TURIN, Italy — Will
it be
Norway's banana-eating wolves, France's coven of witches, or Britain's
space man?
اضافة اعلان
Or maybe a Greek with a death wish, a slinky
Lithuanian chanteuse with a jet-black bowl cut, or a Serbian germaphobe?
The line-up for Saturday's grand finale of
the Eurovision Song Contest is typically outlandish, but with the roars of war
on the continent's eastern front, a hiphop lullaby from
Ukraine is the song to
beat.
Riding a wave of public support following
Russia's invasion, Kalush Orchestra's tribute to the motherland is the
bookmakers' favorite to triumph at the world's biggest live music event,
watched by tens of millions of people.
"If we win Eurovision, we will have a
lot of hope that we'll win the war," said Ukrainian Maria Lembak, 40,
holding the country's large yellow and blue flag as she counter-protested at a
small pro-Russia rally in central Turin on the eve of the final.
Kitschy and quirky, Eurovision embraces the
eccentric and the contest's 66th edition is no exception, with its national
competitors exemplifying the contest's central charm — anything goes.
That's good news for Norway, whose
Subwoolfer performs "Give that Wolf a Banana" dressed in cartoonish
yellow wolf masks with long white fangs and France's Alvan & Ahez, whose
"Fulenn" sung in Breton celebrates nocturnal dancing with the
devil.
And not to be outdone is
Serbia's
Konstrakta, whose meticulous onstage hand-scrubbing while reflecting on Meghan
Markle's well-hydrated hair is seen as a subtle critique of national healthcare
in "In Corpore Sano".
A dress rehearsal Friday went off with some
fits and starts over technical issues, including during Swede Cornelia Jakobs'
performance of "Hold Me Closer". But that didn't put a damper on
fans' enthusiasm.
"Only at Eurovision do people celebrate
bananas, heartbreaks, and wash their hands in one and the same show,"
Swedish fan Martina Fries told AFP Saturday.
"Eurovision is a way to show that different
countries can celebrate peacefully together."
Back at the front
The joy of Eurovision is in the camp and the
clowning, although the nearly three-month war in Ukraine hangs heavily over
festivities.
The
European Broadcasting Union, which
organizes the event, banned Russia on February 25, the day after Moscow invaded
its neighbor.
Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra is heavily tipped
for victory amid an outpouring of empathy in Europe for the country's plight —
as well as genuine appreciation for their unique song, "Stefania".
Written before the war, the song mixes
traditional Ukrainian folk music with an invigorating hiphop beat and nostalgic
lyrics recalling the motherland.
The band has pulled off a crowd-pleasing
cultural mashup with the sound of obscure flute-like folk instruments and the
sight of embroidered ethnic dress onstage added to breakdancing and
rapping.
Representing Ukraine at Eurovision while
loved ones suffer back home has been tough, frontman Oleh Psiuk told AFP.
"We have one band member who joined the
territorial defense of
Kyiv on the third day of the war," and who remains
at the front, Psiuk said.
"We are very worried about him, and we
hope to see him safe once we are back."
Stratospheric singing
Other more sober offerings include Greece's
"Die Together" by Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord and "Brividi"
(Shivers), a duet from Italy's Mahmood and Blanco.
Italy hopes its love song will bring it a
second consecutive Eurovision win after last year's "Zitti e Buoni"
(Shut up and Behave) from high-octane glam rockers Maneskin, who
will perform at Saturday's finale.
After a quarter-century of being shut out
from the top spot, Britain hopes it has found a winner in "Space
Man", whose stratospherically high notes belted by the affable,
long-haired Sam Ryder has made it a serious contender.
On the fashion front, Lithuania's Monika Liu
has generated as much social media buzz for her bowl cut hairdo as her sensual
and elegant "Sentimentai".
Meanwhile, Sheldon Riley of Australia — one
of Eurovision's few non-European entries — has sung his personal
self-affirmation ballad "Not the Same" through a sparkling face veil
laden with crystals.
And since no
Eurovision is complete without
a smattering of gyrating and undulating bodies onstage, Spain's Chanel comes to
the rescue with "SloMo" and its memorable "booty hypnotic"
refrain.
Votes for Eurovision's winner are cast by
music industry professionals and the public from each country, with votes for
one's home nation not allowed.
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