The Eurovision Song Contest, often known simply as Eurovision or by its initialism ESC, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1976 was the 21st edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in The Hague, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the 1975 contest with the song "Ding-a-dong" by Teach-In. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), the contest was held at the Nederlands Congrescentrum on 3 April 1976 and was hosted by 1957 Dutch Eurovision winner Corry Brokken.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was the 42nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held on 3 May 1997 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) and presented by Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1996 contest with the song "The Voice" by Eimear Quinn. The 1997 contest was the seventh – and to date last – edition to be staged in Ireland, as well as the fourth to be produced by RTÉ in five years. The Point Theatre served as the host venue for the third time, following the 1994 and 1995 contests, becoming the only venue to have been the site of three Eurovision Song Contests.
A gay anthem is a popular song that has become widely popular among, or has become identified with, the gay community. Not all songs labelled as "gay anthems" were written intentionally to become gay anthems, but those that do are often marked by themes of perseverance, inner strength, acceptance, pride, and unity. Research in 2007 suggested that the song most commonly identified as a gay anthem is "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and described the song as "a classic emblem of gay culture in the post-Stonewall and AIDS eras".
"Waterloo" is the first single from the Swedish pop group ABBA's second album of the same name, and their first under the Atlantic label in the US. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA. The title and lyrics reference the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, and use it as a metaphor for a romantic relationship. The Swedish version of the single was backed with the Swedish version of "Honey, Honey", while the English version featured "Watch Out" on the B-side.
Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Love Power" written by Paul Curtiz and Wakas Ashiq. The song was performed by the band The KMG's, which was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in February 2007 to represent the nation at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. The song, "Love Power", was released on 23 February 2007 and officially presented to the public on 26 February 2007. This was the first time that a Walloon entry was performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Georgia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 15 times since making its debut in 2007. Georgia initially planned to participate in 2009, but later withdrew after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) demanded it to re-write its song which made reference to the then-Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin. Georgia has reached the final on seven occasions, achieving two top ten placements, with Sofia Nizharadze (2010) and Eldrine (2011) both finishing ninth.
Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Envie de vivre" written by Silvio Pezzuto. The song was performed by Nathalie Sorce. The Belgian entry for the 2000 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final Finale Nationale Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 2000, organised by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). In the final on 18 February 2000 which featured ten competing entries, "Envie de vivre" performed by Nathalie Sorce was selected as the winner solely by public televoting, receiving 21,362 votes.
Oliver Alexander Thornton is an English singer, actor and LGBT+ activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the pop band Years & Years who achieved two number one albums on the UK Albums Chart, a number one single and five top ten entries on the UK Singles Chart. Between 2021 and 2023 he continued to release music under the name until their dissolution in 2024.
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, known professionally as Loreen, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Representing Sweden, she has won the Eurovision Song Contest twice – in 2012 and 2023 – with the songs "Euphoria" and "Tattoo". She is the second performer and the first and only woman to have won the competition twice to date.
The LGBT community in Liverpool, England is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and has a recorded history since the 18th century. Many historic LGBT firsts and pioneering moments in the LGBT rights movement either took place in Liverpool or were achieved by citizens of the city.
Thomas Neuwirth is an Austrian singer and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst. Neuwirth came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as Austria's entrant with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Neuwirth has stated that he is not a trans woman. He is gay, and has also described himself as a drag queen.
Years & Years were an English pop band formed in London in 2010. The band rose to fame after their single "King" (2015) topped the UK Singles Chart and entered the top ten hit in thirteen other regions. It was preceded by the release of their debut studio album Communion (2015), which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and became the fastest-selling debut album of the year from a UK signed band. It also features the commercially successful single "Shine", which reached number two in the UK.
Sanja Vučić is a Serbian singer and songwriter. Initially the lead vocalist of the Serbian crossover band ZAA, she represented Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Goodbye". From 2017 to 2022 she was a member of pop folk girl group Hurricane, during which time they represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Loco loco". In addition, Vučić and Hurricane were scheduled to represent Serbia in the 2020 contest, which ended up being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Måneskin are an Italian rock band formed in Rome in 2016. The band is composed of lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio. Performing in the streets in their early days, Måneskin rose to prominence after coming in second in the eleventh season of the Italian version of X Factor in 2017. Their international breakthrough occurred when the foursome won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for Italy with the song "Zitti e buoni".
Duncan de Moor, known professionally as Duncan Laurence, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. He represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with his song "Arcade" and went on to win the competition, giving the Netherlands its first Eurovision win since 1975. "Arcade" became one of the most successful Eurovision Song Contest winning entries on streaming platforms and international charts in recent history. Prior to Eurovision, Laurence was a semi-finalist in the fifth season of The Voice of Holland.
"Zitti e buoni" is a song written and performed by Italian rock band Måneskin. It was produced by the band alongside Fabrizio Ferraguzzo, and won the Sanremo Music Festival and the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The song was the band's commercial breakthrough in global music charts and topped the singles chart in several European countries. It peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the first Italian-language song in 30 years to enter the UK Top 20. It also reached top 10 of the Billboard Global Excl. US chart.
The Eurovision Song Contest has had a long-held fan base in the LGBT community, and Eurovision organisers have actively worked to include these fans in the contest since the 1990s.
Sam Ryder Robinson is an English singer, songwriter, producer, composer and social media personality. He rose to prominence in 2020, after posting music covers on TikTok, during the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic and signed to Parlophone Records before parting ways with them in 2023. His music has since incorporated various genres including rock music, pop, alternative rock, and metalcore, while his vocal range, and use of vibrato and falsetto, has garnered critical acclaim.
Joker Out is a five-member Slovenian indie rock band formed in 2016, who describe their genre as 'Shagadelic Rock n' Roll.' They had represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song "Carpe Diem", placing 21st. Their discography includes two studio albums: Umazane misli (2021), and Demoni (2022).
Belgium : Bob Benny, 1959 and 1961 
Luxembourg : Jean-Claude Pascal, 1961 and 1981 
Israel : Dana International, 1998 and 2011 (won the first time)
Bosnia and Herzegovina : Deen, 2004 and 2016 
Sweden : Loreen, 2012 [lower-alpha 2] and 2023 (won both times)
Australia 
Austria 
Belgium 
Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Croatia 
Denmark 
Finland 
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Germany 
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Israel 
Italy 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta 
Montenegro 
Netherlands 
North Macedonia 
Norway 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
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San Marino 
Serbia 
Spain 
Sweden 
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United Kingdom 