Sweden wins Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with Mans Zelmerlow

It’s not easy winning international contest Eurovision, but it’s hard to lose, too. So happened in 2015’s rendition. Who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2015? Sweden won the Eurovision 2015. Host country Austria got along with Germany 0 points.

Every year, European audiences unite to have a song battle of the ages. Eurovision celebrated its 60th anniversary this year with the theme “Building Bridges.” Some of the entries discussed the futility of war, other reminisced about the true love, and some were works of art involving dancers.

The top three final choices were Russia, Sweden, and Italy.

But who won?

Sweden scored 365 points with Måns Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes” and beating Russia by 62 points. As the numbers rose and the top three repeatedly switched positions, the hosts encouraged audiences to join in the celebration. Being goofy, being energetic and involved is part of Eurovision, after all. Why not party in a huge venue with live performances.

Last year’s winner Conchita Wurst hosted along with Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler, and Arabella Kiesbauer in Vienna, Austria. Austria won hosting duties because Wurst’s Bond-sounding “Rise Like a Phoenix” success in 2014. Dressed in a bright purple, sequined suit, the performer spoke with fellow hosts and contestants, offering advice and some introspection into what winning really means–even admitting to not remembering the victory.

In total, 27 countries competed in 2015.

However, some missing contestants like the Ukraine prompted the evening’s hosts to reiterate live audience and voters across the continent to not let political statements turn the tide against contestants like Russia’s Polina Gagarina. In the world of Eurovision, it’s all about cheese and glamour, not political sanctions.

Every vote counted until the last four countries added in their top picks for winners through fan voting. At that point, Sweden was unstoppable. Promptly ignoring the request of the presenters, jeers against Russia were heard in the audience as the country gained more points and looked to be the early winner.

Culturally, the song contest featured a mixture of native languages and English. Spain’s “Amanecer” by Edurne featured the singer using ballroom dancing among the dramatic setting to the love song. But she wasn’t the only one to hand out a few surprises.

Georgia’s Nina Sublatti performed “Warrior” with a gothic theme reminiscent of Amy Lee and Evanescence. Russia’s haunting and uplifting “A Million Voices” battled with Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes,” both seeming to focus on the power of humanity.

A reoccurring subject in many of the songs, like France’s “N’oubliez Pas.” Remembrance of World War I echoed throughout the venue as Lisa Angell offered a call to building bridges from past conflicts. Just as Boggie’s “War For Nothing” explained the brutality of conflict and Hungarian cultural memory hasn’t forgotten the 20th century at all.

But there were other missteps outside of the audience booing, too.

When discussing Germany’s top picks for the year, Barbara Schöneberger jokingly added, “Three and a half beautiful women.” The jab was aimed at the fact Wurst is actually the drag queen persona of Thomas Neuwirth. The comment felt out of place and unwarranted in a contest all about being over-the-top and flamboyant.

Not exactly building a bridge.

Even though ballads seemed to reign supreme after Wurst’s amazing performance in 2014, a few performances like Sublatti and Serbia’s Bojana Stamereally stood out with high energy and innovative. 16-year-old Nadav Guedj’s boyband-lite production of “Golden Boy” helped earn Israel 97 points and 9th place. Latvia’s “Love Injected” just missed the top five as Aminata moved audiences to get moving. And Serbia rounded out the top 10 with 53 points.

Only two countries ended up with zero points: Germany’s “Black Smoke” by Ann Sophie and “I Am Yours” by Austria’s The Makemakes. France was the lowest score with points at 4.

And the special placement of Australia’s inclusion of the anniversary earned the country in the top 5 with an impressive 197. Singing for the Pope and Queen Elizabeth probably helped solidify the impressive nature of the show. Definitely some cred for Guy Sebastian as Australia’s only hope. Of course, the inclusion comes with political controversy due to the high fees to participate in the international rating success. It helps that the nation’s been broadcasting the annual event for over 30 years, says the Sydney Morning Herald.

Overall, the atmosphere was calmer this year with ballads taking center stage. Somewhere between American Idol and Miss America, Eurovision’s thematic approach of building bridges /4/have worked in cementing the contest as the longest televised running the Guinness Book of World Records.

Maybe next year bombastic sets and high level drama will return and strike a few new chords along the way.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, YouTube