Eurovision winner announced in Rotterdam

Italy has won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.

‘Zitti E Buoni’ by the rock group Måneskin stole the show with 524 points. It marks the third time Italy has won in the history of the event.

“We just want to say to Europe, to the whole world, rock and roll never dies!”

Italy finished ahead of France and Switzerland who rounded out the top three. But Switzerland won the jury’s votes.

https://twitter.com/Eurovision/status/1396236320092135425

But there are already calls for the winners to be stripped of their title. After a controversy in the Green Room raised some eyebrows.

US singer Flo Rida also took to the stage as a featured artist in San Marino’s song, Adrenalina. Flo Rida told the BBC he had never heard of Eurovision before being approached to sing his verse.

However, the contest did not go without a COVID-19 scare. A positive case in the Icelandic entry forced the band to enter mandatory isolation and enter a pre-recorded version of their song. But the nation still secured fourth spot with 378 points.

Three of the countries that automatically qualified (Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom), and the host nation, the Netherlands all received zero votes from the public. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom received zero votes entirely and finished in last place.

COVID-19 restrictions forced Eurovision to be cancelled last year. Over 200 million people watched the grand finale this year.