Despite the protests, the competition organization retained an Israeli competitor; Eden Golan reached the final, but the prize was taken by Nemo
Switzerland was crowned winner of the Eurovision on the night of last Saturday, 11. The country was represented by Nemo, non-binary artist who sang “The Code.” It is Switzerland’s first victory since the participation of Celine Dion — despite being Canadian, she competed for the country in 1988.
A few hours before the final, the Dutchman Joost Klein was disqualified. A EBU (European Broadcasting Union)who organizes the event, declared: “The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in the Grand Final of Eurovision Song Contest this year. Swedish police investigated a complaint made by a member of the production team following an incident that occurred following his performance in Thursday night’s semi-final. While the legal process continues its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the contest” (via Variety).
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding inappropriate behavior at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure work environment for all pageant employees. In light of this, the behavior of Joost Klein in relation to a team member is considered a violation of the contest rules. The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest now it will continue with 25 participating songs.”
Days before the final, protesters protested against Israel’s participation in the contest. Last Thursday, 9th, Eden Golan was classified for the final. On Saturday, however, the singer had to deal with boos while singing “Hurricane”.
Golan was supposed to participate in the festival with the song “October Rain”, the lyrics of which were leaked in February. The 20-year-old’s verses would mention the Hamas victims of the October 7 attack.
The song was banned from the competition for allegedly not respecting the rule of political neutrality. Therefore, the president of Israel, Isaac Herzogassured that the song’s lyrics would be modified when contacting the KANan Israeli broadcaster that broadcasts the Eurovision SongContest.
The lyrics of the track — which came to be called “Hurricane” — Golan says: “Baby, promise me you’ll hold me again / I’m still broken from this hurricane” (“Baby, promise me you’ll hold me again / I’m still broken from this hurricane”), instead of “E I promise you that never again / I’m still wet from this October rain.”
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
