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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Angela Giuffrida

‘Sweating like a mafioso’: calls in Italy to bar Estonia’s ‘offensive’ Eurovision entry

Eurovision 2024 hosts beneath a projection of the words 'United by music'
Last year’s Eurovision song contest took place in Malmö, Sweden; this year’s host is Switzerland. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

The Eurovision song contest is several months away but the drama has already begun, with calls from Italy for Estonia’s catchy pick for the competition to be scrapped due to lyrics poking fun at Italian stereotypes of being coffee-drinking, spaghetti-eating mafiosi.

Espresso Macchiato, by the rapper Tommy Cash, is sung in a blend of broken English and Italian and depicts a life of sweet indulgence. “Ciao bella, I’m Tomaso, addicted to tobacco. Mi like mi coffè very importante,” the first verse begins.

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