This year marks the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s iconic career-defining Eurovision win. The Swedish quartet won the title after performing Waterloo on the Brighton stage on 6 April 1974, earning Sweden its first Eurovision win and setting the group on a path towards world domination. Waterloo went on to top charts across Europe and even reached number 6 in the US. ABBA shared a statement reflecting on the anniversary of that memorable win:
“It’s difficult to comprehend that 50 years have gone by since the four of us waited backstage for the verdicts of all the juries around Europe at the Dome in Brighton. So what were our dreams during those suspenseful moments or in the chaos in the aftermath of the victory we had secured with the smallest margin in Eurovision history? Four different dreams, no doubt, but whatever they were, however grand, reality has surpassed them, that’s for sure.”
After Loreen’s Eurovision triumph last year, the contest was hosted in Sweden this year - in the city of Malmö (it was the third time the city has hosted the contest). With the competition set to return to Sweden 50 years after ABBA’s win, I knew that I had to find a way to be there for this year’s contest (not to mention a pilgrimage to ABBA The Museum in Stockholm where I ended up spending a small fortune on merch).
In the weeks leading up to this year’s finale, I narrowed down my favorite acts to the following ten:
10..Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable | Sweden
9.. Mustii - Before the Party’s Over | Belgium
8..Sarah Bonnici - Loop | Malta
7..Nemo - The Code | Switzerland
6..Windows95man - No Rules! | Finland
5..LUNA - The Tower | Poland
4..Olly Alexander - Dizzy | United Kingdom
3..Joost Klein - Europapa | Netherlands
2..Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim | Croatia
1..Nebulossa - ZORRA | Spain
After some of my favorites didn’t make it through to the finals - and The Netherlands was disqualified (which I will not get into here) - I found myself rooting for Spain, Croatia, Switzerland and The UK (although I knew Olly’s chances were slim). And then, before I could say “Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo”, the time for the Grand Final had arrived. The show was an assault on the senses - in the best possible way. The stage was placed in the middle of the Malmö Arena and shaped like a cross to create a 360° experience for the audience while movable LED cubes, LED floors and light displays helped to create an electrifying atmosphere.
Some of my personal highlights:
- The hosts, Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede (a Swedish national treasure!), were fantastic and guided the audience through the evening, which was very tense at times, with grace and style - and plenty of hilarious jokes.
- Petra’s postcard.
- The performances by Spain’s Nebulossa (wonderfully camp) Greece’s Marina Satti (a catchy song with amazing choreography), Finland’s Windows95man (the fireworks shooting from his jean shorts!), Switzerland’s Nemo (the vocals were outstanding!), Croatia’s Baby Lasagna (high energy and a crowd favorite) and Austria’s Kaleen (the high energy We Will Rave was the perfect way to wrap up the performances).
- The Brighton “documentary”.
- The Alcazar reunion (they looked and sounded amazing).
- The Waterloo moment (despite some questionable vocals).
- Loreen’s captivating performance.
- Switzerland’s well-deserved win and the love the audience showed them.
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