In this second part of our series, we continue to explore the world of Eurovision winners from 2017 onwards, celebrating the artists who have left their undeniable mark on the contest's rich history. From unknown young faces starting off in the industry to established artists returning, join us as we revisit the triumphs of the Eurovision stage in recent years.
2017: Salvador Sobral - Amar pelos dois 🇵🇹
Sobral was born in Lisbon and has lived there most of his life. At the age of ten, he participated in the TV programme Bravo Bravíssimo, and already at 20 he was one of the ten finalists of Ídolos, the Portuguese version of the Idols. Same year young musician started studying Psychology at ISPA, but his overwhelming passion for music took over and he decided to quit it. In 2017 Salvador participated at the Festival da Canção with the song “Amar Pelos Dois”, written and composed by his sister - Luísa Sobral, which would win him the Eurovision Song Contest, putting an end to the longest winless run by a country of 53 years.
Live performance in Portugal
The song itself can be described as stripped-back piano ballad about a lost love, blossoming while being sang by Sobral’s jazzy voice. He described his entry to Eurovision with three aspects: simplicity, emotion and spontaneity. In one of the interviews, his sister made an amazing point, helping to understand how intimate the composition was: “I could have given him 'Happy Birthday' and he would have won. With this performance I could see in his eyes every word”.
However, Sobral’s Eurovision journey was not smooth and carefree. In his first rehearsals he could not perform because of a heart condition and an operation that forced him to rest ahead of the performance in the semi finals. Admoarbly, that time his sister took over the role of singer during the first rehearsals. He won the final with 758 points, which under the current voting system represents the highest scoring winner in the history of the contest.
2018: Netta - Toy 🇮🇱
Netta Barzilai, most colourful and unforgettable musician in the recent years, was born and raised in Hod HaSharon, Israel. As a teenager she attended the school of electronic music and completed her mandatory military service in the Israeli Navy Band. She first came to her country's public attention after winning the fifth season of the interactive reality singing competition, HaKokhav HaBa, where she earned the right to represent Israel in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Netta's performance was featuring a number of Japanese attributes, such as lyrics, several Pokemon references, kimono, buns and maneki-nekos—a Japanese symbol of luck.
The song has survived several allegations during the contest, one about the copyright issue due similarities in rhythm and harmony with “Seven Nation Army” and another appropriation of Japanese cultural imagery as a "prop”. However, no matter the controversies, Netta was forever remembered as a musician breaking the norms and making a creative and colourful artwork of it.
Official Music Video
2019: Duncan Laurence - Arcade 🇳🇱
Born in Spijkenisse, Laurence grew up in Hellevoetsluis. He began writing his own songs as a teenager, as an escape from being bullied. The young artist remembers, "Music was a safe haven: a place where I was not insecure and where I could let my emotions run free." All of these topics and more will be reflected in his future work and bring unthinkable success. Duncan Laurence wrote "Arcade" while attending the Tilburg Rock Academy. He worked on the project for over two years, predominantly collaborating with Wouter Hardy, a former band member. Shortly after, the song became for fans a story about the search for the love of life and all-consuming hope to reach something that seems unreachable.
In January 2019, Laurence was internally selected to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Tel Aviv. Arriving as the main favorite among fans and juries, Laurence eventually went on to win the contest, having received a total of 498 points. But that was not the end of the story for this song. His winning hit has been streamed over 1 billion times, officially entering Spotify's prestigious "Billions Club." It became the first Eurovision entry in history to surpass 1 billion streams on the streaming service. Moreover, as a result of the following year's contest being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Laurence is the longest-reigning Eurovision winner, having held the title for two consecutive years.
Grand Finale Performance
After the success of the Eurovision Song Contest, the musician has focused on songwriting and sharing his stories through music, releasing another album in 2023 titled "Skyboy" and several charting singles. Here is how Duncan sees his works after one of the most emotional and viral songs of the 21st century: “Since Arcade, I’ve written many songs, but somehow Arcade feels like the center of all of them.”
