Sweden Goes into Eurovision as Punters’ Favourite
As the world prepares for the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest on May 17 in Basel, one country stands out as the clear favourite to win: Sweden. With seven wins under its belt, tied with Ireland for the most Eurovision victories, Sweden is once again expected to dominate the competition.
According to betting sites, Sweden’s odds of winning are currently at 29 percent, followed by Austria at 19 percent, France at 10 percent, and Israel at six percent. This year’s Swedish entry, “Bara bada bastu” (Just have a sauna), is a quirky eulogy to the joy of saunas, performed by a comedy trio of dour-looking Finns from Finland’s Swedish-speaking community.
The trio, known as KAJ, aims to win an eighth trophy for Sweden with their catchy and comic song, sung in Finnish-tinged Swedish to the rhythm of the accordion. On stage, the three men will wear suits in a mock sauna surrounded by dancers in towels and wool hats, and armed with bouquets of birch branches.
A journalist at 20 Minutes and Eurovision specialist, Fabien Randanne, told AFP that Sweden has accustomed audiences to highly produced, almost glossy acts. However, it seems the public is now more open to rough edges, originality, and singularity.
Sweden’s most notable Eurovision victory was perhaps when pop quartet ABBA catapulted to global stardom with its 1974 winning song, “Waterloo”. The Scandinavian country last won in 2023, with the more conventional pop song “Tattoo” by Loreen, who also won the competition in 2012.
Austria’s entry, “Wasted Love”, sung by Austrian-Filipino countertenor Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, fuses pop and lyrical elements in a crescendo that flows into techno sounds. The 23-year-old grew up in Dubai before discovering classical music in Vienna, where he is currently honing his skills between talent shows and small roles at the opera.
JJ hopes to secure a third Eurovision victory for Austria, which most recently won with bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s act in 2014. His song’s opera-infused genre-blending style has drawn comparisons to “The Code” — Swiss non-binary vocalist Nemo’s 2024 Eurovision victory song in Malmo, Sweden.
France’s entry, “Maman”, sung by 28-year-old singer and actress Louane, has infused a sense of hope that the country could declare a Eurovision victory for the first time in nearly half a century. Louane, whose real name is Anne Peichert, shot to French stardom in 2013 when she participated in the televised talent show The Voice.
Her ballad, addressed to her mother who died of cancer in 2014, exclaims: “In the end, you see, I built my life… I’ve grown up. From you, I’ve kept everything that makes me who I am.” France already has five Eurovision wins under its belt, but the last one dates back to 1977.
Marie Myriam, who won that year with her song “L’oiseau et l’enfant”, or “The bird and the child”, said she hoped this year’s pick could finally bring an end to her country’s losing streak. “I want to believe that France will finally declare victory through Louane’s voice and performance, under the gaze of the most beautiful of stars, her star,” she told AFP.
Israel’s entry, “New Day Will Rise”, sung by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7, 2023, will perform a power ballad with lyrics in English, Hebrew, and French about survival after tragedy. Raphael only began singing professionally after the attack, as a way to deal with her trauma.
She was selected to represent Israel after winning the “Hakochav Haba” (Rising Star) reality television contest with a powerful ballad version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”. There have been calls this year for Israel to be barred from Eurovision, but that has been ruled out by the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees the competition and of which Israel’s public broadcaster is a member.
As reported by Pryor Info Pub, this year’s Eurovision contest promises to be an exciting and unpredictable ride, with a range of talented acts vying for the top spot. With Sweden as the clear favourite, it remains to be seen whether the country will live up to expectations and secure its eighth Eurovision victory.
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