Eurovision 2023 results – live: Sweden’s win sparks conspiracy theories as fans question ‘convenient’ timing
British pop singer takes it on the chin after a dramatic showdown between Finland and Sweden left her UK entry ‘I Wrote a Song’ near the bottom of the leaderboard
Sweden have won the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with Loreen’s song “Tattoo”.
The dust is beginning to settle after an extraordinary grand final, which took place in Liverpool on Saturday night (13 May) and was watched by a record-breaking number of viewers.
The final results arrived in a tense showdown with Finland as the public vote temporarily sent Käärijä and his song “Cha Cha Cha” to the top of the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, it was a devastating result for the UK’s entry Mae Muller, whose performance of “I Wrote a Song” failed to sway the jury or the public and ending up coming second-to-last. Yet the 25-year-old once again displayed a positive attitude, sending a message to her supporters soon after the final scores were in.
This year’s competition marked the first time the UK has hosted a Eurovision final in 25 years. It was decided that Liverpool would host after 2022’s winning country Ukraine said it would be unable to do so due to the ongoing invasion by Russia.
Twenty finalists including Norway and Australia competed against Eurovision’s Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and Ukraine, who automatically qualified to the grand final.
Eurovision... and Doctor Who!
As if Eurovision didn’t provide enough excitement, the BBC chose to release a new trailer for the forthcoming Doctor Who anniversary specials.
Alongside the trailers, we’ve also learnt the titles of the three new episodes.
Check out that and more below...
Doctor Who unveils new trailer and titles for 60th anniversary episodes
Translated lyrics for Marco Mengoni’s entry Due Vite
Among this year’s Eurovision hopefuls was Italy’s Marco Mengoni.
Mengoni was a familiar face to many, having competed in the 2013 song contest in Malmö, Sweden, where he finished in seventh place.
This time, he won fans over with his classic ballad “Due Vite”. Check out the lyrics to the song – and its English language translation here.
Italy Eurovision song: Translated lyrics for Marco Mengoni’s entry Due Vite
Who is Loreen?
Ahead of last night’s competition, we had the chance to speak with the Swedish pop star who went on to become Eurovision’s 2023 champion.
Check out what the returning champion had to say here...
Loreen: Meet Sweden’s returning Eurovision champion hoping to score a second victory
Sweden and Ireland are the most successful countries in Eurovision history
Following Sweden’s triumph last night, the Scandinavian country is now tied with Ireland for the most wins in Eurovision history.
Sweden has won the contest seven times: 1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023.
(In a rare unsuccessful year, they scored nul points in 1963.)
Meanwhile, Ireland has also won Eurovision seven times: 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996.
Holly Willoughby commends Kate Middleton on her Eurovision cameo
Amid rumours of a rift between Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, the TV presenter has taken the time to applaud the Princess of Wales on her brief surprise Eurovision appearance.
“This is incredible,” said Willoughby.
Holly Willoughby chimes in on Eurovision amid rumours of Phillip Schofield ‘feud’
Fans criticise BBC for ‘ruining’ Mae Muller’s Eurovision performance
The BBC has received criticism over last night’s Eurovision broadcast, with many viewers complaining that UK entry Mae Muller’s performance was ruined by the audio.
Fans claimed they could “barely hear” the North London singer over the backing track, seemingly blaming the network for her poor results.
The UK finished in second-to-last position with a total of 24 points. Germany came last with a tally of18 points.
The Independent has contacted a representative of BBC for comment.
Queen Hannah Waddingham
From her fluent French to her fab singing voice, the Ted Lasso actor was a superstar host...
Mae Muller speaks out after disappointing Eurovision result
ICYMI: Mae Muller has shared her reaction to the disappointing Eurovision results.
The singer-songwriter represented the UK during the competition’s grand final event held in Liverpool on Saturday night (13 May).
Muller, 25, was one of 26 musical acts to perform on the night in the hopes of landing Eurovision glory, an honour that ultimately went to bookies’ favourite Loreen who clinched a win for Sweden for the second time. She previously won in 2012 with her hit song “Euphoria”.
Finland and Israel came in second and third place with 526 points and 362 points respectively, with Muller trailing behind with a total of 24 points, landing her in second-to-last place.
The singer has since shared a positive statement on Twitter responding to the disappointing results.
Read more:
Mae Muller speaks out after disappointing UK Eurovision result
Liverpool’s grand final broke Eurovision viewing records
Liverpool’s Eurovision Song Contest was the most watched grand final in history.
The city hosted the competition’s final event at its M&S Bank Arena on Saturday night (13 May).
It was a lively affair, with plenty of memorable moments including a history-making victory from Sweden’s Loreen who became the second ever artist to win Eurovision twice, and a royal cameo from Kate Middleton.
The live broadcast on BBC One saw an average of 9.9 million viewers, the BBC has said.
Read more:
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