The UK came second, with Spain third, and Sweden fourth in the annual song contest.
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Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday in a clear show of support for the war-ravaged nation.
The six-man band that mixes traditional folk melodies and contemporary hip hop in a purposeful defense of Ukrainian culture was the sentimental and bookmakers’ favorite among the 25 bands and performers competing in the grand finale. The public vote from home was decisive in securing their victory.
The band’s front man, Oleg Psiuk, took advantage of the enormous global audience to make impassioned plea to free fighters still trapped beneath a sprawling steel plant in the southern port city of Mariupol following the six-man band’s performance.
Ukraine's song, “Stefania,’’ was written as a tribute to the frontman’s mother, but has transformed since the war into an anthem to the beleaguered nation, as lyrics take on new meaning. “I’ll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed," Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote.
The six-member, all-male band received special permission to leave the country to represent Ukraine and Ukrainian culture at the music contest. One of the original members stayed to fight, and the others plan to return as soon as the contest is over.
Follow all the action as it unfolded on Saturday evening in blog:
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Live ended
Well that's all the jury votes in, and the United Kingdom already has reason to celebrate considering they got a grand total of nul points last year!
The top 5 countries after the jury vote are:
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Spain
- Ukraine
- Portugal
Remember the jury votes make up 50% of the total and now we'll have the votes from the public across Europe which as we've seen in the last few years can completely change everything!
In a few minutes we will have a brand new Eurovision winner, stay tuned!
Well, that's the voting all done!
Did you cast your votes by phone, sms text message or on the official Eurovision app?
All those votes have now been officially verified!
50% of the votes come from juries and we will first hear from all the national juries first, whether or not their songs were in the final.
And then after that the hosts will read out votes from the public for each of the finalists.
It's a nerve-wracking time!
Did you know: From 1977 to 1980 there was a Cold War rival to Eurovision Song Contest called Intervision Song Contest.
It was mostly Eastern Bloc countries which sent contestants but a few Western countries participated.
We talked to Marion Rung who competed at the Eurovision Song Contest for Finland in 1962 and 1973 and then went on to win Intervision in 1980.
Read more at our story here:
Eurovision versus Intervision: the Cold War song contest
euronewsMeet the last winner of the Intervision Song Contest, the Eastern Bloc rival to Eurovision which ran from 1977 to 1980.And who's on stage now? It's one of our hosts Mika doing a medley of his greatest hits.
He's a fantastic showman!
Did you know: Canada will be joining the Eurovision family next year. Yes, you read that right, Canada!
Canadian provinces will have their own selection process and host a grand final to choose the best Canadian song.
Of course we've already had one Canadian winner of Eurovision: Quebec-born Céline Dion won for Switzerland in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.
Read more at our story here:
If you're wondering who's on stage now at Eurovision, it's Gigliola Cinquetti singing the song she won the contest with in 1964 Non Ho L'Età.
What a fantastic performance tonight, and back in 1964 in Copenhagen!
Did you know: until 1999 there used to be a live orchestra performing with each country. Unfortunately it was dropped due to budget costs, and never reinstated again.
Each country would send their own conductor to Eurovision to take charge of the orchestra for their act and recently we talked with Monica Dominique who was the first ever female conductor way back in 1973.
Monica was the composer of the Swedish song 'You're Summer' that year, arranged the score, and took the baton to lead the orchestra.
Read more at our story here:
Remember the poll we set at the beginning of the live blog?
Here's how it's looking so far after you've heard all 25 songs.
If you haven't voted yet in our poll, what are you waiting for?!
We're welcoming the reigning Eurovision winners Måneskin back to the stage!
Here's a reminder of the glam rock swagger that saw them triumph in the Netherlands in 2021:
Well that's it!
All 25 songs performed and one of them will be crowned the winner!
What a marathon! But it's not over yet. Not by a long chalk! We're going to have interval acts... which have a dodgy history at Eurovision.
For every triumphant Riverdance performance, there's an ode to William Tell as an archer shoots an apple on top of someone's head live on stage. Yes, that really happened!
This is it! We made it through to the last song.
Tere, Estonia!
Stefan sings 'Hope' and again a bit of a surprise he made it through from the semi final: not because it's a bad song, but because there were so many good songs.
Stefan had to rework his performance because it originally relied on the giant sun prop on stage but since it broke down, he needed to find other ways to sell the song to the audience.
The crowd love this song in PalaOlimpico and you will too -- with its Wild West vibe!
Serbia won Eurovision the very first year they were represented: at Helsinki in 2007.
This year is a... challenging performance by Konstrakta. She does a lot of hand washing on stage!
Yes, she mentions Meghan Markle. But the lyrics to 'In corpore sano' have a deeper meaning about the state of the healthcare system in Serbia.
It's performance art!
Poland has a strong entry this year with Ochman singing River.
