This year’s memorable competition took place in Liverpool yester with 26 countries and their fans descending upon the city’s M&S Bank Arena in the hope of snatching Eurovision glory.
It was anyone’s guess who would take home the trophy, with a strong turnout from many countries including France, Italy, Finland and Norway. Suddenly, the bookies’ frontrunner – Sweden’s Loreen – was no longer looking like such a sure thing.
However, after a tense showdown in the public votes, which temporarily sent Finland to the top of the leaderboard, Loreen proved the bookies right and emerged triumphant thanks to a stunning performance of her song “Tattoo”.
The Stockholm-born singer is the second ever contestant to win Eurovision twice, following in the footsteps of Irish singer Johnny Logan who won the song contest in 1980 and 1987.
Following closely behind Sweden was Finland’s Kaarija and Israel’s Noa Kirel, who placed second and third, respectively.
The UK hosted the competition on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine, who were unable to host due to their ongoing war with Russia who remain banned from participating in the musical event.
It was as lively an atmosphere as ever thanks to a glorious trio of hosts: Alesha Dixon, Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, who once again won over viewers with her fluent French skills.
This story is from the May 14, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the May 14, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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JOSH PAYNE
