Sweden (438 votes): Cornelia Jakobs, “Hold Me Closer”
  4. Serbia (312 votes): Konstrakta, “In Corpore Sano”

Ukraine plans to host the Eurovision Song Contest next year in the war-devastated city of Mariupol.