Swiss artist Nemo clinched victory at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Sweden with their captivating entry “The Code”. Combining elements of opera and hip-hop, the 24-year-old garnered an impressive score of 591 points, securing the top spot in the jury vote.
Nemo’s win marks a historic moment as the first non-binary artist to triumph at Eurovision. Their song, “The Code”, serves as a poignant exploration of their journey towards self-acceptance and identity.
Despite leading the public vote, Croatia claimed second place with their lively anthem “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, while the UK’s Olly Alexander, representing Years and Years, landed in 18th position out of 25 contestants.
Although Alexander’s song “Dizzy” received no points from the public vote, the jury awarded it 46 points, sparing it from the bottom spot in the rankings.
The Eurovision Song Contest this year was marked by controversy surrounding Israel’s participation amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas. Despite the mixed reception during her performance in Malmö, Israel’s contestant, 20-year-old singer Eden Golan, achieved fifth place in the competition.
In their victory speech, Nemo emphasized the hope for the contest to uphold its promise of promoting peace and dignity for all individuals worldwide. However, the celebration took an unexpected turn when Nemo accidentally broke the crystal microphone trophy while celebrating their triumph on stage.
Eurovision 2024: The top five contestants
- Switzerland: Nemo – The Code
- Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
- Ukraine: Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa and Maria
- France: Slimane – Mon Amour
- Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane
Other artists echoed similar sentiments during the Eurovision Song Contest.
Bambie Thug, representing Ireland, passionately exclaimed “love will triumph hate” at the conclusion of their performance of “Doomsday Blue.” Meanwhile, Portugal’s contestant, Iolanda, delivered a message of hope, stating, “Peace will prevail,” to the audience.
In a notable move, former contestants Alessandra Mele and Käärijä declined to announce their countries’ jury scores. Mele cited Israel’s participation as a factor in her decision, while Käärijä expressed that it didn’t feel appropriate to proceed with the scoring.
Despite the controversy, there was significant support for Golan’s performance, which earned second place in the public vote with a score of 323. Notably, the UK audience awarded the 20-year-old singer the maximum 12 points, joining 14 other countries in showing strong support for Golan’s song.