The staging is simple but powerful and allow his vocals to shine through. Ochman is American, but his grandfather is a famous Polish opera singer and that pedigree shows in his performance.
This song was one of the pre-contest favourites but has slipped down the odds a bit. Still, it should give Poland a decent showing when the votes are tallied at the end of the night.
The United Kingdom is up next with Spaceman!
In 2021 the UK came dead last: nul points from the juries, and nul points from the televoters at home.
This year is going to be very different. The bookmakers have Sam Ryder as 2nd favourite going into the final and there are some voting models that predict the UK will win: if it comes 2nd or 3rd with both the juries and the voters at home around Europe, then that could be enough to come in first place overall.
Follow the logic: that voting model predicts that some of the other favourites like Ukraine might do well with voters but not so well with juries. While Sweden or Italy could do well with juries but not so well with voters.
Sam Ryder and Spaceman -- the theory goes -- will do well with both voters and juries and win! Wishful thinking? Perhaps.
Let's see when the votes come in, Sam has millions of followers on social media so he's got a built-in fan base!
Australia have been sending performers to Eurovision since 2015 and their best place was Dami Im who came 2nd in 2016.
This year's song is very powerful and very personal for singer-songwriter Sheldon Riley who first found fame on The Voice Australia.
And he's changed the staging. In the national selection it was a dark song, and Sheldon dressed in black but now it's got more of a hopeful vibe with strong lighting and a white costume which has tens of thousands of crystals sewn in, weighing more than 40kg in total!
Sweden is another of the favourites to win, following on from recent wins by Loreen and Måns Zelmerlov.
In the last few years they've had very polished songs coming through to Eurovision from their national selection process Melodifestivalen. But this year Cornelia Jacobs, who co-wrote the song, sings it with power, heart and conviction and her pure power will make this a big hit in the arena - very simple staging but I think this pays off for Sweden.
Top 5? I would guess so!
If you came to Eurovision hoping for a song about a train journey from Chisinau to Bucharest then you're in luck because that's exactly what the Moldova song is about tonight!
Except that's not really what it's about... it's a not-so-subtle message about reunification between Romania and Moldova wrapped up in a wild folk ride. This will definitely make you smile!
And while we're talking about trains... the light is at the end of the tunnel. Moldova is song 19 out of 25.
Play Ja Ja Ding Dong!
This is not Ja Ja Ding Dong from Iceland. It's low key. It's very different from the last few years and you get the feeling that public broadcaster RUV probably don't want to host the contest next year!
The three sisters perform nicely, and for some reason they've sidelined their brother who is also on stage but not allowed to be a featured singer! This song is going to get lost in the shuffle tonight. How do you say "I'm sorry" in Icelandic?
Greece has a great entry this year! Amanda Tenfjord is half Norwegian and this song is simply staged. The song relies on silences to make an impact right at the beginning and builds to a real climax.
It's been a while since Greece won the contest back in the Noughties, so could we be heading back to Athens in 2023?
Well, no. But it's a nice thought...
Jeremie Makiese from Belgium singing Miss You is up now. It's the only song with this genre tonight and he has great modern vocal feel about his performance.
Belgium have a fantastic track record of sending musically interesting songs that consistently do well at the contest and this all hinges on his performance tonight - he needs to hit the high notes, quite literally!
Azerbiajan up now! They last won in 2011 with 'Running Scared' and this song... is perhaps not their strongest entry ever.
It looks like the singer is having a nap on some steps at one point. There's been a definite lull in the middle of the running order here with Germany, Lithuania and Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan usually does well but this song is not setting the televoters alight. Sorry not sorry.
OK if you want to make a sandwich to go with your cup of tea, here's another song that allows you to do that.
Manika Liu from Lithuania is singing Sentimentai and it feels retro but not in a cool vintage way, but in a dated way. Just our opinion! But it was a bit of a surprise that this song made it through to the finals...
Lithuania is the only Baltic country that hasn't won Eurovision yet: both Latvia and Estonia have finished at the top of the leaderboard.
We don't mean to be unkind to Germany... but if you want to make a cup of tea, this might be a good time.
Germany hasn't had a lot of luck at Eurovision in recent years and this song from Malik Harris isn't going to reverse their fortunes.
He sounds a bit like Eminem on this song Rockstars which is nice, we don't dislike Germany. But it won't do well.
Ukraine are the big favourites to win the contest tonight with this song Stefania, which was written about the lead singer's mother.
It is a strong song in its own right, and a wave of public solidarity and sympathy with Ukraine because of the war could see massive points from the public televote. Might not do so well with the juries but it's got a wild energy to it!
Enjoy!
Duncan Laurence of course won for the Netherlands in 2018 with his global hit Arcade.
This year it's another quiet song, and a little on the slow / moody side. It's fair to say a little bit of a surprise it went through from the semi finals. Will it get lost among the other slow and moody songs? Let's see...
