tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/eurovision-10106/articlesEurovision – The Conversation2023-05-30T20:07:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2060882023-05-30T20:07:53Z2023-05-30T20:07:53ZWhy isn’t Australian music charting on the ARIA charts?<p>The excitement generated by the 2023 Eurovision contest was palpable. Members of my family, like thousands of Australians, were awake at 5am on a Sunday to cheer on Australia’s Eurovision contenders, Perth band Voyager. Their song <a href="https://youtu.be/aqtu2GspT80">Promise</a> was the eighth Australian entry since we first competed in 2015. Seven of these entries have made the finals. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/sweden-wins-australia-ninth-in-thrilling-eurovision-final-showdown-20230512-p5d7v9.html">media coverage</a> and public engagement with Eurovision demonstrates how intensely interested we are in the international success of our musicians.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.aria.com.au/industry/news/australian-music-celebrates-four-years-of-growth">recent comments</a> made by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) CEO, Annabelle Herd, reveal a jarring discrepancy between our support for Australian musicians at Eurovision and our actual listening and spending habits. </p>
<p>Even though we spent $609.6 million on recorded music in 2022 through direct sales and streaming, a 16-year high and more than $40 million higher than 2021, we tend to neglect the music of Australians in favour of overseas artists. </p>
<p>Herd stated: </p>
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<p>the lack of a single Australian album in the ARIA Albums Chart last week alone proves the need to develop an urgent strategy […] to ensure that the growing number of Australian music lovers can connect with Australian artists.</p>
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<p>Though Kate Ceberano’s My Life is a Symphony has just this week entered the chart at number six, ARIA’s <a href="https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2023-05-22">top 50 album chart</a> demonstrates our preoccupation with the likes of huge non-Australian artists such as Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Harry Styles and others. </p>
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<h2>Cultural cringe</h2>
<p>Non-Indigenous Australians <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Currency-Companion-Music-Dance-Australia/dp/0958121311">have a history</a> of importing or “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23512424.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A4272009b6d90aea4b0c2ee111916cc83&ab_segments=&origin=&initiator=&acceptTC=1">transplanting</a>” their musical culture. </p>
<p>From <a href="https://www.nla.gov.au/collections/guide-selected-collections/williamson-collection#:%7E:text=In%201904%20Williamson%20entered%20a,Tait%20was%20the%20general%20manager">Italian opera in the 1890s</a> to the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/853189">Beatles in the 1960s</a> to Taylor Swift in the 2020s (who currently has eight albums in our top 50), our predilection for imported music is inarguable. </p>
<p>While there’s nothing wrong with cosmopolitan taste, and we should note ARIA does track the sales of Australian artists through <a href="https://www.aria.com.au/charts/">dedicated charts</a>, we must interrogate the patterns of music consumption that reveal a tendency to neglect our homegrown musicians. </p>
<p>The term “cultural cringe”, coined by AA Philips in his <a href="https://meanjin.com.au/essays/the-cultural-cringe-by-a-a-phillips/">seminal Meanjin article</a> of 1950, describes a “disease of the Australian mind” that assumes “domestic cultural product will be worse than the imported article”. </p>
<p>For much of the 20th century, overseas training or overseas acclaim was a pre-requisite for domestic acceptance of Australian artists, musicians and writers.</p>
<p>Pianist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Percy-Aldridge-Grainger">Percy Grainger</a>, considered an archetypal Australian musician, lived and worked in America for much of his life and is often remembered as an American composer. The experience of creatives like Germaine Greer, <a href="https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/7-notable-masters-of-the-queens-kings-music/">Malcolm Williamson</a> and Clive James needing to leave our shores to pursue a career in the arts is echoed in the story of a millennial singer like <a href="https://themusic.com.au/features/australian-artists-finding-success-overseas-part-one-vassy/HEsEDjEwMzI/23-11-22">Vassy</a>. </p>
<p>In a 2022 interview, Vassy describes the frustrations that led her to leave Australia to pursue opportunities in America. She describes her then-record label as not being committed to Australian performers unless they evoked a specific type of “Australiana”. </p>
<p>“So it was either you look that part and you be that Australian thing that they want or they just push American acts, like, A-list acts.” </p>
<p>Is it possible that our love of Eurovision, and our collective desire for the international acclaim that would accompany a win, has its roots in the cultural cringe? That we’d cheer our musicians overseas, but inadequately support them at home, generates a vicious cycle that prevents Australian music thriving as it should. </p>
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<h2>Pirates and streaming</h2>
<p>There may be other reasons apart from our awkward cultural history that account for the underrepresentation of Australian music on the ARIA charts. </p>
<p>Two decades ago, digital disruption in the form of filesharing sites like Napster <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Ripped/Greg-Kot/9781416547310">broke the business model</a> of the recording industry. While streaming subscriptions and the resurgence of vinyl now <a href="https://www.aria.com.au/industry/news/australian-music-celebrates-four-years-of-growth">underpin sales of recorded music</a>, the effects of disruption continue to be felt. </p>
<p>ARIA, for example, only began to <a href="https://www.aria.com.au/aria-charts-code-of-practice">include streaming</a> in its charts from 2014, with current arrangements updated as recently as March 2022 to include official content streams by logged-in YouTube users in the charts. </p>
<p>While the ARIA charts tell us a great deal about music consumption in Australia, they, like any survey, are not perfect. Musicians who independently release their music and monetise their work in non-traditional ways, such as via a following on social media, direct support through a platform like <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/music">Patreon</a> or through merchandise sales, are less likely to have their output recognised in the ARIA charts. </p>
<p>Likewise, a consumer’s use of a VPN to access music via a streaming service in an international jurisdiction may render the economic activity that results impossible to track. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/neil-youngs-ultimatum-to-spotify-shows-streaming-platforms-are-now-a-battleground-where-artists-can-leverage-power-175732">Neil Young’s ultimatum to Spotify shows streaming platforms are now a battleground where artists can leverage power</a>
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<h2>Quotas and solutions</h2>
<p>The other significant impact of the changing digital landscape is the blunting of long-standing policies designed to support Australian music making. </p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://www.cbaa.org.au/resource/codes-practice-%E2%80%93-code-5-australian-music">CBAA Code of Practice</a> requires most community radio stations to broadcast at least 25% Australian content. This requirement has over many decades fuelled a need for Australian music. Streaming services have no equivalent requirement and, as audiences increasingly migrate to these new platforms, this imperative for new Australian music wanes. </p>
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<p>The federal government has sought to <a href="https://www.arts.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-culturalpolicy-8february2023.pdf">address some of these challenges</a> via its National Cultural Policy, titled Revive. It plans to introduce legislation later this year. Australia’s music industry will likely welcome this intervention, particularly if it builds capacity and creates opportunities for Australian musicians to thrive in Australia. </p>
<p>Such policy interventions are not without hazard: <a href="https://www.jmro.org.au/index.php/mca2/article/view/84/32">my research reveals</a> that when government uses cultural policy as a political tool it distorts and ultimately stifles creative practice. Listening to musicians, addressing their needs (such as navigating the eligibility requirements for inclusion in the ARIA charts) and helping connect them to Australian audiences are key. </p>
<p>In the meantime, we should all listen to some new Australian music. Let’s make our <a href="https://www.mso.com.au/performance/2023-kate-ceberano">Kate and the MSO</a> number one!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206088/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy McKenry does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Recent coments by ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd reveal a jarring discrepancy between our support for Australian musicians and our actual listening and spending habits.Timothy McKenry, Professor of Music, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2056402023-05-17T01:37:13Z2023-05-17T01:37:13ZShowy, impractical to play, and looks like the 1980s: why we keep falling for the keytar<p>This year, Perth synth-metal band Voyager finally succeeded in their long-running dream of representing Australia at Eurovision. After multiple attempts, they were directly chosen by the post-Australia Decides <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australias-voyager-though-to-eurovision-grand-final-how-did-they-get-into-the-contest/wancd9kyf">“committious mysterious”</a> and hopped on the long haul to Liverpool. </p>
<p>They did not disappoint, making it through to the final. Their song, Promise, was voted ninth by an adoring fanbase. Not bad indeed!</p>
<p>But what even is synth-metal?</p>
<p>Traditionally, synths in metal, particularly onstage, were generally frowned upon and seen as a sign of inauthenticity. In the 1990s, I swore allegiance to baggy clothes, instrumental techno and synthesisers. The black t-shirt-wearing grunge fans worshipped guitar riffs, screamo lyrics and mosh pits. </p>
<p>We kept in our lanes and followed the rules.</p>
<p>Voyager’s proud embrace of synthesisers reject this rather 1990s separation and return metal to the melodic pomp of Van Halen’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwYN7mTi6HM">Jump</a> or Europe’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw">The Final Countdown</a>. The band can still rock hard, but like the taco ad says, “Why not both?”</p>
<p>If you were coming to the finals fresh, Promise followed the classic Eurovision three-act strategy to maximum effect. </p>
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<p>Beginning with synthesised staccato pulses playing rich harmonic progressions, it feels like a classic Euro-trance anthem, not unlike the Swedish winner, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2Fj0W4jP4">Tattoo</a>. We find lead singer Daniel Estrin onstage driving his 1980s convertible, hair half-shaved and half in luscious locks. His mysterious passenger, bathed in neon – a red keytar. </p>
<h2>A what? I haven’t seen one of those in ages!</h2>
<p>The word “keytar” is a portmanteau of keyboard and guitar. It looks like a keyboard but is hung around the neck and played like a guitar.</p>
<p>The first verse of Voyager’s song begins its ascent, “if you haven’t ever done anything like this before then you haven’t been alive”. </p>
<p>I suppose not – I really need to get out with my keytar more often, this looks like fun. </p>
<p>The keytar stays in its seat as the band rolls through stadium rock, synchronised guitar swings, hard drum hits and distorted guitar stabs. In the second act, Voyager are now death metal. </p>
<p>It’s deep growls, drop-tuned power riffs, and scattergun kick drums. The audience’s collective mind explodes. </p>
<p>After one more melodic pre-chorus, it’s time for the third and final act. With one boot threatening to scratch the duco of the car, the lead guitar solo lifts us up to melodic rock heaven. </p>
<p>But wait. For the second half, Estrin grabs the red keytar and joins in. He throttles its neck and finishes with a lightning-fast arpeggiated flourish that ELO’s Jeff Lynne would be proud of. </p>
<p>The finale repeats and ascends until we all rise to metal nirvana. A quick, traditional pyro-pop ends it all. That was truly genius! </p>
<p>The power of the keytar is restored.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/eurovision-under-the-shadow-of-war-how-the-2023-contest-highlighted-humanitarianism-empathy-and-solidarity-205468">Eurovision under the shadow of war: how the 2023 contest highlighted humanitarianism, empathy and solidarity</a>
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<h2>An instrument of mixed feelings</h2>
<p>The keytar tends to be loved or loathed. Created in the late 1970s and popularised throughout the 1980s, it looks like a product of its time. </p>
<p>Made of shiny plastic, shaped like the future, it’s showy and rather impractical to play. </p>
<p>If you want to play chords, it is easier to play them on a horizontal keyboard, like a traditional synthesiser. </p>
<p>The primary advantage of the keytar is portability and pose-striking. Like its distant ancestor, the piano accordion, a player is free to move around, finally free of the horizontal grip of gravity. </p>
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<p>Most guitarists thought of it as a joke, whereas new-wave synth players saw it as a cool accessory to their modern sound and fashion-forward hair. </p>
<p>This was the future, as viewed from 1980.</p>
<p>One early adoptor was Edgar Winter. His instrumental track <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8f-Qb-bwlU">Frankenstein</a> topped the Billboard chart in 1973. A multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, sax, percussion and keyboards, he took conventional synths and simply added shoulder straps to wear them like a guitar. </p>
<p>While this is a cool look, it is not great for the spine.</p>
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<p>The first manufactured keytars were released in the late 1970s, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mattson_(synthesizer_inventor)#The_Syntar">PMS Syntar</a> (see what they did there?) being exhibited at Atlanta’s 1979 NAMM show (National Association of Music Merchants). </p>
<p>It was a time of extremely contrasting genres that nevertheless all had synthesisers at the core of their sound. More traditional progressive rock acts such as Yes vied with the new vision of electropunk by Devo. Glam metal bands adopted its look, while synth-driven electrofunk artists could overturn conventional rock theatrics. </p>
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<h2>The fall and the rise</h2>
<p>The new, standardised MIDI language created an ecosystem that allowed musos to access any synth from any manufacturer, rather than being beholden to one. This quickly resulted in cheaper, easier-to-use synthesisers becoming more widely accessible, leading to the home recording boom we all enjoy today.</p>
<p>This bastion of the future soon became as passe as the flat-tops, mohawks and mullets of the people who played them. As we moved into the 1990s, the joyous excesses of 1980s pop bands would soon be seen as daggy. Replaced by faceless DJs, flannel-wearing rockers and choreographed dancers, it was time to sell your keytar or put it into storage.</p>
<p>But after a couple of decades of respectful silence, the humble keytar slowly began to re-emerge. Lady Gaga led the charge on her Fame Ball Tour in 2009. The keytar does make sense for such a look-driven, 1980s-influenced artist. </p>
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<p>So all hail the keytarists of the world. Thank you Thomas Dolby, A-Ha and Dave Stewart. Respect to Chick Korea, Herbie Hancock and Prince. To Muse, Arcade Fire, John Paul Jones and Lady Gaga, may you shred in space, without a hair in place. Thank you Voyager!</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-eurovision-finally-cool-that-depends-on-your-definition-cool-theory-expert-explains-205600">Is Eurovision finally cool? That depends on your definition – 'cool theory' expert explains</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul (Mac) McDermott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Perth synth-metal band Voyager was voted ninth in the world at the 2023 Eurovisions. Was the keytar the secret to their success?Paul (Mac) McDermott, Lecturer in Contemporary Music, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2054682023-05-15T00:50:29Z2023-05-15T00:50:29ZEurovision under the shadow of war: how the 2023 contest highlighted humanitarianism, empathy and solidarity<p>In 2022, Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraines-eurovision-win-shows-us-that-despite-arguments-to-the-contrary-the-contest-has-always-been-political-182767">landslide victory</a>. Traditionally, the winner hosts the following year but due to the significant security issues posed by the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine was unable to host.</p>
<p>As the 2022 runners-up, the United Kingdom stepped in to assist with hosting duties. It was the eighth time Eurovision has not been hosted by the winner, and the fifth time the UK has helped out. It is, howeer, the first time the contest has not been hosted by the winner due to an active conflict situation.</p>
<p>The production was a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-ukrainian-culture-secretaries-comment-on-eurovision">collaboration</a> between last year’s Ukrainian winners and the UK hosts, to ensure both were fairly represented throughout. In addition to representation within the show itself – including the genuine co-host chemistry between Ukrainian rock goddess Julia Sanina and British actor Hannah Waddingham – a share of inexpensive <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/liverpool-2023-tickets-be-made-available-displaced-ukrainians">tickets were reserved for displaced Ukrainians</a> in the UK. </p>
<p>As per tradition, the grand final opened with the previous winners, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, performing their winning song. This was followed by the flag parade, which featured past Ukrainian performers, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqvzDkgok_g">Go_A</a> (2020-21) and the iconic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjHJneVonE">Verka Serduchka</a> (2007).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHkgzsBdUJ0">The postcards</a> – the short videos used to introduce each performance – connected the co-hosts Ukraine and the UK to their performing guests via similar landmarks found in each country, from beaches to national libraries. In line with the year’s theme, “United by Music”, these sought to illustrate we are united by shared experiences.</p>
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<p>The interval act during voting was a medley of songs by Liverpudlian artists, ending with 2019 winner Duncan Laurence performing Gerry and the Pacemakers’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIVgOypab1s&list=PLmWYEDTNOGUIDlp5epnDhPH-zPI0KfTQG&index=34">You’ll Never Walk Alone</a>. It, too, aimed to express solidarity with Ukraine.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraines-eurovision-win-shows-us-that-despite-arguments-to-the-contrary-the-contest-has-always-been-political-182767">Ukraine's Eurovision win shows us that despite arguments to the contrary, the contest has always been political</a>
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<h2>The politics of the non-political contest</h2>
<p>The Eurovision Song Contest aims to be non-political. According to reports, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to address the audience was <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/news/2023/05/statement-from-the-european-broadcasting-union-on-president-zelensky-and-the-eurovision-song-contest">denied by the European Broadcasting Union</a> because it would contravene their policy that the contest not be used for political ends. </p>
<p>(Representatives for Zelensky <a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-barred-from-addressing-eurovision-song-contest-3325627e1d12a720b0b73ce674967ba9">denied claims</a> he had made the request.)</p>
<p>Politicians have appeared on Eurovision before. Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko presented the winner, Greece, with a special award for “the winning song that unites the whole Europe” when <a href="https://youtu.be/5fq1K8aCGbw">the country first hosted in 2005</a>. Appearances by politicians can never be fully divorced from their political context, but they can be tempered by limiting these to an appearance rather than directly addressing the audience on a political issue.</p>
<p>The Eurovision production didn’t ignore the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but focused on framing it through the more acceptable <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraines-eurovision-win-shows-us-that-despite-arguments-to-the-contrary-the-contest-has-always-been-political-182767">values-based politics</a> of humanitarianism, empathy and solidarity.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraines-eurovision-win-shows-us-that-despite-arguments-to-the-contrary-the-contest-has-always-been-political-182767">Ukraine's Eurovision win shows us that despite arguments to the contrary, the contest has always been political</a>
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<h2>But what about the performances?</h2>
<p>Austria opened the show with the catchy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uk64V9h0Ko">Who the Hell is Edgar?</a>, a song <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-the-hell-is-edgar-a-viral-eurovision-song-about-edgar-allan-poe-evokes-a-strange-history-of-mediums-and-creative-possession-205007">critiquing gender bias</a> and artist remuneration in the music industry. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-the-hell-is-edgar-a-viral-eurovision-song-about-edgar-allan-poe-evokes-a-strange-history-of-mediums-and-creative-possession-205007">'Who the hell is Edgar?' – a viral Eurovision song about Edgar Allan Poe evokes a strange history of mediums and creative possession</a>
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<p>It’s not the first time Austria has sent an act critical of the music industry. Schmetterlinge’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKEYWa3VoHU">Boom Boom Boomerang</a> in 1977 mocked the commercialisation of the European music industry.</p>
<p>Reigning champions Ukraine placed sixth with Tvorchi’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2oqDpefJ1s">Heart of Steel</a>, while their co-hosts placed second-last – a reversal of fortunes from last year’s second-place finish. </p>
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<p>While the live performance of Mae Muller’s radio-friendly <a href="https://youtu.be/tvJEE2ryCRQ">I Wrote A Song</a> didn’t capture votes, the UK garnered a lot of goodwill for the production itself. It shows why Eurovision is still a good cultural (and political) <a href="https://theconversation.com/eurovision-uk-quitting-the-song-contest-would-only-be-bad-for-brand-britain-117758">investment</a> for them, win or lose.</p>
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<p>In another reversal of fortunes, Norway illustrated the power of the popular vote. Alessandra’s feminist sea shanty, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUHSM_vTqTI">Queen of the Kings</a>, moved from 17th in the jury vote to fifth overall thanks to the audience televote.</p>
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<p>This included four points from the rest of the world. For the first time ever, audiences from non-participating countries were able to vote online for their favourite performances. This vote has the same weight as the votes from a single country. Their points – the maximum 12 points – were awarded to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3mIcCllJXY">Israel</a>. </p>
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<p>While this vote isn’t enough to shift the contest’s outcome, it is a welcome recognition of the contest’s global reach and audience. Eurovision is watched by more than <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/3431/eurovision-song-contest/#topicOverview">180 million viewers</a> around the world each year.</p>
<p>Finland proved to be a crowd favourite. The arena audience could be heard chanting the chorus throughout the voting. Käärijä’s infectious industrial hyperpop, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6rS8Dv5g-8">Cha Cha Cha</a>, narrates escaping the drudgery of everyday life by hitting the dancefloor with a piña colada. </p>
<p>(It was reported anecdotally many Finnish supermarkets sold out of piña colada ingredients this weekend.) </p>
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<h2>Eurovision powerhouses</h2>
<p>Sweden’s victory with Loreen’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2Fj0W4jP4">Tattoo</a> is record-breaking. </p>
<p>Loreen is now the second person to win Eurovision twice, the first woman to win twice, and the first <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gay-world-cup-why-lgbtq-audiences-love-eurovision-205524">LGBTQIA+</a> artist to win twice. She previously won in 2012 with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfo-8z86x80">Euphoria</a>, credited with <a href="https://www.aussievision.net/post/the-story-and-legacy-of-euphoria">changing the artistic direction</a> of the modern Eurovision.</p>
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<p>Sweden now tie with Ireland for the most Eurovision victories, seven. Somewhat auspiciously, the 2024 Eurovision marks the fiftieth anniversary of ABBA’s iconic first win for Sweden in 1974 – again, at a Eurovision hosted by the UK.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gay-world-cup-why-lgbtq-audiences-love-eurovision-205524">The 'gay world cup': why LGBTQ+ audiences love Eurovision</a>
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<h2>Australia’s fifth appearance</h2>
<p>This year marked another anniversary: the 40th anniversary of the Eurovision broadcast in Australia. It is also the end of Australia’s five-year participation agreement with the European Broadcasting Union.</p>
<p>Western Australian prog-synth band Voyager made a strong case for the continuation with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSoy_mJMlMY&list=PLmWYEDTNOGUIDlp5epnDhPH-zPI0KfTQG&index=11">Promise</a>. They placed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/may/14/voyager-take-australia-to-ninth-place-in-eurovision-grand-final#:%7E:text=Paul%20Clarke%2C%20creative%20director%20of,confident%E2%80%9D%20Australia%20would%20return%20again.">ninth overall</a>, after winning their semi-final.</p>
<p>Fingers crossed Australia will be getting up at 5am next year to support its artists again.</p>
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<p><em>Correction: this article misstated the results of previous Australian Eurovision contestants. This has been corrected.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205468/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Carniel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sweden’s Loreen is now the second person to win Eurovision twice, the first woman to win twice, and the first LGBTQIA+ artist to win twice.Jess Carniel, Senior Lecturer in Humanities, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2056002023-05-12T15:30:01Z2023-05-12T15:30:01ZIs Eurovision finally cool? That depends on your definition – ‘cool theory’ expert explains<p>With an aesthetic dependent on novelty and spectacle, and a structure that’s both disjointed and drawn-out, Eurovision – for some – cannot fail to fail. In its “failed seriousness” (the phrase writer Susan Sontag <a href="https://www.artandobject.com/news/what-camp-met-tries-define-ineffable">used to describe “camp”</a>), the song contest has all the exaggerated expressiveness that audiences associate with kitsch. So, how could it possibly be cool?</p>
<p>I’m interested in viewing the show through the lens of <a href="https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/45239/1/1507168_Brown.pdf">cool theory</a> (which identifies different kinds of cool and breaks those down into core qualities). “Coolness” itself is a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14797585.2021.2000837">slippery and controversial term</a> that can mean almost opposing things. </p>
<p>For some, “cool” is simply what is fashionable. It can also be a rebellion against what is fashionable. Or an anti-social attitude in which nothing and no one else matters beyond your own stylish persona.</p>
