London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 2025

Eurovision: Sweden's Loreen wins again, but UK's Mae Muller is second from last

Eurovision: Sweden's Loreen wins again, but UK's Mae Muller is second from last

Sweden's Loreen has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, with her soaring pop anthem Tattoo.

The star, who last won the competition in 2012, saw off competition from Finland's Käärijä in a nail-biting vote.

The UK's Mae Muller failed to replicate Sam Ryder's success last year, coming in 25th place - one above bottom.

And the Princess of Wales made a surprise cameo, playing the piano with last year's winners Kalush Orchestra.

Loreen is only the second person - and the first woman - to win Eurovision twice, following Ireland's Johnny Logan.

"This is so overwhelming," she said as she collected the trophy. "I'm so grateful. I'm so thankful."

"In my wildest dreams, I didn't think this would happen."

Sweden's victory means it will host next year's competition - on what will be the 50th anniversary of Abba's historic victory with Waterloo in 1974.

But Ireland crashed out of this year's contest at the semi-final stage for the fifth year in a row - a result their head of delegation described as "devastating".

Saturday's final on BBC One was watched live by an average of 9.9 million viewers across the programme, with a peak of 11 million.

Last year, a peak audience of 10.6 million tuned into see Sam Ryder go close in Turin.

Across measured territories, last year's contest reached 161 million people across its three live shows - and producers were hopeful of topping that this year, with the show being seen in all 37 participating countries, as well as Belgium, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and the US.

The viewing figures fell short of the King's Coronation the previous weekend, when an average audience of 18 million tuned in.

This year's top three acts were:

1. Sweden: Loreen - Tattoo (583 points)

2. Finland: Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha (526 points)

3. Israel: Noa Kirel - Unicorn (362 points)

Kaarija's song won the public vote, but faltered with juries


Mae Muller only picked up 24 points, leaving the UK near the bottom of the leaderboard. It was "not the result we hoped for," she tweeted after the show.

"I know I joke a lot but we really put our all into the last few months," she said. "Congrats to all the countries, I'll never forget this journey and I love you all."

Liverpool hosted this year's contest on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, which won in 2022.

Appropriately, the show began with last year's winners, Kalush Orchestra, playing an extended version of their song Stefania in a pre-taped segment from Kyiv.

Stars including Joss Stone, Sam Ryder and Andrew Lloyd Webber added a British flavour to the song, as the band boarded a train from Kyiv's iconic Maidan Nezalezhnosti metro station and arrived on the stage of the Liverpool Arena.

The Princess of Wales accompanied on piano, in a brief segment recorded in the crimson drawing room of Windsor Castle earlier this month.

Catherine briefly joined Kalush Orchestra on piano


Back in the arena, Kalush performed their new single Changes, delivering a message of defiance to Russia: "Give my all down to the wire / Set me free."

It was the first of many references to the war, in a show that took a more political tone than most editions of Eurovision.

Croatia's Let 3! performed a song that referred to Russia's Vladimir Putin as a "crocodile psychopath", while the Czech band Vesna sang in Ukrainian, "We're with you in our hearts".

Ukraine's own entry, Tvorchi, played a powerful song inspired by the siege of Mariupol.

The duo's hometown of Ternopil was hit by Russian missiles moments before the band took to the stage in Liverpool, officials said.

They eventually took sixth place, with a total of 243 points.

Russia has been suspended from the contest due to the invasion, but organisers refused to allow a speech from Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky during the show.

Israel's Noa Kirel gave one of the night's most athletic performances


Elsewhere, Eurovision was Eurovision. There were 80s-inspired tributes to Miami Vice, a ghost story about Edgar Allen Poe and, naturally, a tear-away dress.

But the musical component of the contest continues to improve.

Spain's Blanca Paloma combined traditional flamenco rhythms with a throbbing electro pulse on the vibrant, urgent EAEA; and France's La Zarra tied together decades of Gallic music history in the Piaf-meets-Daft-Punk Évidemment.

Acts from Armenia, Poland and Israel - especially Israel - threw slick dance breaks into their performances; while Italy's Marco Mengoni was accompanied by two gymnasts on trampolines.

There was also the usual surfeit of tortured ballads, both good (Lithuania) and drab (Albania); and a never-ending parade of lyrics about coming together and being nice to your neighbours (Belgium, Switzerland, Australia).

Finnish rapper Käärijä was the runaway public favourite, receiving more than Loreen's tally in the phone vote. But his chaotic mix of thrash metal, hardcore techno and K-pop melodies failed to impress the juries, who are comprised of music experts.

In a post-modern twist, the competition was bookended by two songs about the process of songwriting.

Austrian duo Teya & Salena kicked off the show with the quirky pop anthem Who The Hell Is Edgar, in which they are possessed by the spirit of US poet Edgar Allen Poe, who compels them to write a song.

An hour-and-a-half later, Mae Muller closed the competition with I Wrote A Song - in which she gets revenge on her ex-boyfriend by writing a song that catalogues his misdemeanours.

It meant the contest opened with the lyric, "Oh my God, you're such a good writer", and ended with Muller singing, "Instead, I wrote a song".

And if that's not synchronicity, I don't know what is.

The UK's Mae Muller failed to replicate Sam Ryder's success last year


The contest was presented by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them during the voting stage.

The interval showcased the "Liverpool songbook" with tracks by John Lennon, Melanie C and Gerry and the Pacemakers performed by former Eurovision contestants.

And Sam Ryder, who came second for the UK last year, performed an emotional version of his new single, Mountains, with Queen's Roger Taylor on drums.

Ryder, whose song is about overcoming adversity, was accompanied on stage by dancers who had lost limbs.


Loreen easily won the jury vote, picking up the maximum 12 points from Ireland, Estonia, Spain, Albania, Cyprus and Ukraine, among others.

She ended the jury sequence with a score of 340, giving her a comfortable 163-point lead over Italy's Marco Mengoni.

The public preferred Finnish rapper Käärijä, with his total of 526 points temporarily putting him in the lead.

After a tense pause, Loreen reclaimed the crown at the last minute, receiving a public score of 243 that put her back on top.

The UK languished at the bottom of the table, picking up just nine points from the public and 15 from the juries.

Only Germany fared worse. Their glam-rock song Blood And Glitter gained a mere 18 points.

Commiserations came from the BBC, who organised the contest in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union.

The broadcaster's official Twitter account posted: "Mae, we're so proud of you and everything you've achieved at this year's Eurovision Song Contest."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Rodrigo Duterte Awaits Trial at The Hague. Next week he might be elected mayor of his hometown
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
×