Sweden has been declared the winner of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, following an incredible showing from Loreen in Liverpool.
A total of 26 countries performed at the city’s M&S Bank Arena during Saturday’s grand final (13 May) with the hopes of achieving Eurovision glory, including the UK’s entry Mae Muller.
Loreen wowed the arena and viewers at home with her performance of “Tattoo”, earning a total of 583 votes from the jury and the public.
The song won over audiences with its powerhouse vocals and soaring melody, as well as some impressive choreography.
Following closely behind Sweden was Finland, who finished in second place thanks to Käärijä and his rambunctious track “Cha Cha Cha”, which received 526 votes.
The Stockholm-born singer is the second ever contestant to win Eurovision twice. Irish singer Johnny Logan won the contest in 1980 and 1987.
Loreen first triumphed over a decade ago in the 2012 competition with her hit song “Euphoria”.
The track is one the biggest Eurovision songs of the 21st century, climbing to the top of the charts across Europe and reaching No 3 in the UK, the highest chart position for a non-UK Eurovision entry since 1987.
Loreen’s victory is Sweden’s seventh win, meaning that the Scandinavian country is now tied with Ireland for the most wins in Eurovision history.
The 2023 grand final took place on Saturday (13 May) in Liverpool. The UK hosted the competition on behalf of last year’s winners, Ukraine, who were unable to host due to the country’s ongoing war with Russia who remain banned from participating.
Muller, meanwhile, impressed audiences with her powerhouse performance of “I Wrote A Song”.
The north London-based singer, however, failed to replicate the success of her predecessor Sam Ryder, who came second last year with his track “Spaceman”. She finished in second-from-last position.
Muller received 15 points from the jury vote and nine points in the public vote, giving her a disappointing total of 24 points.
Ryder – who came in second place in last year’s Eurovision – made his first cameo of the evening appearing alongside Ukraine’s 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra to perform the group’s song “Stefania”, which opened the broadcast.
The band and Ryder were joined by unexpected guest Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, who briefly played the piano in a pre-filmed surprise appearance.
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