<p>Indeed Sam Ryder – the UK’s near-win Eurovision act of 2022 whose high energy performance combined epic, earnest vocals with flowing natural locks, pearly teeth and a bejewelled one-piece – told the Guardian in 2022 that cool is “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/may/19/cool-is-the-enemy-eurovision-hero-sam-ryder-on-how-he-ditched-his-ego-and-found-his-joy">the enemy</a>”. </p>
<p>The profile of Ryder claimed he had no interest in the “detached rock star” exterior. This refers to the sense of unwillingness of “cool” musicians to have their dignity compromised by other people’s rules – an unwillingness to be caught making an effort.</p>
<p>But Eurovision is all about effort. A publicised drama of rehearsals and heats, nervous waving and nail biting in the green room – the performers are just generally far too eager. Because whether it’s death metal or pared back electronica, being liked is what these musicians are here for.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine the uber-cool 1960s <a href="https://www.loudersound.com/features/krautrock-communism-and-chaos-the-anarchic-story-of-can">krautrock band Can</a> giving two hoots what a jury in Brussels would make of their genre-defining understated rock. Nor the jazz men Miles Davis, Charlie Parker or Lester Young, who set the parameters of cool performance with their sharp, formal attire and <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/cool-shades-9780857854643/">refusal to acknowledge the audience</a>.</p>
<h2>What kind of ‘cool’ is Eurovision?</h2>
<p>Although the performers of Eurovision aren’t detached, the audience can be. Sociologist Janna Michael’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1469540513493206?journalCode=joca">2015 study</a> of European urban hipsters revealed that the point of cool is not what is liked, so much as how it is liked. This goes some way to explaining Eurovision’s appeal.</p>
<p>Since the 1980s, Eurovision has been presented (certainly in Britain) as something to enjoy in a specifically detached way, through irony. From 1973 to 2008, former commentator Terry Wogan’s flippant narration allowed the audience to collude in a knowing superiority over the event, finding its failed seriousness funny.</p>
<p>The cult following of Eurovision among those with a camp sensibility was further endorsed by the appointment of comedian Graham Norton as Wogan’s more obviously camp successor. </p>
<p>Do these fans love Eurovision because they enjoy the catharsis of the unabashed release of “bad taste”? Or because they enjoy feeling superior to those people (and nations) who genuinely engage with the drama of the competition? This is a side of <a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780719066153/Kitsch-Cultural-Politics-Taste-Ruth-0719066158/plp">cool’s ironic detachment that celebrates disdain for others</a>.</p>
<p>However, many British fans now speak enthusiastically about the tolerance and openness of Eurovision. As <a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/eurovisions-rylan-clark-blown-away-26873868">host Rylan Clark said this year</a>: “Everyone is welcome.” In recent years Eurovision has become more obviously and consciously open to gender diversity and aligned to LGBTQ+ tastes.</p>
<p>This was crystallised by bearded Austrian drag queen Conchita’s winning performance in 2014. The <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/11/eurovision-alesha-dixon-and-hannah-waddingham-turned-into-drag-queens-18770837/">drag makeovers given to all three semi-final hosts this year</a> confirmed the contest’s status as a space which endorses self-creation, individuality and tolerance – all aspects of the cool attitude.</p>
<h2>Becoming mainstream</h2>
<p>In the past, scholars of the theory of coolness have often focused too heavily on men and masculine, emotionally blank forms of “cool”, with composure and self-possession at their heart. Though this brand of cool is eloquently expressed in jazz, it is also visible in the consummate performer of drag.</p>
<p>Thanks to the popularity of shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag – once enjoyed purely in LGBTQ+ subcultures – is now mainstream entertainment. This is perhaps one reason Eurovision has suddenly become perceived as “cool” <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607180110.htm">by some</a>. But experiences of exclusion and marginalisation have historically been the conditions in which modern cool has been forged.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/rupauls-drag-race-our-research-shows-how-it-helps-destigmatise-the-lgbtq-community-199627">RuPaul’s Drag Race: our research shows how it helps destigmatise the LGBTQ+ community</a>
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<p>The very fact that Eurovision has been viewed for decades as a cultural white elephant, a place of almost inconsequential melodrama, gives it the potential to be resurrected as cool. </p>
<p>Liking Eurovision was once an anti-mainstream position. This gave the show the potential to become “cool”, through both its exaggeration of qualities seen as undesirable by dominant social tastes, and its willingness to push the boundaries of convention, despite the detractors.</p>
<p>The concept of cool is complicated – and it is changing. Indeed, <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607180110.htm">some recent studies</a> have shown that perception of coolness is connected to activism and pro-social traits. Eurovision may seem like sparkly fluff, but perhaps now more than ever, it is also a vehicle for promoting greater acceptance of other ways of life. It’s all cool.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205600/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Thanks to the popularity of shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, camp is now mainstream. This is perhaps one reason Eurovision has suddenly become perceived as cool.Vanessa Brown, Course Leader MA Culture, Style and Fashion, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2055242023-05-12T13:55:14Z2023-05-12T13:55:14ZThe ‘gay world cup’: why LGBTQ+ audiences love Eurovision<p>In 1956, seven European countries – Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and West Germany – gathered in Lugano, Switzerland for the first ever Eurovision Song Contest. The competition was only broadcast in select countries, meaning only a small number of viewers watched Swiss entry Lys Assia win the grand prize with the song Refrain.</p>
<p>Over the years, the contest has become a glitzy, kitschy spectacle of both the beautiful and the bizarre, drawing in <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2022-161-million-viewers">over 160 million viewers</a> at last year’s event. In 2023, Eurovision returns to the UK (last year’s runners up) on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine for the first time since 1998, a day few anticipated after years of zero success. </p>
<p>As well as the contest’s overall transition from small show to huge spectacle, Eurovision has also developed a dedicated and passionate fandom over the years, many of whom are members of the LGBTQ+ community. </p>
<p>I have always been a huge follower of the contest. Eurovision is a perfect unity of my own fanhood and my research interests surrounding contemporary LGBTQ+ representation and visibility. An international media event that places LGBTQ+ people centre stage deserves celebrating.</p>
<p>In a recent BBC article, journalist Jamie McLoughlin labelled Eurovision a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65485540">“safe space” for LGBTQ+ communities</a>, noting how Eurovision consistently lays a “thoroughly supportive hand” on LGBTQ+ people in Europe. LGBTQ+ fans have affectionately likened Eurovision to other major events, with descriptions such as “Gay Christmas”, “the Gay World Cup” and “the Gay Olympics”.</p>
<p>In the BBC TV special <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ltd3">Eurovision Calling</a>, Jason Manford interviewed several LGBTQ+ Eurovision fans, including Lewis Thorp, who described how Eurovision helped him come to terms with his sexuality.</p>
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<h2>Camping it up</h2>
<p>But why is Eurovision so popular amongst LGBTQ+ communities? Many have related LGBTQ+ (particularly gay male) admiration for Eurovision in its “camp” nature and reliance on excess. In Susan Sontag’s seminal piece <a href="https://monoskop.org/images/5/59/Sontag_Susan_1964_Notes_on_Camp.pdf">Notes on Camp</a>, she describes camp as more than just the effeminacy of gay men – it is a sensibility that represents the “love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration”.</p>
<p>The performativity and extravagance of Eurovision undeniably represents this notion of camp, with vibrant performances and over-the-top presentations. This contrasts with Eurovision’s early days when there was very little LGBTQ+ visibility in music or on television.</p>
<p>Camp can represent the sense of subcultural community through the “gaying” of straight culture. Although there was no actual representation in the beginnings of Eurovision, LGBTQ+ communities adapted for their own purposes and needs, using the joy of the song contest as a <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music/2023/05/eurovision-is-beloved-lgbtq-community-liverpool-diversity">means to celebrate</a> diversity. </p>
<p>In recent years we have been introduced to many LGBTQ+ participants in an age of increased visibility in both music and television. In 1998, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8ZfreUQfvc">Dana International</a> made history as the first transgender winner for Israel – an incredible achievement considering the lack of trans representation at the time.</p>
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<p>In 2007, Ukranian drag queen <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjHJneVonE">Verka Serduchka</a> impressed audiences with the catchy Dancing Lasha Tumbai, placing second in the grand final. In fact, the art of drag would continue to be popular with Eurovision audiences, when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaolVEJEjV4">Conchita Wurst</a> won the contest for Austria with Bond-like ballad Rise Like a Phoenix in 2014. </p>
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<p>There have also been a number of memorable moments of LGBTQ+ representation during the event. In 2013, Finland’s entry <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlBXOveVh7c">Krista Siegfrids</a> kissed a female dancer during her grand final performance of Marry Me, a protest against her government’s rejection of same-sex marriage.</p>
<p>In an <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/eurovision-2013-to-feature-first-lesbian-kiss-in-protest-against-lack-of-gay-marriage-legislation-8621231.html">interview</a> afterwards, Siegfrids declared that the performance was structured to promote “love and tolerance”.</p>
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<h2>Drive for change</h2>
<p>Although politics is mostly banned at Eurovision (Ukraine’s President Zelensky has been <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/zelensky-eurovision-2023-speech-ukraine-kf3rn5m25">barred from addressing the event</a> this year), Siegfrid’s performance demonstrated how Eurovision could represent a platform of protest, and how it can be used as a potential drive for political and cultural change.</p>
<p>It is evident that LGBTQ+ people have taken centre stage at Eurovision. It is not just an extravagant spectacle of camp, but a place to be seen, a place where LGBTQ+ performers can be successful, accepted and supported by an array of fans.</p>
<p>This is particularly notable when there are still anti-LGBTQ+ policies in existence in many European countries (including Russia, Belarus, Turkey and Hungary) and some countries are becoming increasingly hostile environments for transgender people (including the UK). Turkey departed the contest in 2012, with Turkish broadcaster TRT stating LGBTQ+ prevalence as a <a href="https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-return-eurovision-if-no-more-bearded-divas-135427">key cause of their withdrawal</a>.</p>
<p>In 2014 drag artist Conchita Wurst was heavily criticised for taking part, with Russian politician Vladimir Zhiriovsky labelling her win as “<a href="https://www.thepinknews.com/2014/05/11/russian-mp-conchita-wurst-winning-eurovision-is-the-end-of-europe/">the end of Europe</a>”. Wurst has since been hailed by Eurovision fans as an LGBTQ+ icon, whereas Russia is now banned from entering the competition following its invasion of Ukraine. </p>
<p>Eurovision producers are clearly aware of their prominent LGBTQ+ fandom, and are actively working to ensure it is a safe and welcoming place. And this will be no different during Liverpool’s turn as host this year.</p>
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<p>The Eurovision committee have planned a number of <a href="https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/liverpool-has-announced-its-eurovision-programme-and-its-just-as-extra-as-youd-expect-032823">events</a>, such as <a href="https://theguideliverpool.com/upcoming_events/eurofestival-queerovision/#:%7E:text=Queerovision%20will%20be%20sharing%20visual,world's%20largest%20multicultural%20music%20festival.">Queerovision</a>, an online event showcasing the best of Liverpool’s Queer fringe, as well as a number of gay club events and after parties.</p>
<p>This year’s slogan, “United by Music”, predominantly refers to the UK hosting on behalf of Ukraine, but it can possess wider connotations: the unity of Europe and LGBTQ+ people. Whether Eurovision exists as a camp and glitzy spectacle, a major platform of LGBTQ+ visibility and representation, or a beacon of self-expression amongst fans, the contest’s impact on LGBTQ+ communities around the world is abundantly clear.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205524/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matt Weaver does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Offering an inclusive and diverse space for self-expression, Eurovision has found an appreciative audience in the LGBTQ+ community over the years.Matt Weaver, PhD Candidate in Film, Media & Communication, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2051492023-05-11T11:36:26Z2023-05-11T11:36:26ZEurovision 2023: why the stage itself is the silent star of the contest<p>This week, Liverpool stages one of the <a href="https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/release/183-million-viewers">world’s largest live televised events</a>, the Eurovision Song Contest. I grew up watching it as an annual family get-together. </p>
<p>Now, as a lecturer in theatre and scenography – the study and practice of how set, sound, light and costume work together in an event – I have come to appreciate the immense logistical effort this entertainment behemoth requires. </p>
<p>More fascinatingly though, it is an extraordinary example of media and performance history, providing a yearly snapshot of pan-European <a href="https://theconversation.com/eurovision-even-before-the-singing-starts-the-contest-is-a-fascinating-reflection-of-international-rules-and-politics-204934">national identities and politics</a>.</p>
<p>While the contest’s rules state that <a href="https://eurovision.tv/about/rules">it is a non-political event</a>, it undeniably puts international relations on display. But while looking at different countries’ acts and voting patterns offers interesting insights, there is a silent star of the event that often goes unnoticed – the stage.</p>
<h2>Staging a nation</h2>
<p>Since the contest’s inception in 1956, there has been no serious discussion about the way Eurovision is an exercise in staging nation, nationality and nationalism in the literal sense – namely how these ideas inform the scenography.</p>
<p>2023 marks the first time Eurovision will be hosted in the runner-up’s country due to war, with the UK hosting on behalf of Ukraine. </p>
<p>The host’s stage set-up must be everything and nothing at the same time. It needs to provide a flexible, adaptable canvas for the wide-ranging individual acts of up to 44 countries. At the same time, it must offer a memorable and distinct experience to measure up to previous iterations of the competition. </p>
<p>The stage also needs to embody that year’s chosen theme, while meeting the extensive requirements of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event, in order to allow the competition to run efficiently.</p>
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<p>2023’s theme is “united by music”. After the UK’s difficult departure from the EU, it now faces the challenge of staging itself as part of a united European community. Meanwhile, it also needs to give space to Ukraine to do the same. </p>
<p>The Liverpool stage’s designer, Julio Himede, has repeatedly offered the <a href="https://recessed.space/00097-Julio-Himede-Eurovision">image of a hug</a> – of open arms welcoming Ukraine and the world – as central to the stage’s spatial configuration.</p>
<p>The early days of Eurovision were a much smaller affair than nowadays. When the UK first hosted in 1960 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, it seated just 2,500 people. That’s less than a quarter of this year’s 11,000 at the Liverpool arena.</p>
<p>And if you have been watching the semi-finals, you’ll already have a good sense of the sheer scale of this year’s stage. At 450m², it is almost as big as a basketball court. With an integrated lighting design through video-capable floor and ceiling tiling and huge LED screens, the only apt descriptor is “spectacular”.</p>
<p>For Eurovision, the concepts, symbols and metaphors underpinning the design have to work in tandem with the creative vision of each delegation, as well as the 45 second turnover between acts in the live show.</p>
<p>The design concept also has to be one that acknowledges the particular situation of this year’s contest and simultaneously unites the identities of Ukraine and the UK. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the image of the hug that underpins the sweeping curve of the main stage space aims to offer a more universal theme, rather than one which is culturally specific. Viewers will notice the “open arms” of the stage are echoed in the arrangement of the “green room”, where the national delegations are located during the show.</p>
<p>In this sense, Eurovision is a prime example of a “soft power” approach to international relations, which works by persuasion or influence, rather than the “hard power” of economic sanctions or military intervention. </p>
<h2>The UK after Brexit</h2>
<p>This year, it will be fascinating to see how much space the UK will give to Ukraine, not only last year’s winner but a nation in need of international recognition and support. And to what extent the UK will use this event, post-Brexit, to stage itself as a welcoming part of Europe.</p>
<p>The UK does have a history of highly successful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/jul/31/olympic-opening-ceremony-agitprop-theatre">agit-prop</a> events, which have engaged audiences emotionally to shape public opinion. Think back to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/jul/31/olympic-opening-ceremony-agitprop-theatre">2012 London Olympics opening ceremony</a>, which strove to inspire <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13642529.2014.909674">a sense of national identity</a>. </p>
<p>In 2023, the UK sees itself in the middle of global instability and national tension over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/16/hostile-authoritarian-uk-downgraded-in-civic-freedoms-index">mounting authoritarianism</a> and <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2023/02/07/yougov-cost-living-segmentation">widening social divisions</a>. Once again, it has the chance to use an international stage to put forward an idealised narrative.</p>
<p>In any such example, the stage underpins the entire event. It is essential to the atmosphere for the live audience and fundamental to its appearance on television. </p>
<p>There is no doubt that Eurovision 2023 is a staging extravaganza and will test the UK’s capability to shake off its <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/britain-is-the-sick-man-of-europe-again/">“sick man of Europe”</a> image. It is a stage which offers the UK the opportunity to adjust its global image in line with the contest’s welcoming theme. </p>
<p>It will be interesting to see whether the image of open arms for the world is sincere or cynical.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205149/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lara Maleen Kipp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>2023 sees the UK host the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine. But what role does the stage itself have to play in the musical spectacle?Lara Maleen Kipp, Lecturer in Theatre and Scenography, Aberystwyth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2040722023-05-09T15:30:43Z2023-05-09T15:30:43ZHow to win Eurovision: the secret code of the contest’s winning lyrics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521608/original/file-20230418-20-ol287p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4446%2C2888&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Eurovision Song Contest stage. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kyiv-ukraine-february-08-2020-scene-1643769724">Review News/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the few remaining examples of event TV – and UK audiences lap it up. With <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2022-161-million-viewers#:%7E:text=Ratings%20Rise&text=6.8%20million%20viewers%20on%20average,%2C%20up%2020%25%20on%202021.">8.9 million viewers</a> in 2022, Britain formed the largest audience of all Eurovision markets. And this time around, there’s even a bit of hope for those cheering on the home talent.</p>
<p>Although it’s been 26 years since the UK’s last victory, courtesy of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMYOTEapVpg">Katrina and The Waves in 1997</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5cJfaX3DI">Sam Ryder’s Space Man</a> marked a return to the runners-up podium last year. The UK has now chalked up a <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/history-united-kingdom-eurovision-song-contest">record 16</a> second place finishes. But what would it take to go one better and win the whole thing?</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Sam Ryder performing Spaceman at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the late 1940s, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13698230701400296?casa_token=lEt-KarYmnAAAAAA%3APefyqU79sEJ4gsNfH8eeiGkk8NOpyBbGhSG3V9C0hcljpDf50lWmSmEuM3wlOZo7yKcor-jlLWU">philosopher Theodor Adorno</a> suggested that popular music was formulaic. Each song, he argued, was the same length, had the same structure and expressed the same lyrical sentiments.</p>
<p>As curmudgeonly as this might sound (and keeping in mind that he died in 1969, before the likes of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa really tore up the pop rule book), his point still rings true. And it’s certainly applicable when it comes to successful Eurovision entries.</p>
<p>For a start, Eurovision songs really are the same length, given the rule that makes <a href="https://eurovision.tv/about/rules">the maximum duration three minutes</a>. But there are also notable thematic and structural similarities between songs that fare well in the contest.</p>
<p>Of the last 20 winning songs, 17 have been sung in English, 17 are about relationships, 13 have used the word “love”, 18 have at least one direct address (“I” to “you”) and all 20 have repeated choruses. And it’s this last element that’s the non-negotiable.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Maneskin stand on stage in leather trousers holding their musical instruments aloft." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521620/original/file-20230418-14-a73s39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eurovision 2021 winners, Maneskin of Italy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ahoy-rotterdam-netherlands-may-22th-2021-1982762177">Ben Houdijk/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If, as sociologist Brian Longhurst says, <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Popular_Music_and_Society/PxnOFDDMZOUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%27The+most+successful,+best+music+is+identified+with+the+most+often+repeated.%27+longhurst&pg=PA7&printsec=frontcover">“the most successful, best music is identified with the most often repeated”</a>, this counts double when it comes to Eurovision. Viewers of the live final only get the one listen and therefore need to bond with a song immediately if they’re to remember it when it comes to the voting.</p>
<p>Psychologist Daniel Levitin says that two of the main elements to making a song memorable are <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Writing_Song_Lyrics/5YpJEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0">rhyme and cliches</a>. Although the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Writing_Song_Lyrics/5YpJEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=fosbraey+cliche&pg=PA89&printsec=frontcover">definition of cliche is ultimately subjective</a> (a cliche to me, for example, may be new and exciting to my 12-year-old), research <a href="https://researchrepository.rmit.edu.au/esploro/outputs/conferenceProceeding/In-your-eyes-identifying-cliches-in-song-lyrics/9921861854601341">from 2012</a> and <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Writing_Better_Lyrics/3B9jDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=pat+pattison+writing&printsec=frontcover">2009</a> has done a decent job in outlining the most-used words and phrases in lyrics.</p>
<p>To win Eurovision, then: sing in first-person, direct English about a relationship, using loads of rhymes and cliches and make sure you repeat the chorus. </p>
<h2>Rating Mae Muller’s Eurovision chances</h2>
<p>What chance, then, of Mae Muller’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRaVGKk4k6k">I Wrote a Song</a> winning in Liverpool this year?</p>
<p>With the song currently on 3.6 stars based on 12,000 ratings on the <a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/eurovision/2023/united-kingdom">Eurovision World website</a> and a somewhat sniffy <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/09/mae-muller-i-wrote-a-song-review-uk-eurovision-entry-alexis-petridis">three-star review</a> in the Guardian, early indicators aren’t great. But when compared with previous champs, things become a little rosier.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Mae Muller’s 2023 Eurovision entry, I Wrote a Song.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I Wrote a Song is an “I” to “you” song. It’s about a relationship. It’s got a catchy chorus. It’s extremely repetitive both lyrically – with only 29% unique words out of its 308 total (the average from the last 20 winners is 36%) – and musically, with a looped, four-chord structure throughout.</p>
<p>I Wrote a Song sits at about an eight or a nine on the cliche-ometer, relying as it does on common phrases like “you did me wrong”, “cried at home” and “spent the night alone”. And it uses a succession of basic, “<a href="https://dial.uclouvain.be/pr/boreal/object/boreal%3A249760/datastream/PDF_01/view">perfect” rhymes</a>, such as Benz/friends, song/wrong, home/alone.</p>
<p>It’s also accessible to a mass audience, with its subjects <a href="https://time.com/5287962/best-breakup-songs/">ending a relationship</a>, feeling down about it and eventually finding the courage to move on, among the most common shared human experiences. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/09/eurovision-2023-uk-entry-announced-as-mae-muller">Muller has said</a>: “I wrote the song … when I was going through a hard time and wanted to feel empowered about relationships.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, Muller’s performance on the night will have a big role in determining how the UK fares. </p>
<p>If a singer is suitably captivating and the song is easy enough to learn, there is an opportunity to get the audience singing along on the night. <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Singing_Out/7D4LEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0">This interaction leads to more of a connection</a>, making the song more memorable, which may eventually translate into points.</p>
