The 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest commenced on May 9, captivating audiences worldwide. Involving countries from Albania to Australia, Eurovision allows people from various nations to come together and perform original songs in the name of unity, cultural exchange, and friendly competition.

“I liked all of the performances, but I especially loved those in another language. It is a nice reminder that we are not the center of the universe. The range in the song messages and outfits was also a blast,” said Spencer Hekl (‘23).

The winner of Eurovision is determined through a combination of votes from professional juries and the public, with the song receiving the highest combined score declared as the winner and earning the opportunity to host the following year’s contest. This years’ winner was Sweden with their song Tattoo, sung by Loreen.

“Even though both Malta and Latvia did not make it to the finals, I thought they did really well and that their songs were really interesting,” said Stella Dormer (‘23).

While the contest was supposed to be located in Ukraine, it ended up being in Liverpool, United Kingdom due to safety concerns with the ongoing conflict involving Russia. Some songs reference the war, such as Aijā, Latvia’s song, while others span various topics.

For students at Amador, Eurovision can be a time to have fun listening to songs and watching performances with family and friends.

“It’s like a choose your own adventure for who you want to follow. You get some fun songs and new favorite artists out of the whole experience. One of my favorite artists to come out of Eurovision is the 2021 winner, Maneskin,” said Dormer.