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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Jill Lawless

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome to a Eurovision Song Contest that embraces linguistic diversity

Austria Eurovision Song Contest - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

English has long been pop music's dominant language, but it no longer reigns supreme at the Eurovision Song Contest.

There are 25 languages, from Albanian to Ukrainian, sung onstage this year at the sequin-drenched international music competition, which reaches its finale in Vienna on Saturday. Eurovision performers increasingly want to share their mother tongues with the world.

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