After more than thirty years, Italy once again hosted the music festival that unites Europe more than any other: the Eurovision Song Contest.
Following Naples in 1965 and Rome in 1991, the city of Turin welcomed the 66th edition of the singing competition, getting in the international spotlight.
The Eurovision came to Turin thanks to the Italian rock band Måneskin, that won the competition in Rotterdam last year with their track “Zitti e Buoni”. That of Måneskin was the third Italian victory, after that of Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964 with “Non ho l’età” on the stage of the Tivoli Koncertsal in Copenhagen and that of Toto Cutugno in 1990 at the Vatroslav lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb with the song “Insieme: 1992”.
The winner of Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was crowned on Saturday May 14. The victory went to Ukraine, represented by the band Kalush Orchestra: their song “Stefania” received 631 votes.
“Stefania” has become a hymn to peace against the Russian invasion, keeping attention focused on the dramatic situation that Ukraine is going through.
“We are here to prove that Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian music are alive, and they have their very own sound and special signature. The victory is very important to Ukraine. Especially this year”, commented the Kalush Orchestra.
After six years, the victory of the band also marks the return of the Eurovision in Ukraine. President Zelensky expressed his intention to host the event in Mariupol: “We will do everything [possible]” he said. The Ukrainian band also launched a message of hope for the next edition of the event: “Next year, Ukraine will be happy to host the Eurovision Song Contest, and indeed all of Europe, in the new, integrated, happy Ukraine.”
Hosted by singers Laura Pausini and Mika and tv host Alessandro Cattelan, the event featured 40 countries – 39 members of the organizing body European countries plus Australia – and was held at the biggest sports palace in Turin, at the Pala Olimpico.
The UK came second with Sam Ryder and his “Space Man”, followed by Spain, in third place with Chanel and her wild song “slomo”; Italy, represented by Mahmood and Blanco with “Brividi”, ended up sixth.
As the two Italian singers said before the finals, “the important thing is not to win, but to join the international scene”.
More than looking at the ranking, the two artists then bet on the international visibility that the format can give to singers: «This is the thing that interests us most. It is nice to think that, on an international level, we are starting to look with renewed interest at everything that Italy offers in terms of music».
The slogan chosen for the edition was “The Sound of Beauty“. A slogan that represents well what makes Italy most famous in the world: the artistic, architectural and landscape beauties.
The beauty of Italy was also shown through the postcards which appeared before each country’s performance during the live ESC shows.
For this year’s edition the EBU – following the suggestion of the Eurovision Reference Group – has decided to exclude from the competition – in addition to Belarus, for which the three-year ban from all events continues – also Russia. The exclusion is motivated by the invasion of Ukraine.