<p>Muller succeeded in getting the crowd singing along to the chorus at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMepsNxZUU">LIVE @ Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam</a> on April 15 (albeit with some coaxing). If she manages to do that in Liverpool, there may yet be a UK winner in the 21st century.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204072/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glenn Fosbraey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The UK has now chalked up a record 16 second place finishes. But what would it take to go one better and win the whole thing?Glenn Fosbraey, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of WinchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2049342023-05-05T14:51:21Z2023-05-05T14:51:21ZEurovision: even before the singing starts, the contest is a fascinating reflection of international rules and politics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524394/original/file-20230504-29-itqkkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=177%2C53%2C3763%2C2593&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Eurovision bandwagon has firmly arrived in Liverpool. During a week of two semi-finals, 37 competing countries will be whittled down to 26. Around 160 million people are then expected to tune in to the grand final on Saturday May 13. From humble beginnings in 1956, with only <a href="https://eurovision.tv/event/lugano-1956">seven countries competing in a theatre in Switzerland</a>, the contest is now one of the most watched entertainment events in the world.</p>
<p>And yet there remains some confusion about what counts as “Europe” in the context of Eurovision. Clarity on this point can, however, be found by understanding a little bit about the rules and practices of international politics. And along the way, the process of deciding who is in and who is out – and what the rules are for those who do compete – is an interesting reflection of international law. </p>
<h2>A different kind of union</h2>
<p>Participation in the Eurovision Song Contest reflects a basic principle of the international legal order: sovereignty matters. Being a state in this context counts for more than being physically located in Europe.</p>
<p>The actual participants in Eurovision are the TV broadcasters who are members of the <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/home">European Broadcasting Union (EBU)</a>, an international organisation which is open to membership from across the European Broadcasting Area. This area includes North Africa and the Middle East. Israel, which has won four times, has <a href="https://eurovision.tv/country/israel">participated since 1973</a> on this basis. Morocco <a href="https://eurovision.tv/country/morocco">participated once</a>, in 1980, but has not returned. </p>
<p>Other states come and go, often depending on budgetary constraints (hence the absence of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63276833">Montenegro and North Macedonia</a> this year), lack of national interest or success in previous contests (Andorra, Monaco, Slovakia), <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/eurovision-2019-why-turkey-doesnt-participate">objections to the voting principles</a> (Turkey) or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/27/hungary-pulls-out-of-eurovision-amid-rise-in-anti-lgbt-rhetoric#:%7E:text=Hungary%20pulls%20out%20of%20Eurovision%20amid%20rise%20in%20anti%2DLGBTQ%2B%20rhetoric,-This%20article%20is&text=Hungary%20will%20not%20participate%20in,government%20and%20public%20media%20bosses.">rumoured discontent with the growth of LGBT+ visibility in the contest</a> (Hungary). Broadcasters from <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/news/2021/05/ebu-executive-board-agrees-to-suspension-of-belarus-member-btrc">Belarus</a> and <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/news/2022/03/statement-on-russian-members">Russia</a> were expelled from the EBU in 2021 and 2022 and are ineligible to complete. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43087349">Kosovo</a> is also keen to participate. While Kosovo’s statehood is recognised by a majority of European countries, it is not a full member of the EBU. EBU membership requires a country to be a member of the <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx">International Telecommunications Union (ITU)</a>, which in turn requires UN membership (which Kosovo does not yet have).</p>
<p>As in international law, where the permanent members of the UN Security Council have a veto power, some states are more equal than others. Eurovision rules apply differently to the largest financial contributors to the contest – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – who, along with the previous winner, qualify directly for the final and do not risk elimination in the semi-finals. This sounds like an unfair advantage, but did not help France’s Alvan and Ahez or Germany’s Malik Harris (2022), the UK’s James Newman (2021), Germany’s Jenrik or Spain’s Blas Canto (2021) from finishing bottom of the pile.</p>
<p>You might also ask why Australia is competing. Due to long-term viewing figures of the contest down under, and the occasional Australian participant (often for the UK, including <a href="https://eurovision.tv/participant/olivia-newton-john">Olivia Newton-John</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ooh_Aah..._Just_a_Little_Bit">Gina G</a>), Australia – or technically the Australian broadcaster SBS – was invited as a special guest to the 2015 contest in Vienna. It was then invited to compete on a five-year contract running from 2018 to 2023. As in international law, sometimes the rules can be stretched.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The full line up of countries taking part in 2023.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eurovision is often wrongly assumed to be a product of the EU. Not only did the first Eurovision in 1956 pre-date the creation European Economic Community by a year, but membership of the EBU is neither required nor expected of EU members.</p>
<p>The concept of European integration has provided some inspiration for the songs – most notably Italy’s 1990 winner <a href="https://eurovision.tv/participant/toto-cutugno">Insieme: 1992</a> (Together: 1992). That was a contest held in Zagreb, in what was then Yugoslavia – the only socialist country to take part during the cold war years.</p>
<p>The Irish hosts in Dublin in 1988 worked with the European Commission to show an interval video tour around Europe to promote intra-European tourism. (This show was also notable for showing a clip of eventual winner Céline Dion <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6b7BHGkKQA">inspecting a potato field</a>). Brexit, despite the <a href="https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/58535/eurovision-song-contest">efforts of a lone MP in the House of Commons</a>, does not mean the UK must stop competing. Nor does it mean the UK is doomed to failure – as Sam Ryder’s overall second place (and <a href="https://eurovision.tv/event/turin-2022/grand-final/results/united-kingdom">winner of the jury vote</a> for the UK in 2022 shows. Customary practice – also very important in international law – means that the winner is given the opportunity to host the subsequent contest, but not always. The BBC was invited to host instead of Ukraine this year.</p>
<h2>An international rules-based system</h2>
<p>Eurovision is also a pretty good example of how rules operate in international partnerships. Some are fixed and permanent, while others need or are allowed to evolve. Sanctions are sometimes needed and often difficult to decide upon. </p>
<p>Rules about the staging of Eurovision entries – original song not previously released, maximum six people on stage – are strictly enforced and do change over time. But since 1999, entries no longer have to be in an official language of the country, and some limited pre-recorded backing vocals are allowed.</p>
<p>A rule that does occasionally cause headaches for the EBU is the ineligibility of “political” songs. Georgia’s 2009 entry <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-georgia-eurovision/georgia-pulls-out-of-eurovision-over-put-in-song-idUKTRE52A4S920090311">We Don’t Want to Put In</a> was not allowed because it was ruled as alluding to then Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin – though Israel had successfully entered a thinly-veiled rap <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6405457.stm">about the (then) leader of Iran</a> two years previously. </p>
<p>Ukraine’s Jamala won in 2016 with a song called <a href="https://time.com/4329061/eurovision-jamala-russian-ukraine-crimea/">1944</a> about the deportation of the Crimean Tartars during World War II and a highly successful previous Ukrainian act, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/8-times-ukraines-eurovision-entry-got-political/">Verka Serduchka</a>, was accused by the Russian delegation of actually singing <a href="https://youtu.be/hfjHJneVonE?t=76">“Russia, goodbye”</a> in the lyrics to the song Dancing Lasha Tumbai in 2007.</p>
<p>Policing the boundaries between what is said, and what is implied, is a difficult task. This year, <a href="https://eurovision.tv/participant/let-3-2023">Croatia’s entry is sung in Croatian</a>, but the meaning of lyrics such as repeated use of the word “armagedonona” is not difficult to guess.</p>
<p><a href="https://eurovision.tv/participant/teya-and-salena-2023">Austria</a> is tackling the topic of the lack of representation of women in the music industry and low amounts of money provided by streaming services to artists and songwriters with its lyrics “0.003, give me two years and your dinner will be free”. </p>
<p>Whole <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/720260/wild-dances-by-william-lee-adams/">books</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1354066116633278">academic articles</a> can be written on how Eurovision has led to primetime LGBT+ visibility – itself a hotly contested political topic across many states in Europe – most notably via <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/dana-internationals-lasting-eurovision-legacy">the victories of Dana International (Israel, 1998) and Conchita Wurst (Austria, 2004)</a>.</p>
<p>Love it or hate it, Eurovision has cemented itself as part of the cultural landscape of the continent and beyond. But more than that, it helps us understand both the complexity of the international and European legal orders, the interpretation and application of rules, and the ever presence of politics. As France memorably sang in 1991, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ESL6deuhJM"><em>C'est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison</em></a> (It’s the last to have spoken who is right).</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204934/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go: this contest is way older than the European Union.Paul James Cardwell, Professor of Law, King's College LondonJed Odermatt, Senior Lecturer, City Law School, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2050072023-05-04T04:08:02Z2023-05-04T04:08:02Z‘Who the hell is Edgar?’ – a viral Eurovision song about Edgar Allan Poe evokes a strange history of mediums and creative possession<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524290/original/file-20230504-26-2hmxgq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=59%2C11%2C2409%2C1105&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teya and Salena.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">eurovision.tv</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Who the hell is Edgar?” ask Teya and Salena, two young women fronting Austria’s entry to this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. </p>
<p>Replete with dance routine, fake moustaches and a catchy chorus, their viral video and song attributes their success as songwriters to possession by the 19th-century author, poet and gothic celebrity <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe">Edgar Allan Poe</a> (1809-1849):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There’s a ghost in my body and he is a lyricist<br>
It is Edgar Allan Poe, and I think he can’t resist<br>
Yeah, his brain is in my hand, and it’s moving really fast<br>
Don’t know how he possessed me, but I’m happy that he did<br></p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMmLeV47Au4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Channelling spirits</h2>
<p>Teya and Salena are not the first young women to be possessed by Poe. Their hit song evokes a curious history of alleged posthumous collaborations. In the 1850s and 1860s, a group of <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Gender_and_the_Poetics_of_Reception_in_P/8f828pY-kjcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=eliza+richards+reception+poe&printsec=frontcover">young female spiritualists</a> wrote and published poetry from the “spirit of Edgar A. Poe”. </p>
<p>These mediums claimed they could channel the spirits of loved ones through possessed speech, musical instruments and automatic writing. They also maintained they could channel the spirits of celebrity ghosts, including recently deceased presidents, global historical figures and well-known writers. </p>
<p>At séances, mediums would surrender their bodily autonomy to allow the deceased to enter and control them. As one member of a Philadelphia spiritualist circle wrote in <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/A_History_of_the_Recent_Developments_in/92EwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0">1851</a>, “the person to be prepared must give up all self-control, all resistance, and resign himself to the entire direction and control of the spirits”. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=844&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=844&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=844&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1060&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1060&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524234/original/file-20230503-28-3ti6zb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1060&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Edgar Allan Poe (1849).</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These spirit poets really did believe they had Poe’s “brain in their hands”. Lizzie Doten, a Massachusetts spiritualist lecturer, performed and published six “Poe” poems under the title <a href="https://archive.org/details/poemsfrominnerl00dotegoog">Poems from the Inner Life</a> (1864). In her introduction, Doten describes the “mental intoxication” she experienced in encountering the turbulent spirit of Poe. </p>
<p>Among the six texts is <a href="https://archive.org/details/poemsfrominnerl00dotegoog/page/n138/mode/1up">Resurrexi</a>, a sequel to Poe’s famous 1845 poem <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1065/1065-h/1065-h.htm">The Raven</a>. Borrowing well-known lines and phrases from The Raven, Doten makes use of the hypnotic repetitive sounds and rhymes common to Poe’s poetry. Critics commented that, if mediumship is real, the Resurrexi “is unquestionably the most astonishing thing that Spiritualism has produced”, due to its accurate representation of Poe’s style. </p>
<p>The fever for spirit writing covered several well-known deceased writers and historical figures. Magazines and collections produced “original” posthumous texts on a monthly basis. Spiritualists produced these celebrity ghost writings to demonstrate the authenticity of their practice and the radical possibility of the living and the dead merging consciousnesses. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/depression-and-language-analysing-edgar-allan-poes-writings-to-solve-the-mystery-of-his-death-131421">Depression and language: analysing Edgar Allan Poe's writings to solve the mystery of his death</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The living and the dead</h2>
<p>The posthumous “Poe” poems are not very good, but they attempt to capture the content or style of Poe’s living poems: dramatic and dark lyrics about the loss of loved ones and the crossover between the living and spirit worlds. </p>
<p>They are influenced by the image of Poe as a melancholic loner, tormented by bereavement and alcoholism, and fascinated with the otherworldly. His friend and first biographer Rufus W. Griswold established this image in his <a href="https://www.eapoe.org/papers/misc1827/nyt49100.htm">1849 obituary</a>, in which he reflected that Poe was “a dreamer – dwelling in ideal realms – in heaven or hell”. Poe, wrote Griswold, had a “morbid sensitiveness of feeling, a shadowy and gloomy imagination”.</p>
<p>In his work, Poe continually blurs the boundary between life and death. He asks his readers to consider at what point death truly occurs if the dead can still speak or inhabit the bodies of the living. In <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2151/2151-h/2151-h.htm#chap5.10">Some Words with a Mummy</a> (1845), a group of Egyptologists reanimate a mummy, who speaks to them with an unexpected eloquence. In <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2150/2150-h/2150-h.htm#chap4.8">A Predicament</a> (1839), aspiring author Zenobia narrates her own beheading. </p>
<p>Poe returned to the figure of the dead or dying beautiful woman throughout his career. His poetic and fictional personas yearn to be reunited with departed wives and lovers. The Raven, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2149/2149-h/2149-h.htm#chap3.28">Ligeia</a> (1838), <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10031/10031-h/10031-h.htm#section3a">Lenore</a> (1843), <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10031/10031-h/10031-h.htm#section2e">Ulalume</a> (1847), and <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10031/10031-h/10031-h.htm#section2g">Annabel Lee</a> (1849) are all explorations of this theme.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C3%2C2510%2C1171&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C3%2C2510%2C1171&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524245/original/file-20230504-26-cyqb7v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=351&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teya and Salena.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image: YouTube</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Poe was writing before the spiritualist boom, but he was fascinated with how human consciousness might transcend the boundaries of bodily death. In <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2148/2148-h/2148-h.htm#chap2.6">The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar</a> (1845), a man is placed in a mesmeric trance at the point of death and inexplicably affirms “<a href="https://irishgothichorror.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/isay.pdf%22">I say to you that I am dead!</a>”, after which his body gruesomely disintegrates. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/30030067">Scholars</a> have read this short story as a commentary on writing itself – if someone can communicate from beyond the grave, what might be the possibilities for posthumous authorship or artistic creation? </p>
<p>Today we can bring back the voices of the dead through sampling and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/19/arts/music/ai-drake-the-weeknd-fake.html">even AI</a>. But the dead might also be said to survive in the creative responses they continue to inspire. So when Teya and Salena take to the Eurovision stage in Liverpool next week, their song may be new, but their story of ghostly authorship and spirit possession comes straight from Poe’s work itself.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205007/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Lauren Murray received funding for this research from Arts and Humanities Research Council UK (2014-16).</span></em></p>When Teya and Salena take to the Eurovision stage next week, their song may be new, but their story of ghostly authorship and spirit possession comes straight from Poe’s work.Hannah Lauren Murray, Associate lecturer, Literature, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2013212023-03-13T12:37:24Z2023-03-13T12:37:24ZEurovision 2023: voting changes show the contest has always been political<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513963/original/file-20230307-14-yfvc1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=135%2C100%2C3805%2C2546&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ukraine were the winners of Eurovision 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kyiv-ukraine-february-15-2020-scene-1647247843">Review News/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Expert judges have been a mainstay of the Eurovision Song Contest since its inception in 1956. These experts are usually industry professionals with experience in popular music distribution. But with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/22/eurovision-scraps-jury-voting-in-semi-finals">the announcement</a> last November that from 2023 the contest will be replacing them with a global public vote in the semifinals, it seems the expert judge has fallen from favour.</p>
<p>What does this say about the quality of Eurovision’s content and the value of the show in the music industry? Largely chosen by the judges, the winners and runners-up of previous Eurovision years – including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC9sg6MpDc0">Måneskin</a> (2021) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtJZdcWHNdQ">Katrina and the Waves</a> (1997) – have gone on to put out far-reaching releases and <a href="https://twitter.com/thisismaneskin/status/1443606935719366659">successful international tours</a>.</p>
<p>Some might argue that Eurovision’s decision to prioritise audience votes over expert insights poses a threat to the inclusion of experts in any artistic judgment of value. Expert judges provide an impartial voice to the voting system, which should be apolitical and focus only on the musical content, style, quality and originality.</p>
<p>As a Eurovision fan <a href="https://accedacris.ulpgc.es/bitstream/10553/117366/1/9788490424148.pdf">and expert</a> in how we communicate through music, however, I love the idea that audience members will get to have more say for 2023. But if audiences are now responsible at the semi-final stage, it seems odd that the judges return for a portion of the final. Why bring in the public at all, if they won’t be trusted to make the right call when it comes to Eurovision’s winning act?</p>
<h2>Responding to overseas interests</h2>
<p>Eurovision has been developing a wider global reach. This has increased since televoting was introduced, but the contest’s viewing figures have also benefited from the inclusion of Australia both as performers and voters since 2015, thanks to the country’s large Eurovision fanbase.</p>
<p>American TV bosses are currently looking for a network to buy their own Eurovision copy – the <a href="https://wiwibloggs.com/2023/01/10/american-song-contest-producer-christer-bjorkman-nbc-not-made-decision-future/274562/%22%22">American Song Contest</a> – which the Guardian called a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/mar/22/american-song-contest-eurovision-nbc-copycat">“chaotic copycat”</a>. Moving the voting system towards the public and away from experts could be interpreted as a tactic to include American audiences (who can now vote in the contest) and bring them into Eurovision rather than the copycat version.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/glUGSnvw48E?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for The American Song Contest.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Critical_Event_Studies/bAw9DAAAQBAJ?hl%3Den%26gbpv%3D1%26dq%3Deurovision%2Bglobal%2Baudience%26pg%3DPA34%26printsec%3Dfrontcover&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1670852381307231&usg=AOvVaw1y9YUpdu924hgUTT9LMV9F">a global audience</a> including Australia and the US is both watching and voting in Eurovision, there is a risk that this will reduce the competition’s inclusion of diverse languages.</p>
<p>More countries could be tempted to perform songs in English as that’s the language global viewers will be most likely to understand. Expert judges could help to preserve Eurovision’s lingual and cultural diversity by judging value in that diversity.</p>
<p>More diversity and the inclusion of regional music and art forms is to be welcomed. Ukraine’s 2022 winning song, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Z51no1TD0">Stefania</a>, was a perfect example, with its folk fusion with rap and pop.</p>
<h2>Is it realistic to call Eurovision apolitical?</h2>
<p>Eurovision has always declared itself to be apolitical. But as many music and musicological <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Song_for_Europe/5zQrDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=eurovision+politics&printsec=frontcover">researchers</a> <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Song_for_Europe/5zQrDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=eurovision+politics&printsec=frontcover">have noted before</a>, this is not the case. Russia was removed from the 2021 contest due to the war in Ukraine. If politics has nothing to do with Eurovision, then this decision was erroneous.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/article/2671/13-may-2022-blog-is-it-time-for-the-uk-to-rise-rather-than-crash-and-burn-at/">Songs that year talked of isolation</a> (following the COVID pandemic), climate change and refugees. If the contest is not political, it certainly doesn’t do a good job of curating its content, which is frequently politically charged.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F1fl60ypdLs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Ukraine’s winning 2022 Eurovision entry.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eurovision fans accept the politics. In many ways, it is part of the show’s sensationalist draw. The recent voting change, then, could more cynically be interpreted as another political move by Eurovision organisers.</p>
<p>Changing the voting make up and bringing in a global audience continues the contest’s move beyond a European political dialogue (whereby neighbouring countries vote for each other) that began with the inclusion of Israel and Australia. Few will now receive nul point.</p>
<p>Bringing audiences in early creates a false sense of parity with the judges, which is undermined as the experts return for the final. The cards are stacked against audience votes. With a seeming lack of trust in both experts to create the final shortlist and audience to judge the final quality, the Eurovision Song Contest is confirming itself to be highly political.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201321/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Helen Julia Minors receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She is affiliated with Radio Wey. </span></em></p>Moving the voting system away from experts could be interpreted as a tactic to include American audiences.Helen Julia Minors, Professor, Head of the School of Arts, York St John UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1884082022-08-19T12:41:27Z2022-08-19T12:41:27ZWith ‘bravery’ as its new brand, Ukraine is turning advertising into a weapon of war<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479176/original/file-20220815-20-37mg81.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman walks by large signs that read 'Bravery is Ukrainian brand' in Kyiv. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/woman-walks-by-large-signs-in-store-windows-that-read-bravery-is-picture-id1242245557?s=2048x2048">Oleksii Chumachenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When a preview of Vogue’s October 2022 <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/portrait-of-bravery-ukraines-first-lady-olena-zelenska">cover story</a> on Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska hit Twitter on July 26, 2022, reactions on social media were swift and polarized. Some critics said that a photo shoot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for a fashion magazine was a “<a href="https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1552095961501126662">bad idea</a>” and <a href="https://twitter.com/CostanzaRdO/status/1552215150735855616">glamorized war</a>. </p>
<p>Others <a href="https://twitter.com/TamiErwinVZ/status/1552282456472129538">lauded the magazine and Ukraine’s first lady</a> for bringing awareness to the suffering of Ukrainians, five months after Russia first invaded its neighboring country.</p>
<p>In the cover photo, 44-year-old Zelenska wears a cream-colored blouse with rolled up sleeves, black trousers and flats. She sits on the stairs of the Ukrainian Parliament, leaning forward with hands intertwined between her knees. Her makeup is minimal, her hair casually tossed as she looks directly at the camera. Within hours Ukrainian women started using the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/TetyanaWrites/status/1552831968068378633">#sitlikeagirl</a> to share photos of themselves in the same pose as a show of solidarity.</p>
<p>Vogue’s profile of Zelenska, headlined “A Portrait of Bravery” and written by journalist Rachel Donadio, fits into a larger communication strategy, mounted by Ukraine’s government, that’s intended to keep the world focused on the country’s fight against Russian aggression. As part of that effort, Ukraine also initiated a nation branding campaign in April with the tagline “<a href="https://brave.ua/en/">Bravery. To be Ukraine.</a>”</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=A872GQ4AAAAJ&hl=en">communications scholar</a>, I have studied how former communist countries like Ukraine have used marketing strategies to burnish their international reputations over the past <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/nps.2020.106">two decades</a> – a practice known as <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/nation-branding-explained">nation branding</a>.</p>
