Arts & Entertainment

Italy wins Eurovision 2021

Rotterdam, Netherlands, May 22 (EFE).- Italy’s entry took top honors here Saturday in the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

“Zitti e buoni,” a garage rock anthem with Italian lyrics by Maneskin, took 524 points to bring Italy their first triumph in the event since 1990 and third overall.

While the contest was canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the artists who entered last year re-applied for the 2021 competition.

A crowd of 3,500 people who tested negative for coronavirus were allowed to attend the gala at the Rotterdam Ahoy convention center and arena in this Dutch port city.

Organizers did not require the audience to wear masks or observe social distancing.

Finishing second in the voting was France’s Barbara Pravi with “Voila,” which garnered 499 points. Switzerland took third place (432 points) with “Tout l’Univers,” performed by Gjon’s Tears.

Iceland was fourth with “10 Years” by Dadi Freyr og Gagnamagnid, who performed via video-link because of pandemic travel restrictions. Followed by Ukraine with “Shum” and Finland’s “Dark Side” by Blind Channel.

The Maltese contender, “Je Me Casse” by Destiny, was seventh, ahead of Lithuania’s “Discoteque.”

Russia grabbed the ninth spot with “Russian Woman” by Manizha and Greece completed the top 10 with Stefania’s “Last Dance.”

The final featured the best-scoring entries from the semifinals with the submissions from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain – which are automatic finalists because they provide the funding for Eurovision – and the Netherlands as the previous winner.

The Spanish entry, Blas Canto’s “Voy a quedarme,” finished 24th, second from the bottom, but still fared better than the UK’s “Embers,” performed by James Newman, with zero points. EFE jhv/dr

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