Netherlands' Duncan Laurence beat 25 other Eurovision finalists with his stirring power ballad "Arcade" (AFP) |
The Hague (AFP) - Several Dutch cities threw their hat in the ring Sunday to host Eurovision 2020 after the Netherlands won this year's glitzy song contest with a stirring power ballad about heartache.
Amsterdam,
Rotterdam, The Hague and Maastricht have all volunteered to organise the
famously kitsch event, which draws millions of viewers with its extravagant
performances and over-the-top stage sets.
Bookies'
favourite Duncan Laurence handed his home country its first victory in 44 years
when he beat 25 other finalists at the latest edition held in Tel Aviv on
Saturday night.
The
25-year-old, who came out as bisexual in 2016 and has used his new high profile
to advocate more tolerance, wooed audiences with his ballad "Arcade"
about a romantic breakup.
Italy
finished second and Russia third in the results that combined votes from juries
from participating countries as well as viewers at home.
'Proud'
monarchs
"We
are proud of Duncan Lawrence who has conquered Europe with musical class... and
is bringing Eurovision home next year," Dutch King Willem-Alexander and
his wife Queen Maxima said in a tweet shortly after the winner was announced.
Prime
Minister Mark Rutte joined the chorus of praise, hailing the performance as
"sublime and powerful".
Relatively
unknown before being chosen to represent his country, Laurence was visibly
moved by his success.
"My
dream has come true, it really has come true," he told journalists
following his victory -- the Netherlands' first since 1975.
More than
5.3 million Dutch viewers watched the live show, according to Dutch broadcaster
Avrotros.
The largely
European competition, which gifted the Swedish supergroup ABBA to the world,
dates back to the 1950s.
Over the
years, it has widened to include channels subscribing to the European
Broadcasting Union, and now spreads as far as Australia.
While
Eurovision organisers take care to note that the event is meant to be
non-political, it is frequently punctured by some controversy.
The Tel
Aviv edition was no exception. Two backup dancers for Madonna appeared on stage
wearing Israeli and Palestinian flags on their backs.
Icelandic
group Hatari meanwhile displayed scarfs with Palestinian flags when results
were being announced.
Israel won
the right to host the extravaganza thanks to last year's victory by Israeli
singer Netta Barzilai, who opened the show on Saturday night.
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“Duncan’s song is a winning game! Wij zijn trots op Duncan Laurence die Europa met muzikale klasse heeft veroverd, Nederland voor het eerst in 44 jaar weer winst heeft bezorgd en het Songfestival volgend jaar naar Nederland haalt!” - WA en Máxima. #songfestival #eurovision pic.twitter.com/esSgL9ulB2— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) 18 mei 2019
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