<p>Ukraine, however, is the first country to launch an official nation branding campaign in the midst of war. For the first time, brand communication is a key part of a country’s response to a military invasion.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1551901521180229632"}"></div></p>
<h2>Nation branding and the end of communism</h2>
<p>The idea that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/magazine/branding-nations.html">nations can be branded</a> emerged at the beginning of the 21st century. This kind of work uses advertising, public relations and marketing techniques to boost countries’ international reputations. Campaigns are often timed to coincide with major sporting, cultural or political events – like the Olympics.</p>
<p>After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, formerly communist Eastern European countries were particularly eager to <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Branding-Post-Communist-Nations-Marketizing-National-Identities-in-the/Kaneva/p/book/9781138776777">rebrand themselves</a> and get an updated international image.</p>
<p>When Estonian musicians won the international singing competition <a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/eurovision/2001">Eurovision in 2001</a>, Estonia became the first post-Soviet country to hold this prize. Subsequently, the country’s government hired an international advertising company to design a modern <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630701848721">national brand</a> for Estonia as it prepared to host Eurovision the following year.</p>
<p>Research has shown, however, that former communist countries’ nation branding efforts were not meant just for international consumption. They also provided a new way to talk about <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Branding-Post-Communist-Nations-Marketizing-National-Identities-in-the/Kaneva/p/book/9781138776777">national identities</a> at home, and <a href="https://www.up.ac.za/media/shared/85/Strategic%20Review/Vol%2039(1)/pp-116-138-n-kaneva.zp121530.pdf">re-imagine national values</a> and goals, via marketing terms. </p>
<p>But until 2022, no country had used nation branding to fight a war.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A white woman is shown holding the leashes of several dogs, with the words 'Be brave like Ukraine' in big text over her" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478417/original/file-20220809-16-8xw795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Ukrainian woman who is saving abandoned pets is featured in a campaign billboard.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Be Brave Like Ukraine campaign/Banda</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>‘Bravery is our brand’</h2>
<p>Executives from the Ukrainian <a href="https://bandaagency.com/">advertising agency Banda</a> first pitched the idea for Ukraine’s Bravery Campaign <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-propaganda-war/">to the government</a> shortly after Russia invaded in February 2022. Based in Kyiv and Los Angeles, the agency had already worked before the war on government-sponsored campaigns, <a href="https://bandaagency.com/case/ukraine-now">marketing Ukraine</a> as a tourism and investment destination.</p>
<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy endorsed the wartime branding campaign and publicly announced its launch on April 7, 2022, in a <a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/buti-smilivimi-ce-nash-brend-budemo-poshiryuvati-nashu-smili-74165">video address</a>. “Bravery is our brand,” he stated. “This is what it means to be us. To be Ukrainians. To be brave.”</p>
<p>In the following months, Banda produced numerous messages in formats ranging from billboards, posters and online videos, to social media posts, T-shirts and stickers. A <a href="https://brave.ua/en/">campaign website</a> offers downloadable logos and photographs and asks visitors to share the message of bravery and donate to Ukraine. </p>
<p>Some billboards feature images of courageous, ordinary Ukrainians and soldiers. Other billboards are emblazoned with bold slogans in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag. They urge audiences to “Be brave like Ukraine” and say that “Bravery lives forever.” </p>
<p>Inside Ukraine, the <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-propaganda-war/">campaign’s messages appear</a> on everything from juice bottles to 500 billboards in 21 cities. The campaign is also running in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada and 17 countries in Europe, including Germany, Spain and Sweden, according to <a href="https://adage.com/creativity/work/campaign-celebrating-ukrainian-bravery-around-world/2418766">AdAge</a>.</p>
<p>This massive communication effort is happening at <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-propaganda-war/">a minimal cost</a> to Ukraine. Banda is donating its services, and the Ukrainian government pays only for production costs. Media space, including high-profile billboards in Times Square and other major cities, was <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90765014/pavel-vrzheshch-banda-most-creative-people-2022">donated by</a> several global media companies. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People's hands are shown holding phones and cameras, pointed at three blue billboards that say in yellow 'be brave like Ukraine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478414/original/file-20220809-12-8xw795.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ukraine’s bravery media campaign is displayed on billboards in Times Square, New York City.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://brave.ua/en/">Be Brave Like Ukraine campaign/Banda</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Branding as a weapon of war</h2>
<p>Banda’s co-founder, Pavel Vrzheshch, <a href="https://adage.com/creativity/work/campaign-celebrating-ukrainian-bravery-around-world/2418766">has said</a> the campaign aims to strengthen Ukrainians’ morale as they continue to fight Russia. But the focus on bravery is also about Ukraine’s future, he says. </p>
<p>“The whole world admires the Ukrainian bravery now, we must consolidate this notion and have it represent Ukraine forever,” Vrzheshch <a href="https://adage.com/creativity/work/campaign-celebrating-ukrainian-bravery-around-world/2418766">said in a media</a> interview. </p>
<p>At its core, the campaign attempts to transform an intangible value, like bravery, into an asset that can be converted into real military, economic and moral support. In other words, it aims to cultivate positive public opinion in the West that will support further aid to Ukraine in order to help fight the war.</p>
<p>This way of using brand communication in a war is unprecedented in at least three ways. </p>
<p>First, rather than relying only on diplomatic channels to seek international support, Ukraine is harnessing popular media and social media networks to speak directly to citizens of other countries. It gives ordinary people around the world a chance to show solidarity <a href="https://u24.gov.ua">through donations</a> or by sharing campaign messages and pressuring their government to support Ukraine.</p>
<p>A formal brand campaign also allows Ukraine to extend the visibility of the war beyond news coverage. As the conflict continues, it is likely to fade from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/12/ukraine-fears-western-support-will-fade-as-media-loses-interest-in-the-war">news headlines in international media</a>. But billboards, social media posts and the strategic use of entertainment publications like Vogue can keep it in front of audiences.</p>
<p>Finally, the best brand messages connect with consumers by inviting them to imagine better versions of themselves. Famous ad slogans like Nike’s “Just do it” or Apple’s “Think different” illustrate this idea. So does Ukraine’s call to people around the world to “Be brave like Ukraine.”</p>
<p>It is notoriously difficult to measure the effectiveness of nation branding campaigns, as <a href="https://placebrandobserver.com/how-to-measure-country-brands-models-tools-approaches/">brand consultants</a> point out. The process is costly and time-consuming, and results are often contested.</p>
<p>The direct impact of the Brave Campaign may not be clear for months to come. It is also not clear how long its message will continue to resonate. But it is clear that Ukraine is transforming nation branding into a new propaganda weapon, adapted for the age of consumer culture and constant media stimulation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188408/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nadia Kaneva does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Ukraine is partnering with an advertising company to produce an innovative nation branding campaign during a war. The campaign could have influence beyond how Ukraine and Russia conduct this war.Nadia Kaneva, Associate Professor, University of DenverLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1827672022-05-16T04:05:20Z2022-05-16T04:05:20ZUkraine’s Eurovision win shows us that despite arguments to the contrary, the contest has always been political<p>The 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Turin, Italy on Saturday night. The extravaganza didn’t disappoint in delivering our annual dose of ballads, bops and politics.</p>
<p>The answer to the question of whether Eurovision is political is always yes, but with various qualifications. After all, can a contest of nations ever be truly apolitical? </p>
<p>Can culture and politics ever be extracted from each other? Isn’t all art political?</p>
<p>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provides an inevitable backdrop to understanding this year’s Eurovision competition. This context infuses a more specific meaning into the standard platitudes of peace and unity that are often included as part of the show.</p>
<p>Host country Italy’s decision to begin the grand final with a rendition of Lennon’s <a href="https://youtu.be/VI-C7-juzSY">Give Peace a Chance</a> set the tone for the 2022 contest. </p>
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<h2>State politics and values politics</h2>
<p>Eurovision claims to be apolitical. Its famous <a href="https://eurovision.tv/about/rules">politics rule</a> states: “the Eurovision Song Contest shall in no case be politicised and/or instrumentalised and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.” In practice, it focuses mainly on direct expressions of state-based politics. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/27/belarus-disqualified-from-eurovision-anti-protest-song">Belarus was excluded last year</a> for lyrics perceived to be mocking protesters of the Lukashenko government. (<a href="https://www.ebu.ch/news/2021/05/ebu-executive-board-agrees-to-suspension-of-belarus-member-btrc">They were ultimately ejected entirely from the European Broadcasting Union</a> – Eurovision’s organising body – for suppressing journalists’ freedom of speech.) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/mar/11/georgia-eurovision-song-contest-2009">Georgia withdrew in 2009</a> when the EBU rejected its entry for being a barely-concealed dig at Putin.</p>
<p>By contrast, performances that express values-based politics – <a href="https://youtu.be/Cv6tgnx6jTQ">love, peace</a>, tolerance, acceptance, and <a href="https://youtu.be/mLOLRNSQttY">unity</a> – are the bread-and-butter of the contest. But this has not always been consistently applied. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/walking-through-europes-door-singing-how-eurovision-helps-define-europes-boundaries-and-why-ukraine-will-likely-win-179618">'Walking through Europe's door, singing' – How Eurovision helps define Europe's boundaries (and why Ukraine will likely win)</a>
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<p>In 2017 (in Kyiv, no less), the EBU censured Portuguese artist (and eventual winner) Salvador Sobral for wearing a sweatshirt reading <a href="https://eurovoix.com/2017/05/13/portugal-ebu-salvador-sobral-refugees/">SOS Refugees</a> to his press conferences. Sobral emphasised that it was “<a href="https://wiwibloggs.com/2017/05/13/ebu-bans-salvador-sobral-sos-refugees/189534/#:%7E:text=EXCLUSIVE%3A%20Portugal's%20Salvador%20Sobral%20says,Refugees%E2%80%9D%20sweatshirt%20is%20NOT%20political&text=He's%20a%20Eurovision%202017%20favourite,SOS%20Refugees%20sweatshirt%20in%20Kyiv.">not a political message – it is a humanitarian and essentially human message</a>”.</p>
<h2>Sympathy and solidarity</h2>
<p>There were more overt political statements made throughout the evening. Many voting spokespersons – usually those about to deliver 12 points to Ukraine – wore yellow and blue ribbons or even spoke directly about the conflict. Several performers, such as Iceland’s <a href="https://youtu.be/G71c48O3j-s">Systur</a> and Germany’s <a href="https://youtu.be/2BYIou-oWXA">Malik Harris</a>, stuck Ukrainian flags on their instruments.</p>
<p>The Icelandic delegation are no strangers to flag-based political statements. In 2019, the <a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/esc/iceland-broadcaster-fined-5000-for">EBU fined Iceland</a> when artists Hatari held up scarves in support of Palestine during their televote results. The difference between 2019 and 2022 in the accepted interpretation of <a href="https://wiwibloggs.com/2016/04/29/eurovision-2016-flag-policy-released-includes-banned-list/139630/">the rules</a> is that Ukraine is not a “contested territory”. A similar controversy ensued when Armenian artist <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/eurovision-song-contest-politics-ban-1.3576711">Iveta Mukuchyan held up a flag for Nagorno-Karabakh</a>, a territory contested with Azerbaijan.</p>
<p>Ukraine’s victory has been framed by many as a sympathy vote, but this doesn’t give a full picture of their success. While political sympathy undoubtedly contributed to their ultimate success over other favourites – the <a href="https://youtu.be/RZ0hqX_92zI">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/i777psA2gP4">Sweden</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/jSQYTt4xg3I">Spain</a> – it is important to acknowledge that the folk-contemporary fusion featured in winning song <a href="https://youtu.be/F1fl60ypdLs">Stefania</a> has <a href="https://theconversation.com/eurovision-if-ukraines-kalush-orchestra-triumph-it-wont-be-a-sympathy-vote-says-an-expert-182639">already proven popular with Eurovision audiences in recent years</a>. In 2021, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqvzDkgok_g">the Ukrainian entry Go_A</a> came fifth with their folk-EDM hit, <a href="https://youtu.be/lqvzDkgok_g">Shum</a> (and were unplaced but popular in the cancelled 2020 cohort of songs). Ukraine are also considered <a href="https://bakercatherine.wordpress.com/2022/05/10/even-if-all-roads-are-destroyed-how-ukraine-put-itself-on-eurovisions-mental-maps-from-2003-to-2022/">a strong Eurovision nation</a> – they are the only country with an unblemished record of qualifying for the grand final.</p>
<p>Eurovision is often spoken of as a form of cultural diplomacy and a platform for countries to display and gain <a href="https://softpower30.com/what-is-soft-power/">soft power</a>. Another term used in popular culture studies, <a href="https://newlearningonline.com/literacies/chapter-7/jenkins-on-participatory-culture#:%7E:text=A%20participatory%20culture%20is%20a,is%20passed%20along%20to%20novices.">participatory culture</a>, refers to how the public don’t simply consume popular culture but actively participate in its production, creation and meaning-making. </p>
<p>Eurovision and Ukraine’s landslide success in the popular vote demonstrates what we can think of as participatory diplomacy – when an audience actively participates in the cultural platform to shape their own political message in response to what is communicated to them.</p>
<h2>A return to language diversity</h2>
<p>This year, we saw a return to language diversity, with 11 out of the 25 grand final entries featuring languages other than English. Notably, it was the first time since 2011 that a song in French did not feature. The <a href="https://youtu.be/H1lcGXwOqJI">French entry</a> was sung in Breton, the local dialect of France’s westernmost region, Brittany. </p>
<p>It was also the first time since 1994 that <a href="https://youtu.be/VhyLh5sGRRI">Lithuania</a> entered a song completely in Lithuanian (their 2001 entry featured two Lithuanian verses in an otherwise English-language song). And, of course, the winning entry was in a language other than English for the second year running. </p>
<p>We can hope that this signals an era of greater optimism about the appeal of non-English songs at the contest and the power of song to transcend language barriers.</p>
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<h2>The future of the contest</h2>
<p>Traditionally, the winning country hosts the next Eurovision. The EBU acknowledge that there will be “<a href="https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/release/statement-on-ukraines-eurovision-song-contest-2022-win">unique challenges</a>” in hosting the 2023 contest. Currently, it is difficult to predict whether it will be possible to host in Ukraine itself. Should Ukraine be unable to host, it won’t be the first time that another country has stepped in to assist.</p>
<p>The events of this year also highlight that it might be time for the EBU to revisit its politics rule to ensure that it is applied consistently to the various conflicts its member states are involved in.</p>
<p>And those member states might look to Eurovision with a renewed appreciation for its diplomatic value.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182767/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Carniel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For many, the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest has answered the eternal question: is Eurovision political?Jess Carniel, Senior Lecturer in Humanities, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1826392022-05-11T14:28:32Z2022-05-11T14:28:32ZEurovision: If Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra triumph it won’t be a sympathy vote, says an expert<p>Voting in this year’s <a href="http://eurovision.tv/">Eurovision Song Contest</a> on May 14 in Turin may look different for one specific reason – neither Russia or Belarus are taking part. </p>
<p>Ukraine’s folk-rap band Kalush Orchestra has qualified for the final. But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, <a href="https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/release/ebu-statement-russia-2022">ruled</a> that no Russian act would be able to participate this year, after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2021 the EBU <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/27/belarus-disqualified-from-eurovision-anti-protest-song">rejected</a> Belarus’s entry, which mocked protesters against the Lukashenko regime, and has since suspended Belarus’s broadcaster BTRC from the EBU.</p>
<p>Under Putin, Russian state broadcasting has <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43661976">heavily invested</a> in its Eurovision entries with the goal of winning and hosting the contest, what could be called “<a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003141785-8/stagecraft-service-statecraft-russia-eurovision-song-contest-mari-pajala-dean-vuletic">stagecraft in the service of statecraft</a>”. </p>
<p>While voting dynamics will be altered by the absence of Russia and Belarus, voting patterns in Eurovision had already been shifting since Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 – and have always been subject to change. </p>
<p>Even the contest’s famous system of awarding one to 12 points from each country only <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/p/cor/louvrp/2024.html">dates back to 1975</a>, and its most significant change, the introduction of public telephone and SMS voting, was phased in between 1997 and 2003. From 2003, almost every country had replaced its juries with televoting.</p>
<p>This move to public voting by telephone coincided with a striking change. None of the winning countries from 2003 to 2008 had won Eurovision before, and many of the televote era’s highest-scoring acts came from countries which had once been part of Yugoslavia or the Soviet Union. Ukraine won for the first time <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD6of9YQMMc">in 2004</a> with only its second entry. Russia <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay7Ush-U48k">won</a> for the first and only time in 2008.</p>
<p>Every central and east European country in Eurovision has struggled against widespread <a href="https://unipub.uni-graz.at/cse/content/titleinfo/457421/full.pdf">western prejudices</a> that their region of Europe was not fully European or was lagging behind. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15405700802197834">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://www.viewjournal.eu/article/10.18146/2213-0969.2012.jethc013/">Greece</a> and <a href="https://www.viewjournal.eu/article/10.18146/2213-0969.2012.jethc013/">Finland</a>, which also became debut winners in this period, had been in Eurovision for longer but also existed on Europe’s periphery in many western eyes.</p>
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<p>These non-traditional winners’ dominance culminated at Eurovision 2008, where no western European countries placed in the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Derek-Scott-5/publication/303621944_Imagining_the_Balkans_Imagining_Europe_Balkan_Entries_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest/links/5e7c963a299bf1a91b7afa19/Imagining-the-Balkans-Imagining-Europe-Balkan-Entries-in-the-Eurovision-Song-Contest.pdf">top ten</a>. </p>
<p>There was growing resentment in western European media about “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2008/may/25/eurovisionpoporgeopolitics">political voting</a>”. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/16/eurovision.television">In response</a>, Eurovision votes since 2009 have been awarded 50% by public vote and 50% by small juries of music professionals from each country.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-russias-musicians-are-taking-a-stand-against-the-war-in-ukraine-179997">How Russia's musicians are taking a stand against the war in Ukraine</a>
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<h2>Shared musical tastes</h2>
<p>Many viewers comment on alliances between countries, and academics have also been curious about whether voting alliances can decide a Eurovision result. One <a href="https://www.academia.edu/4190892/Unite_Unite_Europe_The_political_and_cultural_structures_of_Europe_as_reflected_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest">study argued</a> in 1995 that jury votes in 1975-1992 could be broken up into western, northern and Mediterranean blocs. In 2006, as Eurovision expanded east, another study used statistical simulations to argue there were <a href="http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/4801/1/4801.pdf">coalitions</a> within regions such as the Nordic and Baltic countries, the Balkan countries, and the area of Russia, Poland, and Ukraine. Geographers Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D’Arcy <a href="https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0517/1222031-eurovision-voting-patterns-ireland/">pointed out in 2021</a>:</p>
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<p>While it is fair to note that certain countries still tend to award high numbers of televote points to the same countries every year, these trends probably reflect factors such as shared music markets and cultural commonalities, rather than politics.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cyprus and Greece famously exchange 12 points whenever they can, but this is connected to them sharing a language and a popular music industry. In the states that were formerly part of Yugoslavia, the sounds and, often, singers of Eurovision entries already have <a href="http://www.themajournal.eu/index.php/thema/article/download/38/90">cross-border</a> appeal, For instance, Croatian viewers surprisingly gave Serbia-Montenegro 12 points in 2004 despite the 1990s’ war.</p>
<p>The end of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union">Soviet Union</a> in 1991 created a similar shared cultural space between former member nations. When Verka Serduchka represented Ukraine at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0sTxrvl_k8">Eurovision 2007</a>, for instance, she was a household name <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23275227">in Russia</a> as well. Before 2014, Russia and Ukraine almost always <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_relations_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest#Voting_history">exchanged</a> at least seven or eight points, but the aggression of Putin’s regime has undermined this.</p>
<p>Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 left its mark on Eurovision when the EBU rejected the 2009 Georgian entry, which broke Eurovision’s rule against political messages with an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6-7Rw4xug">anti-Putin</a> statement. After Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9476/">eastern Donbas</a>, Ukrainian security services started banning Russian entertainers who had supported Putin or illegally visited Crimea from <a href="https://www.academia.edu/download/72055642/09668136.2021.pdf">entering the country</a>. When Kyiv hosted its second Eurovision in 2017, the Ukrainian ban stopped Russia’s intended Eurovision representative, Yulia Samoilova, from attending.</p>
<p>New Ukrainian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/25/ukraine-adopts-law-enforcing-use-of-ukrainian-in-public-life">language laws</a> introduced in 2019 have also limited the reach of Russian-language music and media, making space for more Ukrainian-language content. Political scientist Tatiana Zhurzhenko <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09668136.2021.1944990">views these measures</a> both as defence against Russian “hybrid warfare” and as expressing a new cultural revival after the Euromaidan period, a wave of protests and calls for greater <a href="https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/understanding-ukraines-euromaidan-protests">democracy</a> in Ukraine.</p>
<p>Voting trends from the 1990s and 2000s have already stopped being useful guides to Eurovision scores. Ukrainian and Russian juries have not exchanged any points since the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_relations_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest#Voting_history">annexation of Crimea</a>, though their public votes did continue giving each other’s songs some points.</p>
<p>Immediately after Russia invaded Ukraine this year, it seemed uncertain whether Ukraine could even take part. Even after Ukrainian forces had halted the first Russian offensive against Kyiv, martial law in Ukraine would technically have prevented the all-male Kalush Orchestra from <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/eurovision-ukraine-make-it-through-first-semi-final-moving-into-the-main-event-as-favourites-12610071">travelling to Eurovision</a>, since men of military age are banned from leaving the country. By endorsing their travel, the Ukrainian state has recognised that Eurovision’s public diplomacy value <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/why-eurovision-is-ukraines-soft-power-secret-weapon/">for Ukraine</a> is far more than what any six soldiers could achieve on the ground.</p>
<p>This year’s Ukrainian entry is Ukraine’s third entry in a row to be completely in the Ukrainian language, following the electronic folk band Go_A’s two entries in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNetXPSld50">the cancelled 2020 contest</a> and in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqvzDkgok_g">2021</a>. Both bands come from a music scene dedicated to mixing traditional and contemporary Ukrainian music genres.</p>
