Switzerland’s Nemo wins Eurovision 2024

Published

2 years ago

2024/05/12

Priyan

Nemo topped the jury vote (BBC)

Swiss singer Nemo has won the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, with their song The Code.

A compelling hybrid of opera and hip-hop, it topped the jury vote, helping the 24-year-old gain an impressive score of 591 points.

The singer becomes the first non-binary artist to win Eurovision. Fittingly, they wrote the song to explain how they came to terms with their identity.

Croatia, which led the public vote, came second with the raucous party anthem Rim Tim Tagi Dim.

This year’s contest was overshadowed by protests over Israel’s participation, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s entrant, the 20-year-old singer Eden Golan, who received a mixture of boos and cheers as she performed on stage in Malmö, came fifth.

In their victory speech on stage, Nemo said: “I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world.”

They later broke the contest’s infamous crystal microphone trophy, which appeared to fall to the stage as they waved it around in triumph.

Corinne Cumming / EBU Eden Golan — *Eden Golan was protected by armed police throughout her preparations for Eurovision (BBC)*

Eurovision 2024: The top five contestants

Switzerland: Nemo – The Code
Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
Ukraine: Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa and Maria
France: Slimane – Mon Amour
Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane

EBU Baby Lasagna — *Baby Lasagna came second with the song Rim Tim Tagi Dim (BBC)*

Other artists voiced similar sentiments.

Bambie Thug, representing Ireland, screamed “love will triumph hate” as they finished their song, Doomsday Blue; while Portugal’s contestant, Iolanda, told the crowd: “Peace will prevail.”

Two former contestants, Alessandra Mele and Käärijä, pulled out of announcing their countries’ jury scores; Mele cited Israel’s participation as a factor, while Käärijä said “it doesn’t feel right” (to give out points).

Adding to the drama, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was disqualified from the contest on Saturday, after he was accused of making “unlwaful threats” to a female member of the production crew.

The singer was reported to police after the incident occurred backstage on Thursday. Organisers subsequently decided to exclude him from the contest, saying they had a “zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour”.

In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the decision “disporportionate” and said Klein had been filmed backstage when he had “repeatedly indicated” that he did not want to be.

Elsewhere, Eurovision was Eurovision.

Finnish artist Windows95Man performed a 1990s house banger with his trousers off, and Croatia’s Baby Lasagna sang about a country boy who sells his cow and moves to the big city.

Bambie Thug gave one of the night’s most memorable performances.

The self-described “goth gremlin goblin witch” appeared on stage in a circle of candles, summoning a demon then dancing ballet with it, before screaming at the top of their lungs.

A hit with viewers, it ultimately took sixth place, with 278 points.

That makes it Ireland’s best result in a quarter of a century.

Abba tribute

*The 50th anniversary of Abba’s Eurovision victory was marked during the interval (BBC)*

The contest was held in Sweden, exactly 50 years after Abba gave the country its first Eurovision win in 1974.

Rumours flew around Malmö that they would appear to mark their golden anniversary – even though the band themselves denied it.

In the end, they only appeared in a short video, in the form of their “abbatars” from the virtual Abba Voyage concerts in London.

The quartet briefly reminisced about the success of their song Waterloo, which was then performed by three other Eurovision winners: Charlotte Perelli (1999), Conchita Wurst (2014), and Carola (1992).

It was a bit of a let-down.

A more dynamic interval performance came from two-time Eurovision winner Loreen, who played her new single Forever in a futuristic, Barbarella-inspired set.

And Blue Swede frontman Björn Skifs opened the show with Hooked On A Feeling, the first ever Swedish song to reach number one in America.

*Nemo celebrates backstage at the Eurovision Song Contest (BBC)*

Nemo wowed audiences with their lithe and athletic performance, singing an operatic falsetto while balancing perilously on a spinning turntable.

Their song, The Code, was a deeply personal account of the struggle to accept their non-binary identity.

In the lyrics, they sang: “*Somewhere between the zeroes and the ones / That’s where I found my kingdom come*.”

The victory represents a big moment for the LGBTQ community which has, for a long time, treated Eurovision as a safe haven.

Last year’s winner Loreen, who handed the crystal trophy to Nemo on Saturday, recently told the BBC how important that support had been to her.

“Eurovision is a community that has an acceptance for diversity [and] different ways of being.

“It’s a very accepting and loving space. And it’s us who are creating it, through creativity.”

Bambie Thug, who is also non-binary, rushed over to Nemo after their victory and handed over a hand-crafted crown, which they wore for their final performance.

*Pop star Olly Alexander represented the UK but was consigned to the bottom of the leader board (BBC)*

The UK improved on its performance last year, when Mae Muller came second-from-last, but was still relegated to the bottom half of the leaderboard.

Singer Olly Alexander, a chart-topping pop star with the band Years and Years, put on a spectacular performance, full of scantily-clad men dancing in a dystopian shower room.

But his live vocals were wobbly, and suffered by comparison to stronger performers from France, Portugal and Greece.

The star laughed off his zero-point score from the public, pretending to embrace television cameras as the results were announced.

***(BBC)***

Alma Bengtsson / EBU Windows95Man — *Baby Lasagna came second with the song Rim Tim Tagi Dim (BBC)*

Other artists voiced similar sentiments.

Bambie Thug, representing Ireland, screamed “love will triumph hate” as they finished their song, Doomsday Blue; while Portugal’s contestant, Iolanda, told the crowd: “Peace will prevail.”

