The world’s biggest music competition – the Eurovision Song Contest – watched by hundreds of millions, has crowned its winner in Basel, Switzerland.
Arts and entertainment reporter @BethanyMinelle
Sunday 18 May 2025 00:18, UK
Austria has won Eurovision 2025, with Austrian-Filipino singer-songwriter JJ taking the glass microphone.
The singer, who originally trained as a countertenor, represented the country with his operatic ballad Wasted Love.
Making the most of his falsetto voice – in a way not dissimilar to last year’s winner Nemo – it tells a story of unrequited love, with a techno breakdown for the last third of the song.
Israel’s Yuval Raphael, who survived the October 7, 2023, attacks which were the catalyst for Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, was the runner up with piano ballad New Day Will Rise, performed in Hebrew, French and English.
She was left „shaken and upset“, after two pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards her during her grand final performance.
Organisers confirmed a backstage crew member was hit with paint but was not hurt.
A spokesman for SRG SSR said: „At the end of the Israeli performance a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto the stage.
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„They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit. The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.“
Israel has won Eurovision four times, and last year finished in fifth place with Eden Golan’s Hurricane.
During the evening, there were also pro-Palestinian protests near the centre of Basel, with a small group nearby also protesting with Israeli flags.
Israeli National Security Council issued a warning to Israeli civilians in the city to keep a low profile.
In a change from last year’s contest in Malmo, Sweden, the ban on certain flags being waved by the audience was relaxed which meant Palestinian symbols could be seen in the arena.
The Eurovision grand final took place in the St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, with the winner from among the 26 performing nations decided by a mix of public voting and points from national juries.
The four-hour-long show which was presented by stand-up comedian Hazel Brugger, TV presenter Michelle Hunziker and Eurovision veteran Sandra Studer.
There were performances by previous Eurovision runners-up Croatia’s Baby Lasagna and Finland’s Kaarija, as well as last year’s winner Nemo.
Read more: Sex, survival and saunas – all the songs to look out for
The UK’s act – country pop trio Remember Monday – who performed in colourful Bridgerton-style outfits – avoided the dreaded „nul points“, scoring 88 for their song What The Hell Just Happened?
However, for the second year running, the UK received no points in the public score.
The UK has had five wins at Eurovision, but in recent years have struggled to rank, with the exception being Sam Ryder with Space Man in 2022, who came second.
Last year, Olly Alexander placed 18th at Malmo, and Mae Muller was second to last the previous year in Liverpool.
Sweden had been widely tipped to win with their sauna-themed entry Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), but ended up coming fourth.
Ukraine, who have made a strong showing each since they first entered the competition in 2003, and who won in 2023, came ninth.
Last year protests and politics overshadowed the singing event amid the outbreak of war in Gaza, with some calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest.
Last year also saw Dutch singer Joost Klein kicked out of the competition by the EBU over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, which he denied.
Next year’s competition, the 70th, will be held in Austria.
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