Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Who won Eurovision 2015? How Mans Zelmerlow went from victory in Vienna to hosting this year's contest

How the Swedish artist came to win the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest - and how he'll be reappearing at this year's show

Clarisse Loughrey
Thursday 12 May 2016 11:59 BST
Comments

With all the hype to see who will be crowned the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 winner, it's easy to forget we'll also be seeing the grand return of last year's champion - Måns Zelmerlöw.

He, of course, won last year for dance track "Heroes"; in a performance which saw him getting all interactive with a projected backdrop, and possibly coming near-uncomfortably close to the camera in his efforts to win the hearts and votes of Europe.

Audiences went wild for the feel-good, fist-pumping tune and the singer triumphed at the competition with an astounding 365 points, making it the third-highest scoring entry in the history of Eurovision.

However, Zelmerlöw first rose to fame in his native Sweden as a reality star, coming fifth in the country's 2005 Idol series and winning Let's Dance; following it up with the 2007 hit with "Cara Mia".

He first competed in Sweden's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, Melodifestivalen, in 2007; coming in third place. It's a contest he'd often return to over the years in various roles; competing in 2009, hosting in 2010, and participating as a songwriter in 2013.

In 2015, he entered once more with "Heroes", with both Zelmerlöw and the song being chosen to represent Sweden at the contest, held in Vienna. Heavily predicted as the overall winner, the singer attained a landslide victory: great news both for him, and his little stick buddies.

However, the win soon sparked controversy surrounding homophobic comments he made on a celebrity cooking show in which he claimed it, "isn't equally natural for men to want to sleep with one another", and branding homosexuality "avvikelse" (an abnormality); though he added, "there isn't anything wrong with it at all."

Zelmerlöw later clarified his remarks in a statement, apologising to "all who take offence". "I believe and hope that the vast majority know that I respect differences and all forms of love," he said. Many outlets have since come to his defence, and the singer has continued to make further apologies for what he considers a very poor choice in words.


He'll now co-host the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden; alongside comedian, dancer, actress, and presenter Petra Mede. He hosted summer music show Allsång på Skansen, so he's certainly got the skills to take on this year's prestigious job as Eurovision host.

See you there, Zelmerlöw! You can join in on all the action with us for the Eurovision grand final on Saturday 14 May.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in