Two former contestants, Alessandra Mele and Käärijä, pulled out of announcing their countries’ jury scores; Mele cited Israel’s participation as a factor, while Käärijä said “it doesn’t feel right” (to give out points).

Adding to the drama, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was disqualified from the contest on Saturday, after he was accused of making “unlwaful threats” to a female member of the production crew.

The singer was reported to police after the incident occurred backstage on Thursday. Organisers subsequently decided to exclude him from the contest, saying they had a “zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour”.

In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the decision “disporportionate” and said Klein had been filmed backstage when he had “repeatedly indicated” that he did not want to be.

Elsewhere, Eurovision was Eurovision.

Finnish artist Windows95Man performed a 1990s house banger with his trousers off, and Croatia’s Baby Lasagna sang about a country boy who sells his cow and moves to the big city.

Bambie Thug gave one of the night’s most memorable performances.

The self-described “goth gremlin goblin witch” appeared on stage in a circle of candles, summoning a demon then dancing ballet with it, before screaming at the top of their lungs.

A hit with viewers, it ultimately took sixth place, with 278 points.

That makes it Ireland’s best result in a quarter of a century.

Abba tribute

*The 50th anniversary of Abba’s Eurovision victory was marked during the interval (BBC)*

The contest was held in Sweden, exactly 50 years after Abba gave the country its first Eurovision win in 1974.

Rumours flew around Malmö that they would appear to mark their golden anniversary – even though the band themselves denied it.

In the end, they only appeared in a short video, in the form of their “abbatars” from the virtual Abba Voyage concerts in London.

The quartet briefly reminisced about the success of their song Waterloo, which was then performed by three other Eurovision winners: Charlotte Perelli (1999), Conchita Wurst (2014), and Carola (1992).

It was a bit of a let-down.

A more dynamic interval performance came from two-time Eurovision winner Loreen, who played her new single Forever in a futuristic, Barbarella-inspired set.

And Blue Swede frontman Björn Skifs opened the show with Hooked On A Feeling, the first ever Swedish song to reach number one in America.

*Nemo celebrates backstage at the Eurovision Song Contest (BBC)*

Nemo wowed audiences with their lithe and athletic performance, singing an operatic falsetto while balancing perilously on a spinning turntable.

Their song, The Code, was a deeply personal account of the struggle to accept their non-binary identity.

In the lyrics, they sang: “*Somewhere between the zeroes and the ones / That’s where I found my kingdom come*.”

The victory represents a big moment for the LGBTQ community which has, for a long time, treated Eurovision as a safe haven.

Last year’s winner Loreen, who handed the crystal trophy to Nemo on Saturday, recently told the BBC how important that support had been to her.

“Eurovision is a community that has an acceptance for diversity [and] different ways of being.

“It’s a very accepting and loving space. And it’s us who are creating it, through creativity.”

Bambie Thug, who is also non-binary, rushed over to Nemo after their victory and handed over a hand-crafted crown, which they wore for their final performance.

*Pop star Olly Alexander represented the UK but was consigned to the bottom of the leader board (BBC)*

The UK improved on its performance last year, when Mae Muller came second-from-last, but was still relegated to the bottom half of the leaderboard.

Singer Olly Alexander, a chart-topping pop star with the band Years and Years, put on a spectacular performance, full of scantily-clad men dancing in a dystopian shower room.

But his live vocals were wobbly, and suffered by comparison to stronger performers from France, Portugal and Greece.

The star laughed off his zero-point score from the public, pretending to embrace television cameras as the results were announced.

***(BBC)***

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Madagascar military leader dissolves government in surprise move

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/10

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Col Michael Randrianirina seized power last October in the wake of youth-led protests [BBC]

Madagascar’s military ruler Col Michael Randrianirina has dissolved the government unexpectedly, dismissing the prime minister and the entire cabinet, according to a statement from his spokesperson.

“The government has ceased its functions” it said, adding that Randrianirina will appoint a new prime minister “in line with the provisions stipulated by the constitution”.

No reason was given for the move.

Randrianirina seized power last October from Andry Rajoelina, following weeks of youth-led protests on the Indian Ocean island. Rajoelina had been elected president for a third term in a disputed poll in 2023.

The demonstrations were over persistent power and water shortages, culminating in the army siding with the demonstrators.

Randrianirina has pledged to call new elections within two years.

Last December, the regional bloc, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), directed Madagascar’s military authorities to submit a roadmap for restoring democracy including plans for fresh elections by the end of February.

But in a surprise on Monday, Randrianirina sacked his entire government and assigned permanent secretaries to run ministries’ day-to-day operations until a new cabinet is formed.

Randrianirina has not explained the motivation for the mass sackings, but leaders of the Gen Z movement, whose grassroots mobilisation helped bring the military leader to power, have called for more inclusiveness in the transition process and greater representation in decision-making structures.

Activist groups, calling themselves Gen Z and Gen Y movements, had recently issued a 72-hour ultimatum for Randrianirina’s resignation, citing frustration with his performance, local media reported.

Businessman Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo had been appointed prime minister in October in an effort to bridge the divide between military leadership and civilian government.

The the Gen Z movement leaders rejected his appointment at the time, saying it was made in a “non-transparent” manner and “without consultation”.

The group demanded to know how Rajaonarivelo was selected given what it said were his connection to the previous government.

They then said that the decision “runs contrary to the desired structural change” the movement was seeking.

Monday’s dissolution of the government could mark a significant shift in the country’s political landscape with the military leader seeking to establish a new administration.

[BBC]