2021: Måneskin - Zitti E Buoni 🇮🇹
Members Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, and Thomas Raggi first met as students during their high school days in Rome, with Ethan Torchio joining them through a "Musicians Wanted" advert for a drummer posted on Facebook. The band officially formed in 2016 when they had to choose a name to register for Pulse, a local music contest for upcoming talents. They agreed on Måneskin, which translates from Danish as 'moonlight'. The first contest motivated the band to write their own music and continue developing in the industry. Måneskin skyrocketed ever since. In 2017, the band earned second place on X Factor, and in 2021, they won one of Italy's biggest competitions, Sanremo, where they were nominated as representatives for the upcoming Eurovision.
"Zitti e buoni" was written and produced by all of Måneskin's members, along with Fabrizio Ferraguzzo, who is credited as the track's producer. The song's initial version was a ballad, but it gradually evolved into a rock song over the years. The moment they stepped on stage, it lit up with their bare-chested, punk-funk rock performance, sung in their native language, making them the first band since 2006 to win the contest.
Official Video – Sanremo & Eurovision 2021 Winners
However, at the end of the Eurovision, controversy erupted from a video showing the band's frontman lowering his head toward a table, with some people insinuating the use of substances. The accusation brought a smile to the faces of those who know the band and their love for rock music of the '60s and '70s, but also how far they are from the sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll cliché. Despite this, the band managed to enjoy their sweet moment, and in less than four years, Måneskin will surpass the milestone of one million copies between albums and singles.
2022: Kalush Orchestra - Stefania 🇺🇦
Oleh Psiuk, coming from the town of Kalush in western Ukraine, dedicated his life to hip hop music with a simple wish: to rap like his American role model - Eminem. After studying forestry in Kyiv, he founded his band Kalush in 2019 with multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk, MC KilimMen, and dancer and DJ Danyil Chernov. The band was named after the vocalist's hometown, nestled in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, inspiring them to incorporate different folk elements and authentic Ukrainian music into their songs.
"Stefania" has been described as an ode to a mother, with the narrator reminiscing about good memories of his own mother. The song initially reflects on his mother's aging, invoking a nostalgic past featuring two traditional Ukrainian woodwind instruments: sopilka and the telenka. It is the third song sung entirely in Ukrainian, but the second to compete at the contest following the cancellation of Eurovision 2020. "Stefania" won the contest with 631 points, becoming the first rap song and the first song sung entirely in Ukrainian to win. It charted in twenty-two music markets, topping the charts in Ukraine and Lithuania, while also reaching the top ten in Finland, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary, and Sweden.
Official Music Video
2023: Loreen - Tattoo 🇸🇪
As promised in the first part of this article, the saga of Loreen x Eurovision took a new turn in 2023. On 30 November 2022, it was announced that Loreen would compete in Melodifestivalen for a fourth time with the song "Tattoo”. During her performance, an environmental activist invaded the stage, which resulted in Loreen restarting her performance a few minutes later. Despite this incident, she later won the competition with 177 points, thus again becoming the Swedish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool.
Musically, “Tattoo” has been described as a "bombastic electro-pop ballad," and by Eurovision itself, it was marketed as Europop. In interviews, Loreen described the song with these words: “We tend to think that the grass is greener on the other side, but if you want to experience this deep, authentic love, you have to be aware that the struggle needs to be there too”. It went on to win the contest with 583 points, earning Sweden its seventh Eurovision win and making Loreen the first woman to have won the competition twice. When asked by a reporter, she compared both of her victories: “In 2012, everything was so new to me, I didn’t know what to expect. You’re coming in and you’re meeting this community with all these ups and downs. Now, 11 years later, life has thrown me left and right. So, coming back, there is this effortless energy.”
Grand Finale Performance
No matter how sad we are to finish these series about the unique stories of talented people all around Europe, our team is excited to see what Eurovision 2024 is about to bring us. In the next blog, we will elaborate more on our personal predictions and favorites from this year's contest.
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