Eurovision 2023 LIVE — Fans claim show was ‘ruined’ as Sweden’s Loreen beats Finland’s act to be crowned WINNER
LOREEN of Sweden has become the first woman - and only the second person in history - to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice.
Europe's biggest music party saw the likes of Finnish rapper Kaarija and Australian rockers Voyager perform during a dazzling four-hour spectacle in .
But after a marathon vote count, Swedish star Loreen was crowned Eurovision winner after raising the roof with her performance of power-ballad Tattoo.
However fans were left raging and hit out at the competition's voting system, with some claiming the jury vote "ruined" the competition.
One fan said: "Time to remove jury votes! People know better! Cha cha cha," whilst a second commented: "Time to scrap the jury votes."
Read our Eurovision 2023 live blog below for the latest updates...
This blog is now closed
After a weekend full of glitz, glamour and over the top acts, our Eurovision 2023 coverage has come to an end.
It may have been a disappointing year for the UK, as the hosts finished second to last, but it was a year to remember for Sweden who took home the top prize.
Fans in hysterics as they claim Catherine Tate was ‘drunk’ on Saurday's night’s show
Fans rushed to social media to say the same thing after British TV legend Catherine Tate made an appearance on the show.
One person wrote: “Our Queen, Catherine Tate. She’s so drunk and such a riot.”
Another said: “Can we just have Catherine Tate as full time host every year?” while a third added: “Still thinking about how drunk Catherine Tate was last night and how much I adore her.”
Someone else penned: “How drunk is Catherine Tate rn,” and a fifth wrote: “CATHERINE TATE DRUNK CATHERINE TATE ALERT.”
The Sun has contacted Catherine’s representatives for comment.
A look at the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956
The first Eurovision Song Contest was held on May 24, 1956, and saw seven nations compete.
Taking to the stage for the first time in history were the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Italy.
Austria and Denmark were keen to participate but unfortunately missed the deadline and lost out on the chance to participate.
The UK also give the first ever Eurovision a miss, sending their apologies as they were busy with their own contest that year.
The winner was the host country Switzerland, with the song “Refrain” performed by Lys Assia.
How much is Graham Norton paid and what’s his net worth?
Graham is one of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC.
Estimates of his net worth vary between £20million and £24million.
The broadcaster takes home a salary of £729,999 a year from the BBC.
He hosts The Graham Norton Show and Eurovision, but left his Radio 2 slot in December 2020.
His production company So Television was sold to ITV in 2012 in a £17million deal and lists Graham as a creditor.
Graham was thought to earn £3.23million from the company in 2019, on top of his other earnings.
How to listen to this year’s Eurovision playlist
If you want to hear every song from Eurovision 2023, we’ve got you covered.
Simply head over to Spotify or Apple Music to hear each country’s official entry.
From Finland’s ‘CHA CHA CHA’ to the UK’s ‘I Wrote A Song’ they are all there to enjoy.
Eurovision latest news:
Charity Support Ukraine 'immensely grateful' to the UK for hosting Eurovision final
London based charity, Support Ukraine, are ''immensely grateful'' to the UK for their continued support and for their grand offer to host Eurovision 2023.
It comes after bookmaker William Hill pledged to donate all of the £200k profits made from the Eurovision final to the charity.
A a spokesperson for Support Ukraine said: ''We are immensely grateful for all the support Ukrainians have received from the UK and British people, and for their grand offer to host Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine.
"We are especially thankful to William Hill for their fantastic gesture to donate all profits from betting on the event to our cause. We are deeply touched by this donation of £200k.
''The money will help provide necessities to those effected on or near to the front line and de-occupied territories, including medical aid such as medicine and much needed medical evacuation vehicles.''
Support Ukraine was established to help the substantial number of Ukrainians who fled their war-torn country and those who have been unable to leave for any reason.
Who was in the Eurovision 2023 final?
There were a total of 26 hopeful acts competing to be crowned the winner of Eurovision 2023.
Take a look at the FULL list of Eurovision finalists below.
- Ukraine: Tvorchi - Heart of Steel
- France: La Zarra - Évidemment
- Germany: Lord Of The Lost - Blood & Glitter
- Italy: Marco Mengoni - Due Vite
- Spain: Blanca Paloma - Eaea
- United Kingdom: Mae Muller - I Wrote a Song
- Croatia: Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!