<p>In my opinion if Kalush Orchestra do win Eurovision 2022, it will be down to the strength of their song’s concept and performance, not primarily voting alliances or sympathy. Ukrainian acts have been among the Eurovision favourites for years. Ukraine has won Eurovision twice in the 21st century – last time in 2016 with a song alluding to the <a href="https://soundstudiesblog.com/author/mariasonevytsky/">annexation of Crimea</a> – and came second in last year’s public vote.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182639/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Baker contributed to the '#EurovisionAgain' fundraising project in 2020 and 2021. </span></em></p>Ukraine’s Eurovision contestant is building on a wave of support for the nation’s music in past contests.Catherine Baker, Reader in 20th Century History, University of HullLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1796182022-05-05T12:44:07Z2022-05-05T12:44:07Z‘Walking through Europe’s door, singing’ – How Eurovision helps define Europe’s boundaries (and why Ukraine will likely win)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460412/original/file-20220428-24-ca3gcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C71%2C2995%2C1922&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Could Ukraine's entry be heading for Eurovision success?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/gallery/kalush-orchestra-ukraine-2022">Maxim Fesenko/eurovision.tv</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year’s <a href="https://eurovision.tv/">Eurovision Song Contest</a> – an annual celebration of pop music in which nations compete to win the votes of judges and the public – takes place on May 14 in Turin, Italy. And <a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/odds/eurovision">Ukraine is overwhelmingly the favorite</a> to win.</p>
<p>While the latest odds first and foremost reflect the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/eu-solidarity-ukraine_en">widespread sympathy throughout Europe</a> for besieged Ukraine, it certainly helps that the Ukrainian entry, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEGVYOruLk">Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania</a>,” hits the right notes when it comes to Eurovision. Combining traditional folk sounds with modern hip-hop, the song is sentimental and upbeat at the same time. </p>
<p>Originally penned as an ode to the lead singer’s mother, “Stefania” has since become an anthem for the nation at war. </p>
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<p>Sung entirely in Ukrainian, it showcases historical costumes and traditional instruments in a firm stamp of Ukrainian identity, while also effectively merging a melodic chorus with the global rhythms of hip-hop. Overall, the song reflects something of Ukraine’s resilient attitude in the face of Russian aggression as well as its pro-Western cultural leanings. Indeed, <a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/04/06/ukraine-s-eurovision-entry-perform-for-young-ukrainian-refugees-in-jerusalem">one member of Kalush Orchestra declared</a>: “Our country will not only win the war, but also win the Eurovision.”</p>
<p>Russia was intent on competing this year as well. In February, however, the <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/home">European Broadcasting Union</a>, the organization behind Eurovision, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/25/russia-banned-from-eurovision-after-invasion-of-ukraine#:%7E:text=Russia%20will%20no%20longer%20be,bring%20the%20competition%20into%20disrepute%E2%80%9">banned Russia from the competition</a>, under mounting pressure from other participating countries over the invasion of Ukraine.</p>
<p>I have <a href="https://www.routledge.com/A-Song-for-Europe-Popular-Music-and-Politics-in-the-Eurovision-Song-Contest/Tobin-Raykoff/p/book/9780754658795">long studied Eurovision</a> as <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Eurovision-Song-Contest-as-a-Cultural-Phenomenon-From-Concert-Halls/Dubin-Vuletic-Obregon/p/book/9781032037745">a cultural and political event</a>. If Ukraine does win, I believe it will continue Eurovision’s ongoing legacy of marking the boundaries of the liberal West. Despite the popular and ephemeral nature of its songs, the event has, since its inception, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Postwar-Europe-Eurovision-Song-Contest/dp/1474276261?asin=1474276261&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1">reflected the political culture and geopolitical realities of Europe</a>.</p>
<h2>They had a dream</h2>
<p>Founded in <a href="https://eurovision.tv/history/in-a-nutshell#:%7E:text=The%20history%20of%20the%20Eurovision,1956%2C%20when%20seven%20nations%20participated.">1956 by the European Broadcasting Union</a>, the Eurovision Song Contest is the longest continuously running televised international musical competition in the world, with an enormous <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/news/2021/05/183-million-viewers-welcome-back-eurovision-song-contest-as-over-half-of-young-audiences-tune-in">audience of</a> <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/nearly-200-million-people-watch-eurovision-2015">roughly 200 million</a> people. Will Farrell’s 2020 Eurovision spoof “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8580274/">Story of Fire Saga</a>” and a recent NBC spinoff of the actual event, the <a href="https://www.nbc.com/american-song-contest">American Song Contest</a>, hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson, have piqued interest in the U.S.</p>
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<p>Over the years, Eurovision has expanded from a small group of six Western European nations to over 40 competitors from all over Europe, plus Israel and Australia. </p>
<p>It has grown roughly in tandem with other European and European-focused organizations, such as <a href="https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/history-eu_en">the European Union</a> and the <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato">North Atlantic Treaty Organization</a>. Like those economic and strategic blocs, Eurovision expanded into the Mediterranean in the 1960s and ‘70s, and to Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Over the decades, <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137367983">the contest has pushed and readjusted the boundaries of “Europe,” both geographically and ideologically</a>. </p>
<h2>Knowing me, knowing EU</h2>
<p>Eurovision’s definition of Europe’s geographical boundaries may not be intuitive for many viewers. The European Broadcasting Union follows the <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/history/Pages/PlenipotentiaryConferences.aspx">1932 Madrid conference of the International Radiotelegraph Union</a>, which set the eastern and southern boundaries of the “European Region” at the 40th meridian east and the 30th parallel north, “so as to include the Western part of the U.S.S.R. and the territories bordering the Mediterranean.” </p>
<p>Israel and indeed all countries bordering on the Mediterranean are thereby eligible to participate. Adjustments were made in 2007 on those boundaries to allow the nations of the Caucasus to participate. </p>
<p>Australia’s inclusion is a different matter, going back to 2015, when the European Broadcasting Union <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/australia-to-compete-in-the-2015-eurovision-song-contest">invited the country</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-20058-9?noAccess=true">on the basis of its unusually strong fan base</a>, to join for a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the competition. The Australians arrived with such energy and enthusiasm that they’ve stayed ever since.</p>
<p>The ever-increasing number of participating countries has expanded and stretched the understanding of which countries belong to Europe as a cultural entity. </p>
<p>More complex and nuanced is the ideological and political meaning of “Europe.” The European Broadcasting Union’s stated “<a href="https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Publications/EBU-Empowering-Society_EN.pdf">core values</a>” include democracy, pluralism, diversity, inclusion and freedom of expression.</p>
<p>But those values have at times rubbed up against the political realities of countries within the geographical boundaries of Europe. </p>
<p>When <a href="https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news-franco-s-eurovision-47020/">Spain hosted the contest in 1969</a>, Austria boycotted on account of Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco’s fascist politics. Spain hosted because it had won the year before with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYvhZOq10L8&t=2s">Massiel’s “La La La”</a>; the winning nation has usually hosted the following year’s competition since 1958. </p>
<h2>Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! a song without politics</h2>
<p>The European Broadcasting Union tries to hold to the ideal of a purely musical competition without political overtones, but some countries have tried to insert sly political critiques into their entries. </p>
<p>In 2009, Georgia attempted to protest Russia’s 2008 invasion of its country with the song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV1_s73fI-U">We Don’t Want to Put In</a>” – a play on the then-Russian Prime Minister’s name. But organizers <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20090310-georgia-cannot-perform-put-eurovision--0">rejected the song</a> as too obviously political. </p>
<p>On the other side of the political spectrum, the European Broadcasting Union <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2021/03/11/belarus-eurovision-entry-galasy-zmesta-face-disqualification-over-lyrics-14228006/">rejected Belarus’ 2021 entry</a>, “Ya Nauchu Tebya (I’ll Teach You)” by the band Galasy ZMesta, for its overt condemnation of that country’s pro-democracy protesters. </p>
<p>In recent years, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315097732-3/eurovision-50-post-wall-post-stonewall-robert-deam-tobin">the contest’s strong association with the LGBTQ community</a> has seen a backlash from conservative governments. Turkey’s departure from the contest in 2013 came as its interest in joining the European Union waned. While Turkey had multiple reasons for leaving, the head of Turkish Radio and Television objected specifically to the prominence of queer performers like Austria’s Conchita Wurst, who won in 2014 with “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaolVEJEjV4">Rise like a Phoenix</a>” as a gay bearded drag queen. In 2020, Hungary also withdrew from the competition; Andras Benscik, a commentator on a pro-government television station, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/hungary-eurovision-song-contest-gay-homophobia-lgbt-viktor-orban-a9221321.html">likened the contest</a> to a “homosexual flotilla.”</p>
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<h2>The winner takes it all</h2>
<p>Success in the Eurovision Song Contest has often come as countries move toward the liberal, inclusive, pluralistic, democratic ideals of Europe. Spain’s victories in the late 1960s, for example, preceded the relative loosening of societal restrictions in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain/Francos-Spain-1939-75">final years of the Franco era</a>. Turkey’s <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-wins-eurovision-song-contest/a-877588">victory in 2003</a> came at the height of that country’s campaign to join the European Union. </p>
<p>Most notably, the countries of Eastern Europe, which started competing in the 1990s, embraced the contest as symbol of Western freedom. After Estonia became the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/estonias-everybody-erupts-at-eurovision-79751/">first former Soviet Republic to win</a> in 2001, Prime Minister Mart Laar <a href="http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2050588,00.html">announced</a>, “We are no longer knocking at Europe’s door. We are walking through it singing.”</p>
<p>Ukraine fits into this pattern perfectly. Entering the competition in 2003, it won the very next year in 2004 with Ruslana’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIDz8lIeVYA">fiery leather-clad performances of “Wild Dances</a>.” In 2005, Ukraine sent GreenJolly, which performed “Razom Nas Bahato (Together We Are Many),” a celebration of the Orange Revolution. More recently, Ukraine was victorious in 2016 with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxS6eKEOdLQ">Jamala’s “1944</a>,” an elegiac meditation on former Russian dictator Josef Stalin’s forced removal of the Tatars from Crimea. </p>
<p>The historical reference allowed Ukraine to circumvent the European Broadcasting Union’s prohibition on politics by claiming to investigate and commemorate an event from the past, while also obviously protesting Russia’s 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea. </p>
<p>Facing Russian aggression once again, it looks like Ukraine has a good chance of winning Eurovision in 2022. According to oddsmakers, as of May 13, 2022, it had a <a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/odds/eurovision">60% chance of winning</a>.</p>
<p>Assuming Ukraine does well or even wins, the Song Contest will reconfirm and reestablish the boundaries of liberal Western Europe.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140K">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179618/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Deam Tobin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Politics have never been that far away from the Eurovision Song Contest. Since its inception, the annual event has reflected the political culture and geopolitical realities of Europe.Robert Deam Tobin, Henry J. Leir Chair in Language, Literature and Culture, Clark UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1611862021-05-21T05:16:02Z2021-05-21T05:16:02ZMuch more than music: 10 Eurovision costumes that stole the show<p>From its <a href="https://eurovision.tv/history/in-a-nutshell">humble beginnings in 1956</a>, when just seven nations participated, Eurovision has grown to epic proportions. </p>
<p>Known for its kitschy mix of Euro-pop, bizarre choreography and hammy performances, an estimated <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/182-million-viewers-2019-eurovision-song-contest">182 million viewers</a> tuned in to watch the competition in 2019. This year, 39 acts seek international glory.</p>
<p>Although the competition centres on the music, the costumes rival for attention. They are a kind of language, embodying the cultural values and the expressive agency of the artist. The Eurovision costume is a performer in its own right, and so here are ten of the best (or most head-scratching) costumes from Eurovision history.</p>
<h2>Conchita Wurst in gold</h2>
<p>Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst won the coveted prize in 2014, wearing an elegant gold brocade, floor-length bodycon gown teamed with a perfectly manicured beard and glossy, long hair. </p>
<p>In choosing a dress which hugged to her curves, Wurst reached the high glamour of performers such as Celine Dion (who won Eurovision for Switzerland <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1988">in 1988</a>), while the juxtaposition of the beard announced her status as a genderqueer artist. </p>
<p>On the world stage, Wurst was seen to break ground for others to fearlessly follow in her footsteps.</p>
<h2>The demonic Lordi</h2>
<p>The demonic costumes and corpse-like masks worn by Finland’s heavy metal band Lordi were wholly embraced by the crowds, resulting in them taking out the 2006 title. </p>
<p>The ghoulish prosthetics and Kiss-inspired costumes included fur, studs, chains, claws and horns, capturing the spirit of heavy metal — it also catered to Finland’s <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/a-glimpse-at-finlands-love-affair-with-heavy-metal/">healthy appetite</a> for the music genre which thrives in the country. </p>
<h2>Silver star Verka Serduchka</h2>
<p>For even unsuccessful contestants there is the opportunity for costumes to leave a lasting legacy. </p>
<p>Ukrainian performer Verka Serduchka did just that in 2007, donning a disco ball skullcap, matching tie and metallic trench while shadowed by silver-clad backup dancers. </p>
<p>Like Conchita Wurst, Verka Serduchka is a drag persona: Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko’s flamboyant middle-aged woman, where a full-bosom was as much as the costume as a headpiece topped by a gigantic silver star.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-song-to-unite-the-gender-politics-of-eurovision-still-divide-41754">A song to unite? The gender politics of Eurovision still divide</a>
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<h2>Aliona Moon’s shifting canvas</h2>
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<p>Moldovan singer, Aliona Moon, stood on a rising platform in a five metre long gown on which projections transformed the fabric from cosmic nebula to a flaming pyre.</p>
<p>The dress itself was fairly unremarkable, but the use of digital projection recast Moon’s costume from dress to canvas. The projections shifted with the song’s tempo, adding drama and suspense as it reached a crescendo.</p>
<h2>A very messy Wig Wam</h2>
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<p>For their 2005 entry, Norwegian outfit Wig Wam presented a bewildering vision of glam rock meets camp cowboy.</p>
<p>The lead singer’s costume gave a clear nod to music icons of the 70s and 80s: think Suzi Quatro’s Can The Can, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust or Alice Cooper’s School’s Out. The crotch-hugging silver spandex suit flared hard at the legs and scooped low on the chest, bearing the requisite rocker’s hairy chest. </p>
<p>Luckily for Wig Wam, all eyes stayed on the lead singer, since his fellow band member’s costumes were an incoherent, incomprehensible mix of rock fashion genres and decades.</p>
<h2>The sexy Svetlana Loboda</h2>
<p>Ukraine’s 2009 artist Svetlana Loboda performed in a burlesque costume as she was flipped around the stage by buff, gyrating, scantily dressed gladiators. </p>
<p>Burlesque, known for its eroticism and use in cabaret, was the perfect match for Loboda’s song “Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)”, but Loboda and her gladiators were flanked by two statuesque Marie Antoinette-meets-Lady Liberty figures in silver lamé — perplexing bookends to a performance that was nothing short of chaotic. </p>
<h2>Buranovskiye Babushki’s traditional dress</h2>
<p>Eurovision is not just a competition for the young and sequinned. In 2012, Buranovskiye Babushki endearingly sang a mixture of folk and pop in traditional Udmurt dress. </p>
<p>The Udmurt people are an ethnic group from central Russia, and their traditional dress combines detailed embroidery with vibrant red fabrics in a tradition that reaches back centuries. </p>
<p>Over the course of Eurovision’s history, the Buranovskiye Babushki were perhaps the most faithful example of national dress — and their costumes remained unchanged by their Eurovision fame.</p>
<h2>Dschinghis Khan is not Mongolian</h2>
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<p>The implied connections to Genghis Khan from Germany’s cringe-worthy 1979 entry, Dschinghis Khan left the audience scratching their heads. </p>
<p>It only becomes more bizarre when you realise the costume approximates nothing close to Mongolian dress.</p>
<p>Instead, Dschinghis Khan wore a bolero-style jacket covered by a golden cape and matching pants, topped by a rhinestone crown. A discerning eye might also catch the cavalier boots carrying the singer around the stage — another unlikely item of dress in the early Mongol empire.</p>
<h2>The baffling Dustin the Turkey</h2>
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<p>Representing Ireland in 2008 was Dustin the Turkey. Almost improbably, the DJ — a Muppet-like bird with a large beak and a sequined jacket – was upstaged by the dancers’ deeply confusing assemblage of lamé, feathered headdresses and loincloths. </p>
<p>The only relationship you could glean from this frankly baffling arrangement was the colours of Ireland’s national flag. </p>
<h2>The best of 2021: TIX</h2>
<p>So far, the 2021 competition has not disappointed. Norway’s artist <a href="https://eurovision.tv/gallery/norway-first-semi-final-2021">TIX</a> combined enormous feathered wings with neck-to-toe sequins, headband and aviator sunglasses — in addition to an array of chains, a beastly dance crew of horned devils, pyrotechnics and the obligatory light show. </p>
<p>Whether you consider Eurovision a cultural cringe or you remain an unabashed die-hard fan, after 65 years it remains a true costume spectacle.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-out-of-eurovision-but-dont-write-off-filmed-performances-they-could-make-for-a-greener-more-global-contest-161005">Australia is out of Eurovision but don't write off filmed performances: they could make for a greener, more global contest</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laini Burton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Eurovision costumes embody the cultural values, national spirit and expressive agency of the artist. Here are the best (and weirdest) of the bunch.Laini Burton, Senior Lecturer, Queensland College of Art, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1610052021-05-19T06:09:13Z2021-05-19T06:09:13ZAustralia is out of Eurovision but don’t write off filmed performances: they could make for a greener, more global contest<p>Last year, the Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled for the first time in its then 64-year history. This year’s <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/EBU-health-and-safety-protocol">Eurovision</a> is a socially distanced affair, with frequent COVID testing of participants.</p>
<p>The Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, where the contest is being held, has a capacity of 15,000 but the audience has been capped at 3,500 for each show. Interestingly, it does not look as socially distanced as expected. Shots of the crowd in the first semi-final on Tuesday (Wednesday in Australia), showed people seated side by side, with a few gaps between groups.</p>
<p>As a precaution, each participating country shot a “live-on-tape” performance to be used as a backup if their delegation could not travel to Rotterdam. Australia’s act Montaigne (Jess Cerro) filmed a performance of her song Technicolour in Sydney in March. SBS decided not to send a team to the contest due to travel concerns in the pandemic.</p>
<p>It was a slick production with an excellent vocal performance, but unfortunately, Montaigne did not make it through to the grand final. Some suggest the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/remote-performance-dooms-australia-s-montaigne-to-early-eurovision-exit-20210519-p57t3a.html">live-on-tape performance hindered Australia’s chances</a>. Montaigne herself seemed to acknowledge this in a tweet where she said, “we were at a severe disadvantage”.</p>
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<p>The performance was actually cut seamlessly into the live production; you could hear the crowd cheering while viewing Montaigne on a large screen in the arena. But while her song Techicolour had its fans, its hyperpop styling also <a href="https://escbubble.com/2021/04/the-public-reacts-to-australia-montaigne-technicolour/">divided casual viewers</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/eurovision-shock-is-ironic-appreciation-now-unnecessary-as-slick-singing-styles-reign-117252">Eurovision shock: is ironic appreciation now unnecessary as slick singing styles reign?</a>
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<p>All voting is split 50/50 between the jury and public. The jury voters had watched the first semi-finalists and voted the day before on a private stream. The public voted on the broadcast show. As juries watch the whole production on screen there is little difference in how they experience an in-arena performance and a live-on-tape performance anyway. </p>
<p>But it was always going to be a tough semi-final. <a href="https://eurovisionworld.com/odds/eurovision-semi-final-1">Croatia had been tipped to make the qualifying ten</a> but was also voted out.</p>
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<h2>In essence, a TV show</h2>
<p>Thirty-nine countries are participating this year. No one has yet dropped out because of COVID-19, but some – notably Armenia and Belarus – are absent for <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/armenia-withdraws-from-eurovision-2021">other reasons</a>, including <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/ebu-statement-on-belarusian-entry-2021">political ones</a>.</p>
<p>Montaigne and all other delegations filmed their <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/what-is-a-live-on-tape-performance">live-on-tape performances</a> in March under the watchful eye of representatives from the host broadcasters, the European Broadcasting Union, and independent voting observers. They were given one hour to film three attempts, with the best of the three to be used if necessary. </p>
<p>So far, Australia is the only participant to have used a taped performance. This is the first time Australia hasn’t qualified since entering the contest in 2015 (when it went straight into the grand final as a special guest). Still, Montaigne’s non-qualification should not be interpreted as an indictment of the live-on-tape model.</p>
<p>Although we are accustomed to seeing a large audience cheering and waving flags, this is actually a recent development at Eurovision. Before 1998, it was staged in smaller venues. An audience was present, but seated rather sedately. In the early 2000s especially, Eurovision became synonymous with larger crowds in arena stadiums, giving more of a <a href="https://stories.uq.edu.au/contact-magazine/2020/why-australias-love-for-eurovision-continues-to-grow/index.html">live concert feel</a>.</p>
<p>Attending the contest is a pilgrimage for fans. Still, it is in essence a television show — albeit one filmed in front of a live studio audience. The staging of several performances this year – most notably Ireland and Greece – reminded us of this through their heavy use of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPHI_j7DskY">screen overlays</a> of animated graphics (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY2rxbZNvZ0">Ireland</a>) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqo6kQl_-bo">green screen</a> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgjBc-6jJoU">Greece</a>). </p>
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<p>Lesley Roy’s performance for Ireland involved intricate camera perspectives through small shadow boxes on stage as well as a screen overlay edited into the broadcast.</p>
<p>Greece’s Stefania performed in front of a green screen backdrop alongside backup dancers partially clad in green clothing. For the in-arena audience, the effect was no doubt strange and almost comical. For those at home, Stefania appeared on a purple stage, dancing alongside disembodied pants and shirts.</p>
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<p>Such performances are designed with the television audience in mind. Even without these staging choices, each act is carefully choreographed to maximise the broadcast effect. This is most frequently seen in direct-to-camera singing.</p>
<p>The final 2021 production choices also illustrate new ways to understand a live broadcast show in a time of pandemic. The artists’ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room">green room</a>, where they gather during the event, was more prominent this year. While the crowd’s cheers were heard (amplified by a <a href="https://eurovoix.com/2021/05/17/app-cheer-eurovision/#:%7E:text=You%20are%20able%20to%20go,influence%20the%20volume%20of%20cheering.">“cheer” function on the Eurovision app</a> for those watching at home), they were at a distance from the performers. </p>
<p>Indeed to the at-home viewer watching the first semi-final, there was very little beyond the physical stage itself to distinguish between the in-arena performances and Montaigne’s live-on-tape submission.</p>
<h2>An expensive endeavour</h2>
<p>Filming live-on-tape suggests how Eurovision might be held in the future, making it more inclusive and environmentally friendly. Upon logging into the virtual press room, for instance, journalists this year were informed of the <a href="https://escinsight.com/2021/04/07/eurovision-song-contest-digital-press-room-experience/">carbon emissions</a> they saved by not travelling to the contest.</p>
<p>And the <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-virtual-village-whats-on">virtual Eurovision Village</a> – usually a physical public space in the host city, offering extra performances and exhibitions – means Eurofans from around the world can be part of the on-site activities online.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/may/27/eurovision-song-contest-recession">Most importantly, participation is an expensive endeavour</a>. It involves the cost not just of the production, but travel and accommodation for delegations, usually stationed in the host city for two to three weeks. Some smaller nations, such as Bulgaria and Montenegro, participate only intermittently for economic reasons.</p>