S10 says she prefers to sing in Dutch rather than English as she is able to express herself better.
Spain is another one of the favourites, and they've waited a long time to win! The last time was in the 1960s when they had back-to-back victories in '68 and '69.
Chanel is very energetic in this performance and used to be a backing dancer for Jennifer Lopez - and it shows!
She reportedly trained for the contest by singing and running on a treadmill in high heels at the same time!
Italy up now, and will they have a home town advantage?
Mahmood and Blanco are some of the favourites to win this year and do a double for Italy. This song is complex, technical, and has been a huge hit in several European countries already.
The rehearsals did not have the best vocals but Mahmood is a Eurovision veteran, he came 2nd at the 2019 contest so he knows how to deliver the goods when it counts!
Armenia had a great video to go with their song Snap and it's translated really well to the stage in Turin.
This is one of David's favourites -- it really builds and by the end the audience (and hopefully you at home) will be in love with her!
Norway suggests you give a wolf a banana.
But wolves are carnivores, and the don't eat a lot of tropical fruit.
This might look like a comedy act but they perform it so well! And one of the singers behind the mask is rumoured to be Ben from 2000's boy band A1. We might never know as they refuse to take of those masks!
France have sent an entry in Breton this year and it's really catchy and danceable!
Last year France came 2nd in their best showing at the Song Contest for a long time. This one I think stands out because it's different. Will it win? No. Will it embarrass France? Also no (famous last words!)
Switzerland have sent Marius Bear this year to sing Boys Don't Cry.
David finds this one a little bit dreary. Sorry Marius!
Last year Switzerland won the jury vote and came 3rd overall. And of course you'll all remember Celine Dion won the contest for Switzerland back in 1988.
Marius won't win. We predict he will finish quite far down the right hand side of the scoreboard. *sadface emoji* Don't cry Marius!
Finland have sent 90s rockers The Rasmus to Torino this year. You might remember their big hit 'In The Shadows'? Or maybe not.
This is one of James' favourites and for some reason lead singer Lauri Ylönen, who also wrote the song, is wearing a yellow raincoat. Don't worry, he loses it before the end of the song...
Portugal offers a complete change of pace now with 6 singers in harmony on stage, singing in a mix of Portuguese and English.
'Saudade' is a Portugese word which doesn't have a direct translation in English but expresses loss, regret and sentimental feelings.
Next we've got Romania, and this song will remind you of a teenage holiday to the Costa del Sol.
The singer's got some snake hips as well - look a those dance moves!
Unfortunately, no song has ever performed 2nd at a Eurovision final and gone on to win the contest... but maybe Romania will buck the trend this year?
Let the Eurovision Song Contest begin!
First up is the Czech Republic. We Are Domi went to university in England and this song uses every single lightbulb on the PalaOlimpico stage!
Now we're getting the flag parade with all 25 countries.
I think I remember the first one of these in Malmö back in 2013 when the contestants were walking on a bridge high above the audience.
It's like the Olympics opening ceremony, but, shorter.
Italian music icon Laura Pausini is singing now, and doing some quick costume changes. She's one of the three co-hosts. The others are pop star Mika, and Italian presenter Alessandro Cattelan.
Expect awkward dad jokes, forced laughter and uncomfortable interaction with artists in the green room as the evening goes on...
Now you're going to get the obligatory opening bit, with scenic video of Torino's historic buildings, and more than a thousand musicians and singers.
A quick update on our poll: 43% of you think Ukraine will win tonight, 12% think the UK and 23% think someone else will walk away with the trophy!
And we're off! The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2022 is underway.
Is there a more iconic theme tune in all of television?!
While we're running the Eurovision live blog tonight in a professional and unbiased way, we're only human!
So who are our favourites? In no particular order:
James: Spain, Finland and either the UK or Norway.
David: Czech Republic, Armenia and either Spain or Belgium.
We're just 10 minutes away from the start of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final and here's a look at the running order for tonight.
The whole show is kicked off with a fantastic dance track from Czech Republic and then Estonia closes the show a few hours later.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had added his support for singer Chanel tonight. Spain are performing 10th in the Grand Final and after finishing 3rd last in 2021 (with a song that was pretty decent, honestly!) they're hoping this J. Lo-inspired high energy dance track which is full of Latin passion will do much better! Her fans are showing their support on social media by using a mango emoji!
Good evening Europe!
Welcome to our live coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 Grand Final in Torino!
It's David Mac Dougall and James Thomas with you through the thrills and spills of the night as 25 countries hope to get the most points from juries and televoters and claim the Eurovision mantle from Italy's Måneskin who won last year in the Netherlands.
We're armed with facts and snacks, and ready to let it swing and rock 'n' roll for the next 5, 6, 7 hours or however long it takes!