- Moldova: Pasha Parfeni - Soarele şi Luna
- Switzerland: Remo Forrer - Watergun
- Finland: Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
- Czechia: Vesna - My Sister's Crown
- Israel: Noa Kirel - Unicorn
- Portugal: Mimicat - Ai Coração
- Sweden: Loreen - Tattoo
- Serbia: Luke Black - Samo Mi Se Spava
- Norway: Alessandra - Queen of Kings
- Armenia: Brunette - Future Lover
- Estonia: Alika - Bridges
- Belgium: Gustaph - Because Of You
- Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
- Poland: Blanka - Solo
- Slovenia: Joker Out - Carpe Diem
- Austria: Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
- Lithuania: Monika Linkytė - Stay
- Australia: Voyager - Promise
- Albania: Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje
Fans give the ‘real reason’ Mae Muller’s performance failed to impress
Fans have given their thoughts on why Mae Muller failed to impress at this year’s Eurovision song contest.
One viewer tweeted: “Watched Eurovision last night, anyone else unable to hear Mae Muller’s voice?”
A second added: “The sound mix was also bad we couldn’t actually hear much of her.”
A third agreed, chipping in: “Sounded like whoever was in charge of Mae Muller’s mixing desk last night had the vocals cut down to nothin, could barely hear her.”
A second added: “The sound mix was also bad we couldn’t actually hear much of her.”
A third agreed, chipping in: “Sounded like whoever was in charge of Mae Muller’s mixing desk last night had the vocals cut down to nothin, could barely hear her.”
William Hill donate all profits of £200k from Eurovision final to charity Support Ukraine
Bookmaker William Hill will donate £200,000 to charity Support Ukraine, following Saturday's Eurovision final.
The donation will go towards essential food supplies, as well as toys, and humanitarian aid.
William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, said: “We’re proud to be able to donate £200k to the Ukrainian appeal, giving much-needed food, toys and humanitarian aid to the thousands of Ukrainians now based in the UK, as well as for their families back in Ukraine.
"Anyone that placed a bet this weekend on the Eurovision has helped the cause, regardless of if their bet slip was a winner.
“It has been over a year since millions of Ukrainians had their worlds turned upside down, and on the weekend of a Eurovision that should be being held in Kyiv, it is a stark reminder that the fight is ever-present – but so too are the relief efforts, and the resilience shown by a nation with a heart of steel.
"We are proud to be able to offer financial support to those Ukrainians who need it most.”
Mae Muller breaks her silence after Eurovision result
Mae looked gutted as her song I Wrote A Song scored just 24 points once the jury and public votes were tallied together.
In the early hours of Sunday morning (May 15), Mae, 25, took to twitter to share her thoughts with her fans.
“I just want to say thank u x I know I joke a lot but we really put our all into the last few months, not the result we hoped for but so proud of everyone & what we achieved on this journey,” she wrote.
She added: “Congrats to all the countries. I’ll never forget this journey and I love you all.”
Premier League cult hero makes shock appearance on Eurovision
Former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan announced Estonia’s Eurovision results on Saturday night.
The ex-Reds centre-back, 37, who is currently without a club, addressed the city of Liverpool in a warm way as he paid homage to the hosts of the 2023 edition.
Coming onto the screen, Klavan said: “Hello amazing city of Liverpool. Wow, what a show. What a boss night.
“All the Estonians are sending their strength to people of Ukraine. You’ll never walk alone.”
Where did the Eurovision Song Contest final take place?
The Eurovision final (May 13, 2023) was held at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine.
Graham Norton commentated on the show and also co-hosted alongside Hannah Waddingham, Julia Sanina and Alesha Dixon.
The BBC provided coverage of the contest across three days.
Viewers can catch up all the Eurovision action over on and the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel.
Has the UK ever won Eurovision?
The UK last won Eurovision more than two decades ago in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves.
The nation has won the contest five times in total since it began in 1956.
Last year, the UK came close to victory as Sam Ryder finished second.
He came runner-up as the world rallied behind Ukraine’s act in a show of support for the country amid Putin’s invasion.
HMS Mersey adorned in Ukrainian colours to coincide with Liverpool hosting Eurovision
HMS Mersey was adorned in the Ukrainian colours of blue and yellow over the weekend as Liverpool hosted Eurovision 2023 on behalf of last year's winners, Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Defence shared a number of photos showing the beautifully lit vessel as she returned back home.