<p>Maintaining some sort of flexibility between staged and taped performances might enable more countries to participate more regularly in Eurovision. This might even allow the contest to become a more global event.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161005/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The author has written for SBS in the past but currently holds no formal ties to the organisation.</span></em></p>Australia was the only nation to perform ‘live-on-tape’ in the first Eurovision semi-final. Some suggest this hindered our chances, but taped performances may be the way of the future.Jess Carniel, Senior Lecturer in Humanities, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1425362020-12-06T13:17:39Z2020-12-06T13:17:39ZWill Ferrell’s ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ movie is the laugh we need this holiday<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366472/original/file-20201029-15-1ezyy7l.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C13%2C1258%2C703&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell in 'Eurovision Song Contest' will inspire viewers with more than keeping up fashionable appearances through December holidays in lockdown.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Netflix)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you missed the Netflix debut of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8580274/"><em>Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga</em></a>, there are reasons to watch it now that go beyond being inspired to keep up fashionable appearances through a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-november-23-1.5812272">winter in COVID-19 lockdown</a> or dreaming about travelling to beautiful Icelandic landscapes. </p>
<p>The movie <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/06/eurovision-netflix-will-ferrell-review">starring, co-written and produced by the hilarious Will Ferrell</a>, is about the most popular song contest in the world that is watched across <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-worlds-most-popular-s_b_9252196">Europe and beyond</a>. Although many in North America only learned recently of Eurovision, it has been an all-consuming obsession for many Europeans since 1956.</p>
<p>The film is a popular exploration of what I have examined as an education researcher: “<a href="https://theconversation.com/street-art-personal-creations-get-political-with-public-messaging-115945">pop-up pedagogy</a>” — when a person doesn’t plan to take part in educational activities but ends up gaining knowledge unexpectedly anyway. This type of learning through <a href="http://journaldialogue.org/issues/learning-about-people-places-and-spaces-of-the-world-through-informal-pedagogy-socio-intercultural-constructions-and-connections-to-popular-culture/">popular art forms and media isn’t any less meaningful to people than what’s gained through formal education</a>. </p>
<p>As I learned as a young person who immigrated to Portugal in my early youth, the televised song contest suggests the ways that sharing song and media in popular culture can be accessible ways of inviting people <a href="https://theconversation.com/schlager-scandi-pop-and-sparkles-your-guide-to-the-musical-styles-of-eurovision-96268">into new artistic, musical</a> and cultural forms across borders and might even prompt changes in how we relate. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Origins of the contest</h2>
<p>In 1956, the European Broadcasting Union, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/eurovision-2019-song-contest-what-is-the-point-purpose-pop-history-a8916801.html">an alliance of public broadcasters from different countries, first ran Eurovision Song Contest as a way to promote co-operation among countries</a>. </p>
<p>Since that time, 52 countries, not all from Europe, have entered original songs that <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/182-million-viewers-2019-eurovision-song-contest">end up being heard by millions of people around the world during the yearly live show</a>.</p>
<p>Despite much of the media coverage of the contest falling on its <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2014/may/08/eurovision-song-contest-eye-catching-outfits-in-pictures">over-the-top fashion</a>, its <a href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1141-10-wonderfully-weird-eurovision-performances/">unusual performances</a> and <a href="https://eurovision.tv/gallery/the-memorable-props-of-the-eurovision-song-contest">stage props</a>, Eurovision’s enthusiastic showcase of diversity is a great way to learn about cultural traditions and languages from different countries. </p>
<p>At Eurovision, every year, there are entries sung entirely or partially in languages other than English. Of course, a person isn’t going to learn a new language just by watching Eurovision (although they might be inspired to), but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2019.104644">research shows that when a person is exposed to multiple languages they are able to learn a new one more easily</a>.</p>
<p>Researchers have linked <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/108648220000500505">learning about diverse perspectives</a>
with <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221546.2012.11777232">improved critical thinking</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022110361707">creativity</a>. More importantly, exposure to different cultures can lead <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-010-0401-5">to interacting with people from different backgrounds in more positive ways and increased openness to differences</a>.</p>
<h2>Language and community preservation</h2>
<p>Some of the songs showcased through Eurovision have presented opportunities to learn about history and language preservation. For example, <a href="https://elalliance.org/languages/celtic/breton/">Breton, a Celtic language spoken in northwestern France</a>, was heard at the 1996 Eurovision contest, when guitarist <a href="http://www.danarbraz.com/">Dan Ar Braz</a> of Brittany with L'Héritage du Celtes performed <a href="https://youtu.be/DqIRYrzHoJo">a song called Diwanit Bugale</a>. </p>
<p>Breton is a language that has <a href="https://globaljournalist.org/2015/01/disappearing-languages-get-lifeline-technology">seen a decrease in speakers over the years</a>. When Dan Ar Braz performed on a world stage, it was an opportunity for people to not only hear Breton but to learn about the struggle to keep the language alive. </p>
<p>More recently, Norway’s 2019 entry <a href="https://youtu.be/3EmUmbhDRiY">by the band KEiiNO</a> showcased <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/keiino-sing-and-joik-in-the-first-rehearsal-of-norway">the Sámi language</a> spoken by the <a href="https://www.iwgia.org/en/sapmi.html">Sámi, an Indigenous people of the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Kola Peninsula in the far north west of Russia</a>. KEiinO is a trio that includes <a href="https://eurovision.tv/participant/keiino">Sámi rapper Fred Buljo</a>. Their song also featured joik, a traditional form of Sámi music that is part of the <a href="http://vejournal.org/index.php/vejournal/article/view/1">traditional culture that earlier generations were prohibited from practising</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/182-million-viewers-2019-eurovision-song-contest">With an audience of 182 million tuning in in 2019</a>, many people had an opportunity to learn about an Indigenous language through a song presented at Eurovision. </p>
<h2>Bringing people together</h2>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=822&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=822&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=822&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1033&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1033&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372369/original/file-20201201-17-11n5wn9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1033&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Will Ferrell with wife Viveca Paulin arrive at the 2019 LACMA Art + Film Gala Presented By Gucci.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>On the surface, this comedy is not about the political transformation that can happen through exposure to new cultural exchange; it’s rather about the small personal changes that can shift through being open to new dimensions of relationships and seeing ourselves in new ways. </p>
<p>But let’s not forget the movie also offers a kind of meta-commentary on the Donald Trump years in the United States. </p>
<p>This comes in hilarious doses such as when we see (the American) Ferrell in <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/a32980239/eurovision-song-contest-review/">role as an Icelander screaming at American tourists: “Go home and build your wall!”</a> Ferrell learned <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/6569694/will-ferrell-wife-viveca-paulin-eurovision/">about Eurovision through his wife, Viveca Paulin, who is Swedish</a>.</p>
<p>Traditional education has begun to recognize how learning opportunities provided by the Eurovision Song Contest are vast. The <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/eurovision/euphoria-eurovision-is-now-a-degree-course-at-the-university-of-melbourne-10307565.html">University of Melbourne has offered a course where students learn about the history of Europe through Eurovision</a> and the <a href="https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/uncommon-blog/uncommon-class-eurovision-song-contest">University of Chicago has also offered a course on the famous song contest</a>.</p>
<p>For those who prefer a more informal approach to learning, the Eurovision Song Contest returns in May 2021, but don’t worry if that’s too long to wait. </p>
<p>The movie is on Netflix along with all of its wackiness, like <a href="https://youtu.be/mr0n-pr_m4Q?t=24">Ferrell running in a gigantic hamster wheel while singing Euro-pop in a flashy, silver outfit</a>. Frankly, if you’re in Canada, facing three more months of dark, <a href="https://bc.ctvnews.ca/home-for-the-holidays-how-new-travel-restrictions-could-impact-christmas-1.5195271">cold days along with COVID-19 restrictions</a>, this sort of humour may be just what the doctor ordered.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142536/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Augusto Rodrigues does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The movie is indeed a silly look at how sharing song and media in popular culture can affect how we relate as individuals and nations but it also carries deeper insights.Anna Augusto Rodrigues, Faculty Development Officer, Teaching and Learning Centre, Ontario Tech UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1415042020-06-26T15:50:11Z2020-06-26T15:50:11ZEurovision 2020 may be cancelled, but Will Ferrell’s affectionate spoof will keep diehard fans happy<p>It’s been a long lockdown. Domestic sport and music events ground to a halt early on, and on March 17, UEFA <a href="https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/news/025b-0ef35fa07210-adb80b5eb2e7-1000--uefa-postpones-euro-2020/">announced</a> its 2020 European Football Championships would now be played in 2021. But much worse for some, the following day <a href="https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2020-in-rotterdam-is-cancelled">Eurovision 2020 was cancelled</a> too.</p>
<p>While football has since restarted (albeit in an eerie, spectatorless fashion), for Eurovision fans there’s nothing but a discoball-shaped hole and a wait of a whole year to see who can dethrone the Netherlands in the world’s premier Europop battle of the bands. </p>
<p>But fear not Eurovision fans, for Netflix – pretty much an essential service in an age of mandatory isolation – is here to fill the spangled void. Its new film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, is now streaming and is a welcome addition to the Hollywood musical genre (though if anything, it’s not actually musical enough). </p>
<p>Starring genuine Eurovision fanatic Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as fictional Icelandic entry Fire Saga, the film follows Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir as they seek to rise from frustrated but dreadful pub duo to unlikely pop sensations.</p>
<p>For those familiar with Ferrell’s work, you might be expecting (as I did) something like his German accent from <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395251/">The Producers</a>, combined with the wardrobe glamour of <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blades_of_glory">Blades of Glory</a> and the arch silliness of <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zoolander">Zoolander</a>. The film ticks all of these boxes, but eschews Scandi-pop stereotypes in favour of, well, different Nordic stereotypes.</p>
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<p>Ferrell had a head start on his Nordic research for the film thanks to his Swedish wife, but he took things very seriously by joining the Swedish delegation at Eurovision in 2018. Leaning heavily on generic comedy Nordic accents, Lars and Sigrit are immediately likeable and the audience is rooting for the pair from the outset.</p>
<p>Inspired by Swedish group <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj_9CiNkkn4">Abba’s legendary 1974 winning entry Waterloo</a>, Lars and Sigrit come from a small fishing town, pray to magic elves and dream of stardom. Visions of autotuned pop sung atop snowy mountains in Viking cloaks and metallic lipstick, emanate from rehearsals in Lars’s bedroom. Father Ted fans might be reminded of the classic A Song for Europe episode and the hapless priests’ My Lovely Horse entry, but then that’s unavoidable from an underdog comedy about Eurovision.</p>
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<p>The Father Ted parallels deepen (even before the inevitable cameo of BBC Eurovision host Graham Norton, who once played a Riverdancing priest in the sitcom) as Fire Saga are given their big break – spoiler alert – in tragic circumstances. </p>
<p>Suddenly Icelandic favourite, pop starlet Katiana (played by US pop starlet Demi Lovato) is out of the picture. So, despite a disastrous qualifying round, Fire Saga become the default Iceland entry for Eurovision, much to the country’s dismay.</p>
<p>With the odds stacked against them, Fire Saga travel to host city Edinburgh (which of course means that the UK must have won the contest the previous year!) to navigate backstage politics and the destructive forces of their own camp, to affirm their endearingly awkward (and definitely <em>not</em> incestuous, as the protagonists repeatedly assert) romance. </p>
<p>But Fire Saga are up against more polished rivals that include suave Russian star Alexander Lemtov (played by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens). Can they win the hearts of Eurovision fans and Lars’s disapproving father (Pierce Brosnan)?</p>
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<p>As their musical journey progresses, the audience is treated to Cher-Abba medleys, original music (some ably sung by Ferrell himself), a nod to 2006 heavy-metal Finnish winners Lordi in the form of Belarusian entry Moon Fang, and enough real-world references to keep the diehards happy (“She is good, but everyone hates UK so zero points!”). </p>
<p>It’s hard to imagine how the film might come across to those unfamiliar with Eurovision culture, but any US audience with a fondness for Will Ferrell’s particular brand of silliness will find much to enjoy. </p>
<p>The contest provides fertile soil for the settling of political scores, which is half the fun – the other half being the carnival of camp kitsch that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. And although the film doesn’t hide from the political point-scoring, it’s best understood by experiencing the contest for yourself. As The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2019/may/18/eurovision-2019-live-song-contest?page=with:block-5ce086b38f08d2b474ebe8a6#liveblog-navigation">live-blogged </a> in 2019: “No jury points for the UK from Ireland, but we got five from Belarus. To be fair, we’re not screwing Belarus over <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4eeeb5ca-ea1f-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539">border issues</a>.” </p>
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<p>According to the film’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8580274/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv">IMDB page</a>, The Story of Fire Saga was originally supposed to coincide with the real 2020 contest in Rotterdam in May, but who could have possibly predicted the circumstances of its postponement? </p>
<p>Instead we have a fun film packed with enough glamour, melodrama, sequins, fireworks and knowing cliché to give Eurovision fans something to tide them over till next year. Essentially a two-hour advert for the contest, it barely qualifies as a spoof, but is enjoyable nonetheless. Dix points? Maybe not, but it’s a long way from nul.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141504/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rio Goldhammer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Bursting with bubblegum Scandi-pop, this glitzy, sequinned melodrama might just be the thing to fill that discoball-shaped hole left by this year’s cancelled Eurovision.Rio Goldhammer, Lecturer, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1177582019-05-24T12:13:19Z2019-05-24T12:13:19ZEurovision: UK quitting the song contest would only be bad for brand Britain<p>The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest picked a really bad day to announce they had further reduced the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48375560">low score</a> the UK achieved this year in Israel. As the British public went to cast their ballots in the European elections amid ongoing strife over Brexit, Eurovision said that due to “an incorrect calculation” on the night, the score for Michael Rice’s entry, Bigger Than Us, had been lowered from a 16 to 11.</p>
<p>The decision added fuel to a campaign for the UK to quit Eurovision. Even before the competition, the pro-Brexit Daily Express reported that a YouGov poll had found Britain as split over Eurovision as over membership of the EU itself: 52% wanted to leave the competition, while 48% wanted to keep competing. </p>
<p>Television presenter Lorraine Kelly – considered an expert on matters Eurovision – <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/20/lorraine-kelly-calling-uk-quit-eurovision-michael-rice-disaster-lot-people-agree-9605437/">said on her show</a>: “I think it’s time to leave because it’s embarrassing … I’ve just had enough of it – it’s too political and too silly.”</p>
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<p>Rice himself <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/20/even-elton-come-last-michael-rice-blames-eurovision-disaster-brexit-9607671/">blamed Brexit</a>: “I always knew I was going to come in this position because of Brexit. Do you know what? If it was Gary Barlow or Elton John, they still probably would have come last too.”</p>
<p>And once again, the UK occupied the dreaded bottom rung on the scoreboard – the fourth time in 16 years. But as one of the <a href="https://eurosong-contest.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Five">Eurovision Big Five</a>, the UK contributes a considerable amount of funding to the event – £310,000, according to <a href="https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/is-eurovision-worth-the-cost">the most recent figures</a> available, from 2012. Is it money well spent, or is the UK being short-changed? Let’s look at an example of a country that decided to quit, and see if it is worth it.</p>
<p>Dissatisfaction with the voting rules was one of Turkey’s main reasons for <a href="https://www.eurovisionary.com/eurovision-news/yet-another-shock-turkey-withdraws-eurovision-song-contest-2013">withdrawing</a> ahead of the contest in 2013. But there was also a general feeling in Turkey – which paid a considerable sum to participate in Eurovision – that the nation should <a href="https://wiwibloggs.com/2017/08/09/forget-eurovision-journalist-says-turkeys-trt-wont-accept-big-5-high-participation-fees/">be in the Big Five</a> with an automatic place in the final.</p>
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<p>Turkey’s complaint was that it hadn’t been consulted over the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to reintroduce its system of split voting between national juries and the general public. Despite doing comparatively well under the new rules – coming second in 2010 and achieving a respectable seventh place in 2012 – it left. </p>
<p>In 2013 and 2014, the event wasn’t even broadcast in Turkey: according to state broadcaster TRT the <a href="https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/05/17/turkey-urged-to-broadcast-eurovision-following-tv-station-cancellation-over-lesbian-kiss/">low ratings</a> of the spectacle did not warrant the fee. Yet given that 25% of Turkish households tuned in to watch the 2012 show, this sounded a bit contrived, and some suspected that a same-sex kiss during Finland’s rehearsals may have <a href="https://escwebsblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/lesbian-kiss-too-much-for-turkish-broadcaster-as-they-cancel-tonights-semi-final/">played a part in the decision</a>.</p>
<h2>Chance to shine</h2>
<p>Eurovision offers a priceless opportunity to showcase local culture and generate interest – especially important for a country with a <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/turkey/tourism-revenues">large tourism economy</a> such as Turkey. Appealing to a European audience, and marketing themselves as being part of Europe – culturally and politically – were among the reasons behind Turkey’s decision to first <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/eurovision-2019-why-turkey-doesnt-participate">enter Eurovision in the 1970s</a>. </p>
<p>While it often scored poorly to begin with, continued participation paid off and from the late 1990s onwards, Turkey established itself as a top contender, showcasing a diverse musical and visual culture and even <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJksu8XxZCo">winning in 2003</a>.</p>
<p>One of the main things Eurovision promotes is a sense inclusivity and tolerance. Austria’s 2014 winner <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUIava4WRM">Conchita Wurst</a>, who performed in a dress and full beard, is now an international star. The competition’s campness has long made it popular among LGBTQ+ fans across Europe and much of the rest of the world – but TRT seems to have taken offence. Ibrahim Eren (the General Director of TRT) <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/lgbt-talent-strikes-wrong-eurovision-note-in-turkey-1.3591223">commented in 2018</a> that Turkey “cannot broadcast live at 9pm, when children are still awake, an Austrian with a beard and a skirt, who claims not to have a gender and says, ‘I am a man and a woman at the same time’.” </p>
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<p>This attitude is, perhaps, a bigger hurdle than the voting system and the fees put together. Queerness is part of the DNA of Eurovision, and true fans of the competition celebrate that. There’s an enduring sense that this may be the main reason that Turkey remains outside the Eurovision fold. But now that Eren has been elected to the European Broadcasting Union’s executive board, the chance of a return may have increased. </p>
<p>The UK, meanwhile, was named Europe’s most LGBT-friendly country <a href="https://girlsthatroam.com/2014/05/21/uk-named-friendliest-lgbt-country-europe/?v=7516fd43adaa">in 2014 and 2015</a>. And what better platform on which to showcase these values to the world, than Eurovision? </p>
<p>No one likes a sore loser. Britain has hardly endeared itself to Europe over the past three years. As the Brexit debate has raged, anti-EU slogans from British Brexiteers have resounded around the continent. All the sulking over poor scores in Eurovision has hardly helped. </p>
<p>Surely now, when ties to Europe are under considerable strain, the only approach that could benefit the UK would be to use the contemporary songwriting skills and artistry that contribute <a href="https://www.ukmusic.org/research/measuring-music-2018/">a record £4.5 billion</a> to the nation’s economy, to come back with a bang in 2020.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117758/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Henrik Linden is a member of the Labour Party. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Linden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After the UK flopped in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, there’s an appetite for another kind of Brexit. But this wouldn’t be a good idea.Henrik Linden, Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Cultural Industries Management, University of East LondonSara Linden, Lecturer in Cultural Policy and Tourism, Goldsmiths, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1172522019-05-19T09:23:28Z2019-05-19T09:23:28ZEurovision shock: is ironic appreciation now unnecessary as slick singing styles reign?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275275/original/file-20190519-69169-1etzjhl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kate Miller-Heidke performs Zero Gravity during the Grand Final of the 64th annual Eurovision Song Contest: an oddball, meteoric and sincere performance.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abir Sultan/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year’s Eurovision Song Contest was perhaps the most controversial in its more than half a century history. Held in Tel Aviv, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/israel-brushes-off-eurovision-boycott-calls-with-a-big-assist-from-madonna/2019/05/16/cea3cb82-6c24-11e9-bbe7-1c798fb80536_story.html?utm_term=.17947e3d7e5a">calls for boycotts</a> rang out on social media and elsewhere because of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Iceland’s Hatari (more on them later) were one of the few entrants to openly show support for Palestine, but otherwise there was lots of talk about the power of music to bring people together.</p>
<p>Messages of unity have been fairly standard for most of Eurovision’s history, given its creation in the 1950s was intended to bring a war-torn Europe back together after World War II.</p>
<p>The contest has long been known as a yearly spectacle of quirky Euro-kitsch, complete with corny choreography, garish costumes and bizarre performance styles. What has been interesting to watch over the past few years is how muted these once defining elements have become. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275278/original/file-20190519-69204-1vz7yem.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Bilal Hassani (centre) of France performs Roi.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abir Sultan/AAP</span></span>
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<p>This year, the contest resembles more mainstream singing talent shows like The Voice or American Idol, with slick production values and an increasingly narrow range of musical styles and genres. For the past few years, this narrowness has been a common complaint on social media. This year’s winner from the Netherlands, Duncan Laurence, for instance, was a contestant on Holland’s version of The Voice.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275276/original/file-20190519-69199-a22g4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Winner of the 2019 Eurovision, Duncan Laurence of The Netherlands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abir Sultan/EPA</span></span>
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<p>This seems to have coincided with a shift in the way in which fans watch the show. British and Australian audiences in particular have tended to view Eurovision through an ironic lens, taking a kind of knowing pleasure in the overly earnest, campy, or just plain weird acts that appear on stage. This is why Graham Norton supplies the sarcastic commentary in the UK and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkWtwIUqhTQ">Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst</a> do the same in Australia. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-camp-was-the-met-gala-not-very-116742">How camp was the Met Gala? Not very</a>
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<p>Ironic fans are everywhere online, and are not just confined to sarcastic comments about Eurovision on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sbseurovision2019?src=hash">Twitter</a>. Fans of other kitsch, camp, or “bad” art produce videos, <a href="https://me.me/i/shit-white-people-do-want-to-die-ironically-admin-ironic-5747854">memes</a>, blogs, Facebook groups, and so forth. Irony is generally defined as saying what is contrary to what is meant. The ironic fan often recognises that there is something woefully deficient or inept within a favoured text (or even politically incorrect or outrageous), but it is usually that very aspect from which the fan derives pleasure.</p>
<p>The last ten years or so of Eurovision has seen a decline in the amount of “outrageous” acts, so any ironic appreciation of the contest now seems a bit hollow. This may not be something to mourn, certainly those who have celebrated post-irony or <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/11/sincerity-not-irony-is-our-ages-ethos/265466/">the new sincerity </a> as a cultural trend would not miss it.
