With “The Code,” an operatic pop-rap homage to the artist’s path toward accepting a nongender identity, Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday.
The Swiss contender beat Croatian musician Baby Lasagna to the championship by accumulating the most points from a global combination of national juries and spectators. The program, which the LGBT community has long welcomed as a haven, has produced its first nonbinary champion in Nemo, 24. In addition, Nemo is the first Swiss winner since 1988, when Canadian singer Celine Dion competed in flying the Swiss flag.
Nemo thanked everyone once the final score from Saturday was revealed shortly after midnight. “I hope this contest lives up to its promise and continues to stand for peace and dignity for every person.”
“People that are daring to be themselves and people that need to be heard and understood,” Nemo said with delight during a post-victory news conference. More sensitivity and compassion are what we need. Nemo’s triumph in Malmo, Sweden, came after a tumultuous year for the pan-continental pop competition, marked by massive street demonstrations against Israel’s participation that turned the feel-good musical celebration into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the Gaza War.
Dutch contender Joost Klein was kicked out of the competition hours before the final for a backstage fight that the authorities were looking into.
Under the full name Nemo Mettler, Nemo defeated competitors from 24 other nations who all performed live in front of thousands of spectators and an estimated 180 million people worldwide. Every competitor had three minutes to combine eye-catching spectacles with attractive songs to create performances that would win over spectators. Rap, techno, disco, and rock were among the musical genres represented, occasionally combining several. A wall of sound—boos mingled with cheers—greeted Israeli singer Eden Golan on stage to perform the power ballad “Hurricane,” after spending Eurovision week in Malmo under heavy security. Golan finished in fifth place behind Nemo, Baby Lasagna, Ukrainian combo Alyona & Jerry Heil, and French vocalist Slimane, having climbed the odds table during the week despite the complaints that her performance drew.