Austria wins 69th Eurovision music 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 yr after Nemo gained in Malmö final yr with their music The Code. They offered the trophy to JJ, who known as for “extra love”. After ending a reprise of their profitable music, a clearly emotional JJ stated “thanks Europe, I really like 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 stated a Eurovision music contest crew member was hit with paint after two folks 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 evening for the UK. In recent times, Sam Ryder’s House Man has been the one music that has bucked the pattern for poor outcomes, ending second in 2022. No different UK entry since 2012 has completed larger than fifteenth, and this yr’s effort by Keep in mind Monday continued that report.

The lady band’s music concerning the aftermath of a wild evening out – What The Hell Simply Occurred? – was granted computerized entry to the ultimate, because the UK is without doubt one of the largest web contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which organises the present. They completed nineteenth, having scored zero with the general public vote, the second yr in a row that has occurred to the UK entry. Sophie Ellis-Bextor offered the UK’s jury votes, after Physician Who actor Ncuti Gatwa dropped out of the function as a consequence of “unexpected circumstances”.

Over the course of the 2 semi-finals and remaining, company 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. Through the remaining because the votes have been being forged two well-liked Eurovision entires that narrowly did not win prior to now, Child Lasagna’s Rim Tim Tagi Dim and Käärijä’s Cha Cha Cha, had a wrestling-style mashup contest, whereas final yr’s winner Nemo carried out twice.

Thirty-seven international locations 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 provide, 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” – because of the 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 a large gold microphone spraying out fireworks.

Different outlandish props together with Italy’s Lucio Corsi with an outsized piano, France’s Louane step by step being doused with falling sand, and Estonia’s Tommy Money carrying a post-it word with “I really like 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 yr, with about 200 folks, many draped in Palestinian flags, becoming a member of a gathering in central Basel on Wednesday night, and extra protests on Saturday evening. Police used teargas and rolled in a water cannon truck to stop demonstrators from marching by 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 competition 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 yr.