Swedish singer Loreen wins Eurovision Song Contest for 2nd time at event feting Ukraine

Swedish vocalist Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday nighttime with her powerfulness ballad "Tattoo," astatine a colorful, eclectic euphony contention clouded for a 2nd twelvemonth moving by the warfare successful Ukraine.

The diva from Stockholm bushed acts from 25 different countries to instrumentality the continent's popular crown astatine the last of the contention successful Liverpool. Finnish vocalist Käärijä was 2nd successful a close-fought conflict of the Nordic neighbors.

Loreen, 39, antecedently won Eurovision successful 2012 and is lone the 2nd performer to instrumentality the prize twice, aft Ireland's Johnny Logan successful the 1980s. It's Sweden's seventh Eurovision victory, matching Ireland's record.

"I americium earnestly overwhelmed," Loreen said. "This is truthful beautiful."

She said returning to the contention that helped marque her a prima was "like coming backmost to a family. We've had an 11-year-long relationship. We cognize each different by now."

Britain hosted Eurovision connected behalf of Ukraine, which won past twelvemonth but couldn't instrumentality up its close to clasp the contention due to the fact that of the war. Air raid sirens sounded crossed Ukraine arsenic the contention was underway, and Ukrainian media reported a onslaught successful Ternopil, location municipality of Ukraine's Eurovision entry, Tvorchi.

Under the slogan "united by music," Eurovision last fused the psyche of the English larboard metropolis that birthed The Beatles with the tone of war-battered Ukraine.

The sights and sounds of Ukraine ran done the show, starting with an opening movie that showed 2022 Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra singing and dancing successful the Kyiv subway, with the tune picked up by musicians successful the U.K. — including Kate, Princess of Wales, shown playing the piano.

The folk-rap set itself past emerged onstage successful the Liverpool Arena connected a elephantine brace of outstretched hands, accompanied by massed drummers.

Contestants from the 26 finalist nations entered the arena successful an Olympics-style emblem parade, accompanied by unrecorded performances from Ukrainian acts including Go A, Jamala, Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka — each past Eurovision competitors.

Now successful its 67th year, Eurovision bills itself arsenic the world's biggest euphony contention — an Olympiad of party-friendly pop. Competitors each person 3 minutes to meld catchy tunes and eye-popping spectacle into performances susceptible of winning the hearts of millions of viewers.

Loreen's anthem of aggravated emotion had been the bookies' favourite and won by acold the astir votes from nonrecreational juries successful Eurovision's analyzable voting system. She faced a beardown situation from Käärijä, a wildly energetic performer whose rap-pop enactment anthem "Cha Cha Cha" won the nationalist vote.

Israel's Noa Kirel came successful 3rd with power-pop anthem "Unicorn," portion Italy's Marco Mengoni was 4th with his ballad "Due Vite" (Two Lives).

The varied tastes of the continent were connected show successful a contention that took successful the cabaret-style singing of Portugal's Mimicat, the Britney-esque powerfulness popular of Poland's Blanka, echoes of Edith Piaf from La Zarra for France and smoldering balladry from Cyprus' entry, Andrew Lambrou.

From Australia — a Eurovision contender contempt its far-away determination — guitar set Voyager evoked head-banging '80s stadium rock. Croatia's Let 3 offered a surreal antiwar stone opera, and Austrian duo Teya & Salena sent up the euphony manufacture successful Poe-referencing opus "Who the Hell is Edgar?"

Electronica duo Tvorchi paid tribute to Ukraine's resilience connected "Heart of Steel," coming sixth.

Britain's Mae Muller drew the unenviable last show slot of the nighttime with her jaunty breakup anthem "I Wrote a Song." She came successful 2nd to past spot — but astatine slightest avoided the humiliation of getting "nul points," oregon zero points.

While votes were formed and counted, Sam Ryder, past year's runner-up for Britain, performed his caller azygous "Mountain," accompanied by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. A "Liverpool Songbook" conception featured past Eurovision stars performing songs from the city, including John Lennon's "Imagine," "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead oregon Alive and the unofficial civic anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" — with the assemblage joining in, arsenic a tribute to some Liverpool and Ukraine.

About 6,000 fans watched the amusement wrong the arena, and tens of thousands much astatine a Liverpool instrumentality portion and astatine big-screen events crossed the U.K. The planetary tv assemblage has been estimated astatine 160 million.

Under outpouring sunshine, fans flocked successful their thousands to a Eurovision enactment portion successful the city's dockside country up of the contest. Many were draped successful flags of their favored nations oregon dressed arsenic their favourite acts.

"Just to travel down and spot radical from each antithetic nationalities, each antithetic cultures — it's bully fun," said Australian Martin Troedel, sporting a kangaroo connected his hat. "Frankly there's immoderate rather unusual acts, which is what I emotion astir it. You ne'er cognize what to expect."

Liverpool embraced Eurovision, and Ukraine, with businesses crossed the metropolis flying Ukrainian flags and a programme of taste events introducing locals to the art, euphony and nutrient of the eastbound European country.

But organizers said they turned down a petition by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to marque a video address. The European Broadcasting Union said that would breach "the nonpolitical quality of the event."

Founded successful 1956, Eurovision is simply a European taste instauration that has produced breakout stars — ABBA and Celine Dion are some past winners – alongside performers whose careers sank without a trace.

In caller years, it has erstwhile again go a level that tin motorboat stars. Italian stone set Måneskin, who won successful 2021, person played large U.S. festivals and opened for the Rolling Stones connected tour. Ryder has had a No. 1 medium and performed astatine the Glastonbury festival.

"Now, the euphony industry, the world, knows that if you look astatine Eurovision, you could beryllium successful for a large thing," said Steve Holden, big of the authoritative Eurovision Song Contest podcast.