Austria wins 69th Eurovision song contest with Wasted Love | Eurovision 2025

Austria has gained the Eurovision music contest after JJ triumphed in Basel with their music Wasted Love, an operatic ballad with hovering vocals that mutates right into a membership anthem for the finale. It’s the third time the nation has gained, with JJ following within the footsteps of Udo Jürgens in 1965 and Conchita Wurst in 2014.

Switzerland, which hosted the primary ever Eurovision music contest in 1956, was the venue this 12 months after Nemo gained in Malmö final 12 months with their music The Code. They introduced the trophy to JJ, who known as for “more love”. After ending a reprise of their profitable music, a clearly emotional JJ mentioned “thank you Europe, I love you all”

Viennese-born JJ has a variety from counter tenor to soprano, and research classical music. He co-wrote the profitable music with Teodora Spiric and Thomas Turner. JJ has beforehand appeared underneath his given title Johannes Pietsch on The Voice UK. Austria will likely be anticipated to host in 2026, with Vienna having twice held the competitors earlier than.

Israel completed second, having lead for a while after a big public vote put them into the highest spot. Organisers later mentioned a Eurovision music contest crew member was hit with paint after two individuals tried to hurry on stage to disrupt the Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s efficiency.

Estonia got here third and the extensively tipped pre-contest favourites from Sweden got here fourth.

It was one other troublesome night time for the UK. Lately, Sam Ryder’s Space Man has been the one music that has bucked the development for poor outcomes, ending second in 2022. No different UK entry since 2012 has completed greater than fifteenth, and this 12 months’s effort by Keep in mind Monday continued that document.

The lady band’s music concerning the aftermath of a wild night time out – What The Hell Just Happened? – was granted automated entry to the ultimate, because the UK is among the largest internet contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which organises the present. They completed nineteenth, having scored zero with the general public vote, the second 12 months in a row that has occurred to the UK entry. Sophie Ellis-Bextor introduced the UK’s jury votes, after Physician Who actor Ncuti Gatwa dropped out of the role attributable to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Over the course of the 2 semi-finals and closing, friends on the present had included three-time Eurovision host Petra Mede and returning contestants, in addition to a particular video message from Céline Dion, who gained the competition on behalf of Switzerland in 1988. Throughout the closing because the votes had been being solid two common Eurovision entires that narrowly did not win previously, Child Lasagna’s Rim Tim Tagi Dim and Käärijä’s Cha Cha Cha, had a wrestling-style mashup contest, whereas final 12 months’s winner Nemo carried out twice.

Thirty-seven nations entered the competition, and 26 made it to the ultimate. The semi-finals, held on Tuesday and Thursday, threw up some surprises. Australia, which has competed in Eurovision since 2015, surprisingly did not qualify with Go-Jo’s innuendo-laden Milkshake Man.

There have been nonetheless loads of risque songs on supply, together with Miriana Conte, who needed to change the lyrics of her music Serving to take away a reference to the Maltese phrase for singing – “Kant” – as a result of phrase “Serving kant” having an apparent resemblance to an English swear phrase. Regardless of it being a fan favorite, it scored poorly with the broader public.

In Finland’s entry, Ich Komme by Erika Vikman, her music repeatedly introduced that she was coming, and she or he ended her efficiency hoisted up on an enormous gold microphone spraying out fireworks.

Different outlandish props together with Italy’s Lucio Corsi with an outsized piano, France’s Louane progressively being doused with falling sand, and Estonia’s Tommy Money carrying a post-it observe with “I love Eurovision” on it on his go well with pocket, whereas dancing exterior a set known as the “Winners Café”. He didn’t win.

Israel’s continued participation within the contest once more sparked protest, because it did final 12 months, with about 200 individuals, many draped in Palestinian flags, becoming a member of a gathering in central Basel on Wednesday night, and extra protests on Saturday night time. Police used teargas and rolled in a water cannon truck to forestall demonstrators from marching via the centre of the northern Swiss metropolis.

Earlier than the occasion, Irish broadcaster RTÉ had requested the EBU for talks after 72 former contestants known as for a ban on Israel. Raphael, who’s a survivor of assault on the Nova music pageant by Hamas on 7 October 2023, had her costume rehearsal disrupted by protesters on Thursday.

The EBU stopped Russia competing in Eurovision in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which went on to win the competitors that 12 months.