{"id":327742,"date":"2026-05-02T04:14:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=327742"},"modified":"2026-05-02T04:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:44:03","slug":"eurovision-turns-70-what-to-know-as-canada-mulls-joining-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/eurovision-turns-70-what-to-know-as-canada-mulls-joining-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Eurovision turns 70. What to know as Canada mulls joining – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The\u00a0Eurovision\u00a0Song\u00a0Contest\u00a0is popping\u00a070,\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0few political clouds hanging over its glitter-drenched party.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0annual musical\u00a0extravaganza\u00a0that has been likened\u00a0to\u00a0a\u00a0pop music Olympics takes place\u00a0in\u00a0Vienna, Austria, May 12-16.\u00a0It\u00a0will see singers and bands\u00a0from 35 countries compete\u00a0onstage for\u00a0the\u00a0continent\u2019s musical crown \u2014 but\u00a0with\u00a0some high-profile absentees who’re boycotting\u00a0to\u00a0protest Israel\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0guide\u00a0to\u00a0all things\u00a0Eurovision:\u00a0What\u00a0it\u00a0is, who\u00a0to\u00a0look ahead to and the way\u00a0to\u00a0participate.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tA contest to unite a continent\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Eurovision is a global pop music competition founded in 1956 to check recent live-broadcasting technology and foster unity after the trauma of World War II. From an initial seven contestants, it grew to incorporate dozens of countries from across Europe, in addition to farther-flung Israel and Australia.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0contest\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0campy yet heartfelt celebration of diversity, national pride and\u00a0the\u00a0joyous power of pop\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0global fanbase. Organizers say last yr\u2019s competition was watched by 166 million people around\u00a0the\u00a0world, and fans from 75 countries have bought tickets for\u00a0the\u00a0live shows in\u00a0Vienna.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0contest\u00a0has displayed moments of supreme silliness \u2014 winning songs \u201cLa, La, La\u201d and \u201cBoom Bang-a-Bang,\u201d anyone? \u2014\u00a0as\u00a0well\u00a0as\u00a0pieces of pop perfection like\u00a0ABBA\u00a0\u2019s 1974 winner \u201cWaterloo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other memorable winners include Canadian chanteuse\u00a0Celine Dion\u00a0\u2014 who competed for Switzerland in 1988 \u2014 Austrian drag diva\u00a0Conchita Wurst\u00a0in 2014, Italian rock band\u00a0M\u00e5neskin\u00a0in 2021 and Ukrainian folk-rap group\u00a0Kalush Orchestra\u00a0in 2022.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tUnited by music, divided by politics\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Eurovision\u2019s motto is \u201cUnited by Music,\u201d but\u00a0it\u00a0has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its\u00a0full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a02024\u00a0contest\u00a0in\u00a0Malmo, Sweden, and last yr\u2019s event in\u00a0Basel, Switzerland, saw\u00a0pro-Palestinian protests\u00a0that called for Israel\u00a0to\u00a0be expelled over its conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza and allegations\u00a0it\u00a0tried\u00a0to\u00a0manipulate voting in favor of its contestant.<\/p>\n

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Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox because it happens so you will not miss a trending story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Tensions got here to a head in December when five countries \u2014 Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain \u2014 pulled out of the competition after organizers decided to permit Israel to compete.<\/p>\n

Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania have returned after skipping\u00a0the\u00a0event for artistic or financial reasons in recent times, meaning 35 countries will compete in\u00a0Vienna, down from 37 in 2025. Several pro-Palestinian protests are planned during\u00a0Eurovision\u00a0week.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tFinnish favorites and a Boy George cameo\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Eurovision\u00a0historian Dean Vuletic said \u201cEurovision\u00a0is Europe\u2019s biggest election,\u201d\u00a0with\u00a0winners decided by\u00a0a\u00a0mixture of national juries and viewers\u2019 votes.<\/p>\n

Finland is\u00a0the\u00a0oddsmakers\u2019 favorite\u00a0with\u00a0\u201cLiekinheitin\u201d (\u201cFlamethrower\u201d),\u00a0a\u00a0high-intensity mashup featuring violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen.<\/p>\n

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Also highly rated are 17-year-old French singer Monroe\u00a0with\u00a0pop-operatic love ballad \u201cRegarde!\u201d and Denmark\u2019s S\u00f8ren Torpegaard Lund\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0sultry \u201cF\u00f8r Vi G\u00e5r Hjem\u201d (\u201cBefore We Go Home\u201d).<\/p>\n

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Australia,\u00a0a\u00a0keen\u00a0Eurovision\u00a0participant despite being hundreds of miles from Europe, has sent established star\u00a0Delta Goodrem\u00a0with\u00a0\u201cEclipse,\u201d\u00a0a\u00a0slick midtempo ballad. Greece\u2019s Akylas is becoming\u00a0a\u00a0fan favorite\u00a0with\u00a0party-rap track \u201cFerto\u201d (\u201cBring\u00a0It\u201d).<\/p>\n

Vuletic also tipped Cyprus\u2019 entry,\u00a0the\u00a0folk-influenced dance-pop\u00a0song\u00a0\u201cJalla\u201d by Antigoni. It\u2019s already\u00a0a\u00a0hit on YouTube and \u201cmay very well be\u00a0the\u00a0up-tempo feelgood\u00a0song\u00a0that folks vote for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Israel, which has won\u00a0Eurovision\u00a04 times and got here second in 2025, has sent crooner Noam Bettan\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0ballad \u201cMichelle.\u201d Singer Senhit, representing tiny San Marino, has enlisted Nineteen Eighties icon Boy George\u00a0to\u00a0make\u00a0a\u00a0guest appearance on party anthem \u201cSuperstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Jordan, an authority known\u00a0as\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Eurovision, said\u00a0the\u00a0contest\u00a0has moved beyond its popularity for \u201csugary pop.\u201d This yr\u2019s entries range from classically influenced \u201cpopera\u201d\u00a0to\u00a0electro-pop, power ballads and folk-influenced songs.<\/p>\n

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