But while the songs and singers of Eurovision get increasingly conventional, the desire for a certain mode of ironic appreciation remains. </p>
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<span class="caption">Sweden’s John Lundvik performs Too Late For Love at the final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abir Sultan/EPA</span></span>
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<p>There are, of course, unconventional exceptions. In 2019, our very own Kate Miller-Heidke gave us a somehow both oddball and meteoric performance of her song Zero Gravity as she swayed to and fro atop a bendy pole. A song about post-natal depression combining pop and operatic styles, performed with quirky stagecraft, its message is too sincere to invite an ironic response. Ultimately, Australia placed 9th with 285 points. </p>
<p>The other unconventional performance of the night was Hatari, a BDSM-themed, heavy metal synth band from Iceland. The band’s name literally means “hater” and their song Hate Will Prevail muses (loudly) on fascism, nihilism and blood-soaked hedonism. As they screamed through their performance, a figure in leather banged a sledgehammer side to side as if they were a human metronome.</p>
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<span class="caption">Iceland’s Hatari: a standout in terms of weirdness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abir Sultan/EPA</span></span>
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<p>All this happened while other performers, in six-inch platform boots, death-dropped all over the stage. In terms of weirdness, Hatari was the standout. While strange and extreme (for Eurovision), this was another song that does not really invite an ironic stance.</p>
<p>Hatari caused commotion off-stage, openly criticising Israel in the press and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/18/europe/iceland-eurovision-palestine-intl/index.html">unfurling scarves bearing the Palestinian flag</a> after their performance when the cameras cut to them in the green room. Among many other controversial comments and stunts, they also challenged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/13/hate-will-prevail-icelandic-bdsm-band-put-eurovision-and-israel-in-a-bind">traditional Icelandic trouser-grip wrestling match</a>.</p>
<p>Later, Madonna appeared as the votes were counted, and made a similar political statement with one of her dancers <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/eurovision/madonna-surprises-eurovision-with-palestinian-flag-on-dancer-s-back-1.7254651">bearing the Palestinian flag</a>. While the politics of this have already been much discussed, the presence of a pop icon like Madonna perhaps demonstrates how far Eurovision may have strayed from its “daggy” roots.</p>
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<span class="caption">Madonna performs at the final. Her presence demonstrates how far Eurovision may have strayed from its ‘daggy’ roots.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Orit Pnini / Israeli Broadcasting Union</span></span>
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<p>As with every year, there were plenty of Eurovision clichés; on the nose song lyrics, showy choreography, innovative stage effects, and more key changes than you could throw a wind machine at.</p>
<p>Other notable highlights this year included Slovenia’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGtPNQ6g6Ng">entry</a>, where the performers spent most of the song staring lovingly (or creepily?) into each other’s eyes, seemingly oblivious to the audience. Additionally, Russia’s Sergey Lazarev had an interesting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCKHUldGcEI">gimmick</a>, an illusion of mirrors and getting rained on as he keened about screaming into the night.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Russia’s Sergey Lazarev performs.</span></figcaption>
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<p>But as the acts become more conventional each year, it becomes more obvious that Eurovision is not the kitsch extravaganza it once was. By no means does this mean it is not still an important event, or a whole lot of fun. A fairly conventional song contest with a few flashes of strangeness and a spirit of human unity is definitely something we can all enjoy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117252/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Sini does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Long known as a spectacle of quirky Euro-kitsch, this year’s contest more closely resembled singing TV shows such as The Voice. Notable exceptions, however, were Iceland’s Hatari and our own Kate Miller-Heidke.Matthew Sini, Lecturer in Screen Media, University of the Sunshine CoastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/962682018-05-10T01:17:09Z2018-05-10T01:17:09Z‘Schlager’, Scandi-pop and sparkles: your guide to the musical styles of Eurovision<p>In his acceptance speech for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, Portuguese winner Salvador Sobral issued a <a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/fans-and-artists-turn-on-eurovision-winner-over-controversial-speech/news-story/76954a352f42a09efb4af2aa31e15601">controversial call to arms</a> to “bring music back” to a place of meaning and feeling:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We live in a world of disposable music; fast-food music without any content. I think this could be a victory for music with people who make music that actually means something. Music is not fireworks; music is feeling.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It was a bold statement to make at a contest known – and loved – for its trashy Europop as much as it is for its heartfelt ethno-folk ballads or its diva swan songs. Eurovision music is diverse, encompassing both fast food and feelings. Over the years, it has developed its own sound and even its own genres.</p>
<h2>The classics</h2>
<p>The late Lys Assia’s <a href="https://youtu.be/IyqIPvOkiRk">Refrain</a>, the winning song of the inaugural Eurovision in 1956, best encapsulates the <em>chanson</em> style that dominated the contest for its first decade. Literally French for “song”, the term is used to describe any lyric-driven French song, but a song being in French does not immediately make it a <em>chanson</em>. </p>
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<p>This year’s entrant from Madame Monsieur, <a href="https://youtu.be/dHb-gWC-WTc">Mercy</a>, is contemporary electro pop that shares more with the pop music that superseded chanson after the 1960s. Many today would describe the <em>chanson</em> as old-fashioned, although others suggest it is a timeless genre. Although sung in Portuguese, Sobral’s <a href="https://youtu.be/Qotooj7ODCM"><em>Amar Pelos Dois</em></a> from 2017 recalls this style.</p>
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<p>The <em>canzone</em> is the Italian iteration of the chanson, exemplified by the iconic <a href="https://youtu.be/bES7I8ib_7A"><em>Nel blu dipinto di blu</em></a> by Domenico Modugno in 1958. Many would better know this song as <a href="https://youtu.be/5JEQIQmQa-c"><em>Volare</em></a> as covered by Dean Martin.</p>
<h2>The hits</h2>
<p>If the <em>chanson</em> dominated the 1950s and 1960s, <em>schlager</em> was undoubtedly the driving force from the 1970s until the early 2000s, when it integrated with Eurodisco and Eurodance. Although the term may not be familiar unless slurring your beer order, the style itself is perhaps the most recognisable to even the most casual Eurovision viewer. </p>
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<p>The origins of <em>schlager</em> are German, but forms of it can be found around Europe and are even recognisable in some American pop music. Meaning a “musical hit”, <em>schlager</em> refers to light pop music featuring catchy instrumentals and sentimental, usually non-political lyrics. </p>
<p>Nicole won the prize for Germany in 1982 with <a href="https://youtu.be/eBQ9ZoNkjFc"><em>Ein bißchen Frieden</em></a>, while Germany’s last winner in 2010, Lena’s effervescent <a href="https://youtu.be/8QSgNM9yNjo">Satellite</a>, is a quirky take on the <em>schlager</em> tradition.</p>
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<p><em>Schlager</em> itself is arguably less prominent at the contest in recent years, but we can see elements of it, fused with dance and folk elements, in DoReDos’ 2018 entry <a href="https://youtu.be/pKLKeVC-9Y4">My Lucky Day</a> for Moldova.</p>
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<h2>The traditional</h2>
<p>The fusion of different musical styles, especially traditional elements with contemporary trends, is one of the most appealing aspects of Eurovision as it presents international viewers with something different to the pop standard. </p>
<p>Ethno-folk fusions rose in popularity in the 1990s, arguably when “world music” caught on as a global trend from the late 1980s. From <a href="https://youtu.be/JPSZxPGv7dI">Celtic-inspired ballads</a> to <a href="https://youtu.be/TzKgojZqO5Y">bellydancing beats</a>, every year is replete with examples of this. </p>
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<p>Sanja Ilić and Balkanika, representing Serbia in 2018 with <a href="https://youtu.be/WkOFnIjGrkw"><em>Nova Deca</em></a>, have made it their mission to both preserve and modernise Balkan musical traditions. The song combines the Torlakian dialect of southeastern Serbia with standard Serbian, fusing traditional vocals and flute with contemporary singing and a dance beat. </p>
<p>Everyone’s favourite folk entry of recent years is undoubtedly the <a href="https://youtu.be/BgUstrmJzyc">Russian grannies</a> of 2012.</p>
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<h2>The niche</h2>
<p>As an event aimed at a family gathered around the modern hearth of the television, music with a more general appeal has been the standard for much of the contest’s history. Until, of course, Finnish heavy metal demon rockers Lordi surprised us all with their victory in 2006, <a href="https://youtu.be/gAh9NRGNhUU">Hard Rock Hallelujah</a>. </p>
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<p>Traditionally, rock does not fare well at Eurovision, so best of luck to Hungary’s AWS with <a href="https://youtu.be/6unRU5ZHbqY"><em>Viszlát Nyár</em></a> this year, which might draw in a few different punters with its reminiscence of Linkin Park’s oeuvre.</p>
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<h2>The mega-pop</h2>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum is Scandi-pop. Just as most of your favourite hits over the past 20 years have been written by <a href="https://www.billboard.com/photos/7378263/max-martin-hot-100-no-1-hits-as-a-songwriter">one Swedish mastermind writer/producer</a> (Max Martin, who has written everything from Britney Spear’s One More Time to Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood), Swedish songwriters dominate Eurovision, spruiking their wares across the continent.</p>
<p>For example, this year’s Maltese entry, <a href="https://youtu.be/E_0ugf0eP1Q">Taboo</a>, sung by Christabelle, was written by none other than Thomas G:son, who penned everyone’s (well, OK, my) favourite winner from the past ten years, <a href="https://youtu.be/Pfo-8z86x80">Euphoria</a> by Loreen. </p>
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<p>The one to watch this year, however, is Finland’s more congenial answer to Lady Gaga, Saara Aalto. (Although she won’t be singing it in the contest, her 34-language version of her entry <a href="https://youtu.be/L9Y3AxgV1f4">Monsters</a> is worth a listen.)</p>
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<h2>Time for a toilet break?</h2>
<p>Our final category can cross all musical genres: the ballad. Broadly defined as a slow-tempo song (known by some as the toilet-break songs), the ballad can dampen the party mood pretty quickly, so it is the song type that everyone loves to hate (but also secretly love). </p>
<p>According to number-crunching fan site <a href="https://www.escdaily.com/israel-can-only-win-eurovision-if-8-ballads-qualify-from-the-semi-finals/#">ESC Daily</a>, ballads usually account for about 40% of entries each year. Time your toilet breaks well, for there are fewer this year than last year and those that remain each offer something a little different.</p>
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<p>Iceland’s <a href="https://youtu.be/Pm1YaJceg5c">Ari Ólafsson</a> and Germany’s <a href="https://youtu.be/o_xTETHwIQg">Michael Schulte</a> provide more traditional ballads, but Portugal’s <a href="https://youtu.be/kaVp4El9p3s">Cláudia Pascoal and Isaura</a> and Latvia’s <a href="https://youtu.be/uBlZsGxeXk4">Laura Rizzotto</a> provide unique contemporary styling on the slow-tempo song. Also, don’t miss Elina Nechayeva’s operatic <a href="https://youtu.be/76KOUIfDry8"><em>La Forza</em></a>.</p>
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<p>The diversity of musical styles this year is great – a veritable food court of choices from fast food to fine dining. Sadly, however, there is no <a href="https://youtu.be/ZSHc7iDuBCQ">rap yodelling</a> on the menu … </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The 2018 Eurovision Grand Final will be broadcast on SBS on Sunday May 13.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96268/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Carniel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Since it began in the 1950s, Eurovision has embraced everything from metal to the global juggernaut of Scandi-pop, and of course the Eurodance and disco synonymous with Eurovision.Jess Carniel, Senior Lecturer in Humanities, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/956092018-05-09T09:39:20Z2018-05-09T09:39:20ZEurovision fandom and how sexuality is embraced on social media<p>Digital <a href="https://eurovision.tv/">Eurovision Song Contest</a> fandom, which takes place across social media platforms, is increasingly becoming a space to discuss LGBT issues. It’s popular because it enables fans to gain access to wider LGBT culture without having to attend more mainstream venues and events. As the contest is not explicitly labelled as a “gay event”, Eurovision digital fandom is providing a more ambiguous platform through which non-heterosexuals can express their sexual identities. </p>
<p>In the build up to the 2018 event in Lisbon, fans have already started <a href="https://twitter.com/elainovision/status/977395285730254848">conversing over their favourite entries</a> and what they expect from the competition. Transformations in accessing mobile social media now allow fans to interact all year round. In fact, they are increasingly dependent on these mediums to keep in contact with this <a href="https://eurovision.tv/about/facts-and-figures">unique international television phenomenon</a>. </p>
<p>Social media is now used as an entry point for Eurovision-lovers who want a part of the fandom, without having to attend the contest itself. Supporters engage in practices such as “watch alongs” to national finals. These are shows which are used to select a country’s song for the upcoming contest between December and March. Fans watch television channels around Europe and turn to <a href="https://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> to share their thoughts with other fans.</p>
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<p>Interacting in this way provides feelings of belonging for fans and helps develop digital Eurovision fan culture. One of the most popular television events fans interact with is Sweden’s big production and “mini-Eurovision”, Melodifestivalen – more commonly known as “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/melodifestivalen-sweden-what-time-is-it-how-to-watch-who-is-performing-eurovision-2018-a8249381.html">Melfest</a>”. This competition helped pave the way to ABBA’s victory in 1974 with Waterloo. </p>
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<p>Virtual Eurovision culture intersects with wider social media culture. Fans connect with others by developing and sharing creative content using <a href="https://twitter.com/minxlaura123/status/993789097259958272">GIFs</a>, memes, video clips and messages. They seek belonging through these methods which bypass the traditionally passive televisual nature of the event. </p>
<p>Fans identify themselves with Eurovision-related names and share their knowledge of the contest through websites, such as <a href="http://eurovoix.com/">Eurovoix</a>, <a href="http://escinsight.com/">ESC Insight</a> and <a href="https://www.escxtra.com/">ESCXTRA</a>. There are many fan sites that cater for different tastes and audiences. </p>
<p>Many of these websites are voluntary. Fans who write for them are now backstage in Lisbon reporting on the rehearsals of this year’s contest. Technology can privilege these fans as they get to meet artists and mix with national media outlets. </p>
<p>The contest creates unity through music and celebrating diversity. This can be embraced, but also contested within fandom. Particularly where individual music tastes can cause friction, as fans become music critics themselves and impose their judgements on others. Eurovision fandom is unique in this regard, as it is a site of celebrating sameness, but also of difference. </p>
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<h2>Eurovision as a gay event</h2>
<p>As Eurovision fandom engages on social media, it intersects with expressions of sexuality. The contest is important in making lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identities visible on a global platform. The winner of the 2014 contest, Austrian drag queen <a href="http://www.conchitawurst.com/">Conchita Wurst</a> – “the lady with the beard” – championed gender and sexuality diversity. Conchita also became involved with EU summits and helped promote equal rights for LGBT citizens. </p>
<p>Digital Eurovision fandom facilitates expression of queer sexuality. Fans demonstrate their desires towards Eurovision musicians, but also how they imagine themselves and their sexuality listening to Eurovision-related songs.</p>
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<p>Entering into virtual Eurovision fan culture bypasses face-to-face communication and provides a particular level of anonymity. This allows LGBT fans to <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444814544000">meet and share experiences</a> about exploring and coming to terms with their sexuality. The contest also reconfigures ideas surrounding sex and sexuality by providing alternative ways into gay culture which don’t necessarily focus on gay identity as just sex and the erotic. Eurovision fandom engages more with the social-cultural side of gay identity and provides an ambiguous platform for these identities to be expressed. </p>
<h2>Negotiating a Eurovision closet</h2>
<p>Eurovision also enables fans to be themselves. This can be both public declarations of “coming out” of the Eurovision closet as a fan, or fandom can be moderated between particular social media platforms. For some straight men (who are perhaps perceived as a minority within the fandom), they negotiate their fandom between Facebook and Twitter.</p>
<p>Facebook is seen as space to organise everyday social life and connect with close family and friends, whereas Twitter provides opportunities to network and develop Eurovision connections. This is perhaps a consequence of the wider significance of the contest with gay cultures. </p>
<p>The marginality of the contest in some national psyches (such as the UK) may also be a cause for the negotiation of fan identity between social media platforms. In Sweden, for example, the contest is taken much more seriously than it is in the UK. They have a two month artist selection process to select their entry and it is the most watched show in Sweden each year. </p>
<p>Social media can provide a more liberal platform to engage with the contest. This can get beyond negative readings of the contest that are known to prevail in some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/may/09/have-we-lost-our-eurovision-what-the-contest-means-in-todays-europe">UK media outlets</a> when it comes to sexuality.</p>
<p>The contest prides itself on embracing identity diversity. It also provides a further entry point into wider LGBT culture – for gay and straight alike – and is not labelled by identity politics. Fans are always excited to meet other fans as they share a mutual interest. The international fan community is a welcoming place.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95609/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Halliwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Eurovision Song Contest fandom on social media is giving LGBT issues a global platform.Jamie Halliwell, PhD Candidate, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/851202017-10-15T19:50:08Z2017-10-15T19:50:08ZHow can the European Union be more meaningful for its citizens?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189779/original/file-20171011-16644-1jtzqam.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2047%2C1363&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pro-EU march in London, March 25, 2017.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_Brexit_pro-EU_protest_March_25_2017_48.jpg">Ilovetheeu/Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Can the EU still portray itself as a strong reliable institution for all Europeans? The UK’s 2017 <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-new-barriers-can-eu-citizens-expect-in-their-daily-lives-after-brexit-83586">“Brexit” vote</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/crisis-in-catalonia-what-the-eu-must-do-now-85377">recent events in Catalonia</a> have raised questions about the role and value of the European Union.</p>
<p>Another symptom was the alarmingly <a href="http://www.ukpolitical.info/european-parliament-election-turnout.htm">weak participation</a> in the most recent European parliament elections, in 2014. The lack of interest is all the more worrisome when remembering that the initial idea of the EU’s founders was to <a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/history_en">bring and maintain peace and prosperity</a> to its citizens, matters of no small importance.</p>
<p>However, over time the conversation turned from creating peace and prosperity to bureaucracy and bailouts enforced by <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/blaming-europe-9780199665686">national politicians and media who blame European institutions</a> for their inefficiency and costly functioning. The EU appears to be in need of profound reform.</p>
<h2>What’s in it for the average citizen?</h2>
<p>Emmanuel Macron, France’s President, suggested <a href="http://international.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2017/09/29/macron-sorbonne-verbatim-europe-18583.html">several of such reforms</a>, including the creation of a finance minister and a budget for the eurozone. While these proposals are positive per se, they target Europe’s elites rather than its average citizens, <a href="http://www.tandfebooks.com/isbn/9780203872260">who often do not see what the benefit would be for them</a>.</p>
<p>One prominent way to promote “European-ness” amongst all EU citizens has been education. Macron furthermore proposed to <a href="http://international.blogs.ouest-france.fr/archive/2017/09/29/macron-sorbonne-verbatim-europe-18583.html">generalise Erasmus</a>, the EU student-exchange program, by making a six-month stay abroad mandatory. But spending six months studying in another country is not sufficient to ensure that citizens feel “European” on a constant basis. Europe must remain close to them in their everyday lives and <a href="https://www.amazon.de/Imagined-Communities-Reflections-Origin-Nationalism/dp/1844670864">foster and nurture a sense of common identity</a>.</p>
<h2>Entering citizens’ living rooms</h2>
<p>Thus, the real question to ask is how to bring the EU into the daily lives of its inhabitants. The euro which has simplified the lives of thousands of travellers across the eurozone is certainly one illustration.</p>