Sweden to host Eurovision in 2024
Loreen’s win means Sweden will host Eurovision for the 50th anniversary of Abba’s 1974 win with Waterloo.
Abba also won when the contest was staged in the UK.
The event took place in Brighton as Luxembourg, having won in both 1972 and 1973, declined to host it for a second successive year due to the cost involved.
Home city of Ukraine’s Eurovision act hit by Russian missiles
The home city of Ukraine’s Eurovision act was hit by Russian missiles just minutes before the duo took to the stage.
As Tvorchi was getting set to perform their song inspired by soldiers who defended their war-torn country, the group revealed their hometown of Ternopil had been bombed.
Jeffrey Kenny and Andrew Hutsuliak quickly took to Instagram before they sang to hundreds of millions, announcing their west Ukrainian city was being attacked.
The group could then be seen holding a sign that read Ternopil amid a sea of yellow and blue flags.
After walking backstage at Eurovision Tvorchi posted: “Ternopil is the name of our hometown, which was bombed by Russia while we sang on the Eurovision stage about our steel hearts, indomitability and will.”
Who represented the UK in Eurovision?
Singer-songwriter Mae Muller was the UK's entrant for Eurovision 2023.
She picked up the baton from Sam Ryder who stormed to second place in 2022.
She was the final act to perform and closed the show with her track 'I Wrote A Song'.
The UK finished in second-last place with 24 points compared to Sweden's whopping 583.
Mae was born in Kentish Town in London in 1997 - the same year the UK last won the competition - and signed with her manager while she was working in a pub and shot a DIY music video from her dad's bathroom.
She has already enjoyed chart success both here and across the Atlantic and worked with some of the biggest stars in UK music including Little Mix, Aitch and Sigala.
How to listen to this year’s Eurovision playlist
If you want to hear every song from Eurovision 2023, we’ve got you covered.
Simply head over to Spotify or Apple Music to hear each country’s official entry.
From Finland’s ‘CHA CHA CHA’ to the UK’s ‘I Wrote A Song’ they are all there to enjoy.
How many people watched Eurovision 2023?
A peak of 11 million people tuned in to see BBC coverage of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
An average of 9.9 million watched the whole four-hour special.
ABBA could reunite following Sweden’s success in Eurovision
ABBA could finally be set to reunite following Sweden's victory at Eurovision 2023.
Sweden’s success means the event will be staged in ABBA’s homeland next year — on the 50th anniversary of their win with Waterloo.
Fans reckon it would be the perfect time to see Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad on the song contest’s stage again.
A source said yesterday: “After Sweden won, people are going to be putting their Money, Money, Money on an ABBA reunion.
“They won Eurovision in Brighton in April 1974 and next year will be the 50th anniversary of that.
“Even if it’s their ABBA-tars performing a hologram show, fans are desperate for it.”
A look at the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956
The first Eurovision Song Contest was held on May 24, 1956, and saw seven nations compete.
Taking to the stage for the first time in history were the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Italy.
Austria and Denmark were keen to participate but unfortunately missed the deadline and lost out on the chance to participate.
The UK also give the first ever Eurovision a miss, sending their apologies as they were busy with their own contest that year.
The winner was the host country Switzerland, with the song "Refrain" performed by Lys Assia.
Who won Eurovision 2023?
Sweden's Eurovision 2023 entry Loreen once again won the Eurovision song contest after her crowning glory in 2012.
Gathering an enormous amount of support from the European public, Loreen topped the jury and public vote with 583 points.
She beat runners-up Finland's entry Käärijä by 57 points and Isreal's entry Noa Kiral by 221 points.
Loreen performed a song called Tattoo at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
The song was written by Thomas G:son and Peter Boström, who also wrote her past hit Euphoria, amongst other songwriters.
A music video, shot at the legendary Paalsund Studio in Stockholm, has been released to accompany the winning track.
In Pictures: A night to remember in Liverpool
Eurovision 2023 was one for the history books, as millions across the globe watched as Liverpool hosted the iconic song contest.
While the UK didn’t perform as well as some would have hoped, fans still enjoyed the flamboyant show.
Here are some memorable moments from 2023.