Eurovision Song Contest – Winners & Iconic Competitors

There have been 64 Eurovision Song Contests to date and Ireland has the most number of wins with a grand total of 7. The competition remains a dizzying spectacle every year and provides artists all around Europe the opportunity to tear up the music industry rulebook while providing an unparalleled level of entertainment. 

The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first time in its 64 years that the event has been postponed. The contest returns this year with the first semi-final taking place on May 18th. The stage will be set for the final on May 22nd.

 

We take a look at some of the most iconic performers and winners of the Eurovision Song Contest throughout its existence.

1. Lesley Roy
2. ABBA
3. Duncan Laurence
4. Loreen
5. Cliff Richard
6. Verka Serduchka
7. Lordi
8. Dustin The Turkey
9. Alexander Rybak
10. Conchita Wurst

Lesley Roy

Ireland’s own Lesley Roy is set to step up for this year’s competition. Roy was selected for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest with her pop anthem ‘Story Of My Life’ and despite the competition being cancelled, the Dublin artist hit the Irish Homegrown Charts, peaking at number 12. In sticking with the rules of the contest by re-entering with a different song, Roy has been selected to represent Ireland with her euphoric pop gem, ‘Maps’.

ABBA

ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1974 with their Europop epic, ’Waterloo’. The group were the first Swedish outfit to win the competition and their victory propelled them to worldwide fame. The song went to number one in the UK, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Norway and Denmark as well as charting in the top ten in Australia, Canada and the US. ‘Waterloo’ became one of the best-selling singles in history with a smashing 6 million copies sold worldwide. ABBA’s success hardly stopped there as the quartet went on to have major hits with ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’, ‘Super Trouper’ and ‘Take A Chance On Me’. 

Duncan Laurence

Dutch singer-songwriter Duncan Laurence won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with his bold ballad ‘Arcade’. The song went on to earn Laurence a number one in his home country as well as Belgium, Estonia, Iceland and Luxembourg. Following his success in the competition, Laurence went on to release his debut studio album, ‘Small Town Boy’ in November 2020 while also re-recording a duet version of ‘Arcade’ with American artist Fletcher. ‘Arcade’ blew up on TikTok in 2020 as part of the Dracotok meme and Duncan joined in on the fun by posting his own Harry Potter themed video to the social media network. As of January 2021, ‘Arcade’ is now the most streamed Eurovision winning song with nearly 250 million streams. 

Loreen

Swedish pop artist Loreen won the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with her Eurodance hit, ‘Euphoric’. The trance anthem hit the top spot in the Irish singles charts and peaked at number 3 in the UK. ‘Euphoric’ stayed in the UK charts for weeks following the competition, an unusual achievement at the time for a Eurovision song. The track has been streamed over 132 million times and it held the title of most streams for a Eurovision winning song until Duncan Laurence’s ‘Arcade’ took over at the start of the year. 

Cliff Richard

Perhaps a surprise entry to some, but Sir Cliff took part in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest with his bubbly pop number, ‘Congratulations’. Having begun his career with his backing group, The Shadows, Cliff went on to become the third biggest selling artist in the UK Singles chart with only The Beatles and Elvis Presley ahead of him. Cliff finished second in the 1968 competition and ‘Congratulations’ went on to land a number one in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway.

Verka Serduchka

Ukraine’s Verka Serduchka entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 with ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’ and the track leans towards the more outrageous side of the competition. Combining traditional Ukrainian folk elements with spectacular Eurodance, Verka finished second in the competition and gained a surprising amount of popularity in Ireland and the UK through digital downloads following the performance.

Lordi

In 2006, Finnish metalheads Lordi stormed the Eurovision Song Contest with their theatrical rock anthem, ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’. The single reached number 1 in Finland, number 4 in Ireland and number 25 in the UK. The hard rock track also broke a karaoke world record when 80,000 people sang together at Helsinki’s Market Square.

Dustin The Turkey

Dustin The Turkey of The Den fame entered into the running for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Irelande Douze Pointe’. The family favourite puppet won the public vote but didn’t manage to make it past the semi-final, although he did land at number 5 in the Irish singles chart.

Alexander Rybak

Alexander Rybak represented Norway in the 2009 and 2018 Eurovision Song Contests with his fusion of funk pop, classical, folk and dance. He won the competition in 2009 with ‘Fairytale’, a folk-pop ballad which included Rybak playing the fiddle. The song went on to top the singles charts in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium and Ukraine.

Conchita Wurst

Austria’s Conchita Wurst won the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with her powerful pop ballad ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’. The track went to number 1 in Austria and charted in Ireland, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.

The Eurovision Song Contest returns on May 18th for the first round of semi-finals, with the grand finale taking place on May 22nd.