The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, Ukraine, following Ukraine’s victory at the 2016 contest in Stockholm with the song “1944”, written and performed by Jamala.
This was the second time the contest took place in Kiev, after 2005.
The contest consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and a final on 13 May 2017. All three live shows were hosted by Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk and Timur Miroshnychenko.
Forty-two countries participated in the contest. Russia had originally planned to participate, but announced their withdrawal on 13 April 2017, after their representative, Yulia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of having travelled directly from Russia to Crimea in 2015, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.
The winner was Portugal with the song “Amar pelos dois” (Loving For Both of Us), performed by Salvador Sobral and written by his sister LuÃsa Sobral. This was Portugal’s first win – and first top five placing – in 53 years of participation, the longest winless run by a country in Eurovision history.
The EBU reported that 182 million viewers worldwide watched the contest, 22 million fewer than the 2016 record.
Sorry but I also lost my mother to cancer, and I find this piece of writing quite offending.
Everyone is allowed to have a own opinion but saying this is unmemorable to me is honestly not the truth.
I am aware not everyone may like the song, but there are many people who know how it is to lose someone to cancer or any dissease, and these girls truly bring a feeling of strenght to anyone who has been, is or will be in that position.
My significant other has had cancer twice so I’m very well aware as to how Cancer affects families. As it says , I appreciate the sentiment but its a contest and it wont do well.
Trust me, been watching Eurovision for more than twenty years, sensitive songs always get points, their vocals are possibly the best and together with the whole staging it will do much better than most say