On Saturday, artists representing 25 countries will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest, the high-profile competition that is also the most-watched cultural event in the world. The winner is chosen through a combination of votes from music industry juries in participating countries and viewers watching at home. Sometimes they reflect the strength of individual performances; other times, politics come into play.
Who is most likely to triumph at this year’s event in Malmo, Sweden?
It won’t be Joost Klein, a crazy musician representing the Netherlands. On Saturday morning, Swedish police said in a statement that they were investigating a man “suspected of illegal threats” toward a Eurovision employee, and that officers had handed over a file to prosecutors. A few hours later, Eurovision organizers said in a statement that Klein was under investigation and that “it would not be appropriate” for him to compete while a legal process was underway.
Here are the five artists who may have the best chance of winning, based on odds from European bookmakers and online chatter.
Croatia
Baby Lasagna
The bookies’ favorite is Baby Lasagna, representing Croatia, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” a crazy three-minute mix of heavy metal and dance music.
The song begins with Baby Lasagna, whose real name is Marko Purisic, singing to his mother that he is now a “big boy” and that he wants to leave his family’s village to go to the city. “I’m leaving and sold my cow,” he sings, before calling on the villagers to join him one last time in a local folk dance.
In a recent interview, Purisic said that although the song may seem a little ridiculous, it was also a serious attempt to draw attention to Croatia’s current problem with youth emigration.
Purisic said winning the song contest was not his goal. After a long career as a contract rock composer, he said, last year he considered changing course and applied for a steady job in Croatia’s tourism industry. But with the success of “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” which has had millions of views on YouTube, he now hoped to build a career as Baby Lasagna, he said. “If I do that,” he added, “then I win.”
Israel
Eden Golan
By Saturday morning in Malmo, Israel’s representative Eden Golan had risen in the rankings of European bookmakers to become the second most likely to win, according to Oddschecker, a betting aggregator.
This comes after months of campaigning by pro-Palestinian groups and some Eurovision fans to get the contest’s organisers, the European Broadcasting Union, to ban Golan from participating due to Israel’s war in Gaza.
These tensions were made clear at Golan’s semifinal performance on Thursday, when some audience members booed, while others tried to drown them out with cheers.
Golan’s song was initially called “October Rain,” in apparent reference to last year’s Hamas attacks in southern Israel. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, objected that the song’s title and some of the lyrics were too political and asked Israel to change them. Golan modified the song, which is now called “Hurricane”.
Representing Israel on the world stage “has enormous meaning and importance, because of what we are going through,” Golan said in a recent interview. “I won’t let anything break me or lead me astray.”
Read The Times Golan Profile.
Ireland
Bambi bully
In recent weeks, the dark spectacle of Bambie Thug’s “Doomsday Blue” has gained an Irish following on social media, as has the singer’s outspoken pro-Palestinian stance and his criticism of Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
Eurovision organizers prohibit artists from making political comments on their stages, saying the competition is meant to unite, not divide. But the Irish entry, whose real name is Bambie Ray Robinson, has tested those rules. At a press conference on Tuesday, Bambie Thug, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, said that Eurovision had demanded that pro-Palestinian slogans be removed from her team. On Thursday, Bambie Thug wrote on Instagram that “my heart and prayers go out to the people of Palestine.”
At one point during Bambie Thug’s semi-final performance on Tuesday, the singer stood in the middle of a pentagram, surrounded by lit candles. They then danced seductively with a man dressed as a devil. When she finished the song, the phrase “Crown the Witch” appeared on giant screens at the back of the stage.
Swiss
nemo
Swiss contestant Nemo has an absurdly catchy song called “The Code,” in which they rap and sing operatically about their journey to realizing they were non-binary.
“I went to hell and back / To get on track,” Nemo sings in the chorus: “Now I found paradise / I broke the code.”
Throughout its 68-year history, Eurovision has frequently featured LGBTQ performers, and previous winners include Dana International, a transgender woman, and Conchita Wurst, a drag performer. However, this year is the first time that Eurovision has prominently featured non-binary acts such as Nemo and Bambie Thug.
In a recent video interview, Nemo, 24, said they were “surprised” that Eurovision fans connected with their “deeply personal” song. “I think the message behind the song is pretty universal,” said Nemo: “We all know that feeling of wanting to be free from something; we all have a code to crack.”
Ukraine
Aliona Aliona and Jerry Heil
In 2022, months after the Russian invasion, Ukraine won Eurovision with the song “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra. This year, Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil, a rapper and singer representing the country, are among the favorites to win.
They compete with “Teresa y María”, an emotional song that refers to Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary.
In a recent interview, Heil (whose real name is Yana Oleksandrivna Shemaieva) said Eurovision was a vital opportunity to focus attention on the country’s plight. “We need to show the world that we still need her help,” she said.
As much as the pair want to win Saturday’s final, Heil said it would be a bigger victory if Eurovision fans started listening to Ukrainian pop all year round. “That’s the only way we can be visible every day,” Heil said, instead of “from Eurovision to Eurovision.”