<p>While the euro has its critics, Europeans as a whole seem to be rather attached to their currency, introduced in 2002. This can be observed in the behaviour of Marine Le Pen, France’s extreme-right 2017 presidential candidate: just days before the election, she scaled back <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/bc1358a4-2f39-11e7-9555-23ef563ecf9a">proposals to leave the euro</a>, which were unpopular with the majority of voters. Similarly, the <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-17-1590_en.htm">removal of cellular roaming charges</a> this year has made the crossing of EU borders easier. But, as in the case of Erasmus, both examples only apply to travellers and cross-border commuters.</p>
<p>If you think of it, there are only very few moments during which Europe actually enters its citizens’ living rooms such as the <a href="https://eurovision.tv/">Eurovision Song Contest</a> or the <a href="http://fr.uefa.com/">European soccer championship</a>.</p>
<p>During these events, however, European nations compete against each other, sing their national anthems and wave their national flags, <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/la/book/9781137487186">which leads rather to the opposite of the creation of a European identity</a>. Instead of only French, German, and Italian teams, one could image the creation of a European team also participating in the very same competitions. Thus, EU nations could additionally cheer for their European team.</p>
<p>Moreover, one could also envision the creation of media content which enters homes across Europe via television or the Internet. Thus the EU could strongly encourage the production of <a href="http://estudosculturais.com/congressos/europe-nations/pdf/0160i.pdf">movies which induce a feeling of common identity</a>. Examples are films such as the well-known <em>L'Auberge espagnole</em>, released in 2002.</p>
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<p>Several further possibilities for European media content exist. Imagine for example the development of a show titled “Europe’s Got Talent” similar to the successful show “Britain’s Got Talent,” which would showcase what Europe has to offer instead of endorsing national giftedness.</p>
<p>Such a programme should appear on a real <a href="http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/integration-diversity-and-the-making-of-a-european-public-sphere">trans-EU mass media channel</a> funded by the EU and targeting the average family and citizen. It would host major blockbusters, popular series, sports events, and obviously the aforementioned European media content. People would want to make such a channel number 1 on their remote controls and not have it take up one of the double-digit spaces.</p>
<h2>An EU Commissioner for Happiness</h2>
<p>The question remains who should take care of such endeavours which make the discourse about the EU positive and accessible to its average citizen. One possibility would be the creation of a Commissioner for Happiness. Such a role already exists in, for example, some business schools in the form of a <a href="https://poetsandquants.com/2015/04/18/a-happy-student-is-a-generous-alum/">“Dean for Happiness”</a> in charge of making students smile and proud of belonging to the school’s community.</p>
<p>Bhutan, the Buddhist country in the Himalayas, has a <a href="http://www.rcsc.gov.bt/en/secretary-for-gross-national-happiness-commission-appointed/">Secretary of Gross National Happiness</a> whose task is to monitor changes in the mood of its inhabitants. In the same way, the EU’s Happiness Commissioner would foster a sentiment of pride among its citizens through listening and responding to their concerns, as well as providing them with content presenting Europe in an enjoyable and engaging manner.</p>
<h2>European identity as a question of perspective</h2>
<p>As highlighted above, voter turnout in the latest elections of the European Parliament was fragile. Looking more closely, participation in member states that had not joined the EU before 2004 was <a href="http://www.ukpolitical.info/european-parliament-election-turnout.htm">the weakest</a>.</p>
<p>It seems that different members are at different stages in their evolution toward a European identity. Germany, for example, is a Europhile country with a rather strong attachment to Europe – certainly a result of Germans not being proud of their <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/10/world/to-be-german-and-proud-patriotism-versus-the-past.html">national identity after World War II</a>. In the case of Spain and Portugal, Europe provided a possibility to <a href="http://en.theeuropean.eu/gerard-delanty/8002-the-europeanization-of-national-identity">reposition their national identities</a> with the introduction of democracy after long periods of dictatorship.</p>
<p>However, member countries entering the EU just 10 years after escaping the grip of the Soviet Union might have felt <a href="http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/05160.pdf">deprived of their just-gained freedom</a>. In the end, the development of a European identity is a question of perspective.</p>
<p>Europe accounts for <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237314000425">maximum cultural diversity within a minimum geographical distance</a>. This diversity needs to be considered when promoting a common European identity. Europe needs to be brought to its (average) citizens in a fun and entertaining manner. Europe needs its own Commissioner for Happiness.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85120/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andreas Kaplan ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Despite the peace and prosperity brought about by the EU, it continues to be seen as remote and antidemocratic. How can this be fixed ? One possibility is the creation of a Commissioner for Happiness.Andreas Kaplan, Rector, ESCP Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/754212017-05-12T11:19:34Z2017-05-12T11:19:34ZTen ways the UK could ensure a Eurovision triumph<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163162/original/image-20170329-8577-1pmxx3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C693%2C3435%2C1629&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Iron Maiden at Ottawa Bluesfest in 2012.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/ekozPj">ceedub13/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Eurovision song contest is about to roll around again, and it’s safe to say the UK’s chances are about as horrible as ever – even the UK entrant, former X-Factor contestant Lucie Jones, said she would just be happy <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/05/10/eurovision-2017-uk-entry-lucie-jones-high-hopes-final-just/">not to come last</a>. And with Brexit now thrown into the mix, the country’s status on the continent has seen better days. But the UK’s most valuable cultural capital isn’t traded on the London Stock Exchange. No – it’s rock n roll.</p>
<p>Classic rock, punk rock, glam rock, space rock, heavy metal, indie rock, gothic rock – ask anyone in the world to list their favourite bands and it’s likely that one of the names on the list will be British. But going on the UK’s Eurovision entries alone you’d be forgiven for thinking this wasn’t the case. Another year, another forgettable song. Each time earnestly losing while <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1022689/UK-quit-Eurovision-amid-fears-tactical-voting-turning-competition-farce.html">lamenting the politicisation</a> of the contest. </p>
<p>No more, I say. It’s time to troll the competition with the cynical self-awareness that truly makes the UK. No one likes us? In the immortal words of Johnny Rotten: we don’t care. With that in mind here are ten bands that would greatly improve Britain’s chances.</p>
<p><strong>1. The Darkness</strong></p>
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<p>Catsuits, innuendo, and a wall of Marshall amps. With their debut album, Permission to Land, reaching quadruple platinum in the UK, The Darkness are arguably the last of the British Rock megastars. It’s hard to imagine a band winning a BRIT Award for “best album” with a classic rock record ever again, but that’s what this band from Lowestoft, in Suffolk, did in 2004.</p>
<p>The Darkness have it in them to write one last tongue-in-cheek hit. At Eurovision, Brits would either ride high or crash and burn in a sea of smiles (and glitter, and fireworks). What could be better than that?</p>
<p><strong>2. Iron Maiden</strong></p>
<p>Remember when the Finnish metal band Lordi won Eurovision in 2006? Well, they did. And they did so in full demon make-up, with a song called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAh9NRGNhUU">Hard Rock Hallelujah</a>. It’s about time Britain reminded its neighbours who invented camp, theatrical, leather-clad heavy metal in the first place.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be a huge Iron Maiden fan to think a flaming 666 and a giant puppet called “Eddie” would be a spectacle to behold (and win votes) at Eurovision. Also, Bruce Dickinson is an accomplished fencer and commercial pilot. Are you? Well then.</p>
<p><strong>3. Paul McCartney</strong></p>
<p>“Hey Paul, fancy entering Eurovision this year?”</p>
<p>“Nope.”</p>
<p>“None of that hippy stuff though – we need you to ROCK!”</p>
<p>“I said no.”</p>
<p>Probably should’ve waited before cashing in the knighthood. But let’s face it, Macca is worth ten Engelbert Humperdincks.</p>
<p><strong>4. PINS</strong></p>
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<p>If we wanted some young blood in the competition there are few better bands around today. Take PINS, a rock band formed in Manchester in 2011. Their low-fi indie pop style isn’t very Eurovision, but that’s exactly the point. Britain’s too cool to care about winning anyway.</p>
<p><strong>5. Adele</strong></p>
<p>Something of a segue from a fairly throwback-style list, but come on. If winning was top priority, the BBC would move heaven and earth to enter Adele and <a href="http://wiwibloggs.com/2013/12/30/editorial-adele-sing-uk-eurovision/35697/">I’m not the first to say so</a>. Eminently likeable and multi-platinum in most countries on the planet, if anyone could win it, it’s her.</p>
<p><strong>6. Happy Mondays</strong></p>
<p>You can’t get much more British than unleashing a bunch of Mancunian party animals onto an unsuspecting European city. Seeing Bez, Shaun and the gang dancing away is something to get behind. Britain’s cousins on the mainland might not “get it”, but clearly a vote against them would be a vote against fun. You don’t hate fun, do you, Europe?</p>
<p><strong>7. Manic Street Preachers</strong></p>
<p>Despite being an elder statesman type figure in British indie today, the Manics continue to introduce fresh styles to their work. But, as their 2016 Welsh <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmHnnkzgjCI">football anthem</a> proves, they’re never shy of the pop limelight either. Would they mix it up with some europop or go full post-punk? Who knows? But they’re always on form and usually up for a laugh.</p>
<p><strong>8. Girlschool</strong></p>
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<p>If heavy metal culture emerged in Britain, so too did its subversion. Not only did Girlschool hold their own in the overwhelmingly male-dominated genre throughout the 70s and 80s, but managed to maintain a worldwide fanbase across punk and metal subgenres– their influence <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/nightmare-at-maple-cross-mw0000839846">credited</a> with reaching the American Riot Grrrl movement. The US had Joan Jett; in the UK there was Girlschool. Luckily for the Brits, aside from the unfortunate loss of Kelly Johnson in 2007, they are still playing.</p>
<p><strong>9. The Wildhearts</strong></p>
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<p>Ginger Wildheart’s prolific output since the band’s 90s heyday demonstrates arguably the biggest songwriting chops on this list. With former bass player Danny McCormack back on the scene after having his leg amputated and now supporting his old band with his new outfit, The Main Grains, the past year has seen the unlikely reunion of a pair that “<a href="http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-11-29/ginger-wildheart-danny-mccormack-and-i-should-both-be-dead-by-now">should both be dead</a>” by their own admission. The Wildhearts unite a motley fanbase that spans sub-genres that embody all that is shambolic, chaotic and perennially underdog in cheerful chorus. They’re ideal ambassadors for British music.</p>
<p><strong>10. Morrissey</strong></p>
<p>OK. So we’ll probably never get the Smiths reunion, and this is a pretty unlikely suggestion anyway, but it would be the ultimate trolling. Sending Mozza out to perform the most miserable song he can come up with, sitting awkwardly through interviews, would be a wonderful sight. </p>
<p>He could recreate his 1994 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Bh-G9whv4">collaboration</a> with Siouxie for maximum indie points.</p>
<h2>Honourable mentions</h2>
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<p><strong>Motorhead</strong>: if Lemmy was still alive he’d probably tell you where to stick the suggestion, but how cool would that be? There’s always <strong>Asomvel</strong> though. <strong>Cardiacs</strong>: again, <a href="http://www.cardiacs.net/news/">tragic health circumstances</a> rule this one out. But it would have been a win/win. <strong>Siouxie Sioux</strong>: so cool and everyone knows it. You may not hear much from her fans by day, but by night they dance the world over. <strong>Black Sabbath</strong>: the UK would place in the top half on street cred alone. <strong>Sleaford Mods</strong>: anti-pop perfection. <strong>The Slits</strong> and <strong>X-Ray Spex</strong>: Oh Ari. Oh Poly. Oh Eurovision! Up Yours! How the world needs you now … <strong>1919</strong>: I won’t hold my breath, but audiences would be well up for the gig.</p>
<h2>Playing to strengths</h2>
<p>With the UK’s nations competing separately in most sporting events, international competition usually manages to deepen rather than heal divisions in British culture. But while it would be a delusion to suggest Eurovision could magically heal the wounds of Brexit Britain, it could provide a much needed moment of shared cultural celebration. This isn’t an exhaustive list either. If not the Manics, <strong>Super Furry Animals</strong> would be an excellent Welsh choice, while north of the border <strong>Biffy Clyro</strong>, <strong>Primal Scream</strong>, or <strong>The Jesus and Mary Chain</strong> would be ideal entries.</p>
<p>In 2009, music fans in the UK <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/dec/20/rage-against-machine-christmas-number-1">hijacked the charts</a> to push <strong>Rage Against the Machine</strong> to Christmas No 1. Is it far-fetched to imagine fans across Europe doing the same for Iron Maiden or Biffy? Of course not. Just as Adele does, these artists are headlining stadium tours across Europe, and yet the UK has backed <a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-01-30/former-x-factor-contestant-lucie-jones-will-represent-the-uk-at-eurovision-2017">another X-Factor candidate in Jones</a>. Jones has a nice voice, sure. But the question Britain should be asking is this: will it mobilise the Lordi vote? The answer is probably not.</p>
<p>If Britain is true to its musical history and has fun with it, it should at least be enough to earn a begrudging respect from rivals, if nothing else. And surely that’s the most quintessentially British ambition to pursue?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75421/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rio Goldhammer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For many years now the UK has been a Eurovision laughing stock, despite a wealth of pop talent. What about if it was to pick one of these sure-fire rockstar winners instead?Rio Goldhammer, Doctoral Researcher in Leisure Studies, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/641082016-08-24T05:01:56Z2016-08-24T05:01:56ZLong before Trump rolled in the deep, music and politics were entwined<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135270/original/image-20160824-30252-5a3i8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Donald Trump in Scotland – musicians have asked that he refrain from using their songs at his political events. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Moir/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Take three apparently trivial events: Ukraine wins the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, a rock star cancels a concert and a political rally features the song Rolling in the Deep by Adele</p>
<p>None of these moments might strike anyone as significant, and certainly not worthy of the attention of those interested in politics and the political system. But looked at more closely, suggestions of political relevance begin to emerge.</p>
<p>When Ukraine won Eurovision, it was with the song 1944. Sung by Jamala, it referred to Stalin’s deportation of the Tartars from Crimea. Although the organisers of the competition deemed that 1944 did not represent political speech, it was widely understood to be an <a href="https://theconversation.com/along-with-soulful-gazes-and-key-changes-politics-is-never-far-from-eurovision-59446">expression of political protest</a>, resonating with past and present injustices.</p>
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<p>It was Bruce Springsteen who cancelled the concert in 2016, and he did so for explicitly political reasons. The show was due to be staged in Greensboro, North Carolina, a state that had recently passed the so-called bathroom law determining <a href="http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2016/a-statement-from-bruce-springsteen-on-north-carolina">which toilet facilities could be used by transgender people</a>. Springsteen issued a statement in which he said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry – which is happening as I write – is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And finally, Donald Trump’s campaign <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/01/adele-donald-trump-songs-campaign">used Adele’s hit song at its rallies</a>. Also used were songs by Queen, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Aerosmith. In every case, the musicians objected to the use, arguing that they did not want to be associated with “The Donald”.</p>
<p>In each instance, these trivial cases reveal a direct connection to the political world, and hence they assume some greater significance than might otherwise have been expected. But, even still, the more hard-nosed student of politics might object that all of these examples serve merely as footnotes to the more substantive business of politics, to the transactions of power and principle. When we look at music’s involvement with politics, they might say, we’re looking at a sideshow, not the main feature.</p>
<p>Why might such a view be wrong? Why might it be important for those who want to understand politics and politicians that they pay heed to music and musicians?</p>
<p>The golden days of the 1960s protest song may be past, but music is still used – across the world – as a vehicle to voice political views and to inspire resistance (hence Jamala and Eurovision). One very recent example is the song What it means by Drive By Truckers, protesting at police shootings of African Americans. </p>
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<p>Music played a prominent part in the Arab Spring, where it served both to spread the message and to provide a spirit of solidarity when the police and army moved in. Rapper El Général is credited by Guardian music journalist Andy Morgan as helping to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/feb/27/arab-revolutions-protest-music">spark the uprising in Tunisia</a>, and the viral hit <a href="http://youtu.be/-rEKmTBKiBM">Leave</a> by Ramy Essam combined the chants and slogans of Tehrir Square. </p>
<p>As such, music served as a form of political communication, and as source of mobilisation. </p>
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<p>The power of music in these circumstances is precisely why authoritarian regimes take the trouble to censor it or, in the case of Mali, to <a href="http://freemuse.org/archives/11511">ban music for more than a year</a>. (It’s not just authoritarian regimes, of course, that censor. In 2003, Clear Channel removed the Dixie Chicks from all their radio stations in the US after the band made <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/14/dixie.chicks.reut/">uncomplimentary remarks</a> about George W Bush).</p>
<p>To the extent that music seems to matter as a form of political communication, so it is that musicians assume the role of spokesperson and representative of their fans – or in the case of Bob Geldof and Bono, of “humanity”. They become “celebrity politicians”. For some, such interventions are merely the stuff of show business, but Springsteen’s protest in North Carolina led business leaders to join in the campaign and to put pressure on the legislators.</p>
<p>In a sense Donald Trump is also a “celebrity politician”, whose claim to represent the American people is based on his role on The Apprentice. As Mark Singer reports in his book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30008835-trump-and-me">Trump and Me</a> (2016), there are those who believe that, “deep down”, Trump “wants to be Madonna”.</p>
<p>For those who want to understand modern politics, such remarks, however frivolous they seem, are revealing of <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-politicians-and-fictional-characters-have-a-lot-in-common-51312">how politicians are conceived</a> (and conceive themselves). Their fortunes, and popular responses to them, are articulated through the world of entertainment, and the music business in particular.</p>
<p>The story of music’s relationship to, and importance to politics, doesn’t end with the celebrity politician and with political communication. It extends into the way in which states both in the present and in the past use music as part of their “soft power” armoury. </p>
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<span class="caption">Demonstrators wear ‘Free Pussy Riot’ balaclavas as they protest at the security fence surrounding the 2013 G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cathal McNaughton/Reuters</span></span>
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<p>In the Cold War, the US government devoted much time and money to recruiting music and musicians to the cause of undermining Soviet ideology. Jazz was used not just as example of Western culture, but as the embodiment of “freedom”. In the current era, it’s hard not to see the competing responses of Russia and the US to the treatment of the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19302986">punk protest of Pussy Riot</a> in 2012 as the conduct of international relations by other means.</p>
<p>Even the apparently arcane disputes over the operation of copyright law, state policy intersects with matters of identity and interest. The case brought by Marvin Gaye’s estate for <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/robin-thicke-and-pharrell-lose-blurred-lines-lawsuit-20150310">plagiarism by the writers of Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines</a> entailed arguments about cultural rights and cultural history, about what was common culture and what was private property.</p>
<p>The example of Blurred Lines might seem like another of those trivial examples, of no consequence to the serious-minded student of politics, but as with the other cases, there is more than might meet the ear</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64108/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Street does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The golden days of the 1960s protest song may be past, but music is still used across the world as a vehicle to voice political views. More than a sideshow, it can be a form of mobilisation and an expression of ‘soft power’.John Street, Professor of Politics, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.