The hills are alive with the sound of bassy Eurotrash, Slavic rap, and gaudy operatic pop. It could only mean one thing: Eurovision is back. Everyone’s favorite European singing competition kicked off May 7, with the finale coming up on May 11. And if there’s ever been a year to watch, this might be it. One of Eurovision’s most successful countries, Sweden, is hosting, and you might even recognize a few of the performers, like U.K. entry Olly Alexander of Years and Years. Plus there are some truly fun songs. There’s controversy, too, with protests against Israel’s entry amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Below, everything you need to know about Eurovision 2024, including how to watch and all 25 finalists competing tonight, as the Netherlands has been disqualified.
Wait, how does it work?
It’s like the Olympics plus American Idol, except if everyone wrote their own songs. Eurovision is put on by the European Broadcasting Union, and countries enter via their own national broadcasters. Each country enters an original song that has either been pre-chosen or won a national competition. Singers then perform those songs live in two semifinal rounds and a final, where they compete for points from each country’s jury as well as viewer votes. The winning country gets to host next year’s competition, and the winning performer just might become the next Céline Dion.
Who’s competing?
On Saturday, 25 countries will compete one last time to try to win it all. Below are the top-ten songs from the second semi-finals on May 9 — including Vulture’s favorite, Austria, and Israel’s controversial entry.
Greece: “Zari,†Marina Satti
Switzerland: “The Code,†Nemo
Austria: “We Will Rave,†Kaleen
Armenia: “Jako,†Ladaniva
Latvia: “Hollow,†Dons
Georgia: “Firefighter,†Nutsa Buzaladze
Estonia: “(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi,†5miinust and Puuluup
Israel: “Hurricane,†Eden Golan
Norway: “Ulveham,†Gåte
The Netherlands’s “Europapa,†by Joost Klein, was disqualified for “allegations of intimidation†by a production crew member and will therefore not compete tonight.
Ten countries already made it to the final after May 7’s semi (including Croatia’s wonderfully named Baby Lasagna, the current favorite to win). They join the always-in Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), plus this year’s host, Sweden. So don’t worry that you missed the first semifinal — you’ll see these ones again.
Sweden: “Unforgettable,†Marcus and Martinus
Germany: “Always on the Run,†Isaak
Ireland: “Doomsday Blue,†Bambie Thug
Lithuania: “Luktelk,†Silvester Belt
Luxembourg: “Fighter,†Tali
United Kingdom: “Dizzy,†Olly Alexander
Cyprus: “Liar,†Silia Kapsis
Finland: “No Rules!†Windows95man
France: “Mon amour,†Slimane
Slovenia: “Veronika,†Raiven
Croatia: “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,†Baby Lasagna
Italy: “La noia,†Angelina Mango
Portugal: “Grito,†Iolanda
Serbia: “Ramonda,†Teya Dora
Spain: “Zorra,†Nebulossa
Ukraine: “Teresa & Maria,†Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil
You said controversy?
As ever. This year’s issue centers around Israel’s participation in the competition, as the country continues to wage war in Gaza. The EBU has defended Israel, but viewers in other countries have petitioned for the country to be disqualified. (That wouldn’t be unheard of, after Russia was disqualified just two years ago amid the war in Ukraine.) Now, with Israel participating, activists have called on a number of countries’ performers to boycott the festival instead, though none have obliged. Even Israel’s song is controversial — originally called “October Rain,†its overtly political lyrics had to be rewritten. Israel’s songwriters rewrote it into a more metaphorical take, “Hurricane.†Protests are expected to continue on the ground in Sweden, though Palestinian flags will not be allowed into the arena where the singers compete.
Who’s hosting?
Host country Sweden is putting two of its finest up to the job: Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman. Mede is a comedian who previously hosted for Sweden in 2013 and ’16, and Åkerman is an actor who you may know better as Juna from The Comeback or Tess from 27 Dresses. Mede will also perform during the final, as will 2023’s Swedish winner, Loreen.
How can I watch?
Eurovision may be organized by European broadcasters, but nowadays, it’s pretty easy to watch across the pond too. That’s thanks to Peacock, which is streaming both the semifinals and the final. It really has a monopoly on international competitions, doesn’t it? (Or you could still always get a VPN and watch a proper European broadcast — after all, they say nothing beats the real thing.) American viewers can even vote too, as part of the “Rest of the World.â€
Keep in mind that these are happening at night in Europe, though, which is the afternoon here. The final is May 11 at 3 p.m. ET. Skål!