Eurovision Song Contest closely intertwined with politics

Heading into the 2014 finale, the Eurovision Song Contest courts controversy, brings up politics and brings in big bucks.

Singer Emma representing Italy performs the song 'La Mia Citta' during a rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest Final in the B&W Halls in Copenhagen, Denmark. AP

Since the first votes were cast in 1956, Eurovision Song Contest results have been closely intertwined with politics and this year’s 2014 competition is no exception.

Russia’s Tolmachevy Sisters were booed on Tuesday when it was announced that they had made it to tonight’s final, while experts believe Ukraine could benefit from sympathy votes.

Things didn't get any easier for the Russian twins after Eurovision buffs claimed to find a Ukrainian subtext in one of the verses of their song Shine.

“Living on the edge, closer to the crime, cross the line a step at a time,” the lyrics say.

Although incidents suggest otherwise - last year the failure of Azerbaijan to vote for ally Russia prompted a president-ordered recount - artists still insist it’s all about the music.

“I have lots of friends, relatives in Ukraine,” said Yvonne Gruenwald, the half Ukrainian singer of German hopefuls Elaiza.

“Of course I’m afraid of threats to Ukraine. But I think in Eurovision, people must vote with the heart, not with the head.

“This is about the best artist, regardless of nationality,” she said.

Conchita Wurst, the hirsute alter ego of Austrian performer Tom Neuwirth, will represent his homeland with the Bond theme-like ballad Rise Like a Phoenix, drawing ire from socially conservative viewers.

In Russia, Belarus and Ukraine petitioners have demanded that the 25-year-old drag artist be dropped from the competition, while the leader of Austria’s right-wing FPOe party has called the act “ridiculous”.

“I have very thick skin,” said Wurst. “It never ceases to amaze me just how much fuss is made over a little facial hair.”

But much like the song’s title, the singer on Friday rose to second place in the odds table after winning over viewers with Thursday’s semi-final performance.

Other artists predicted to do well are Sweden’s Sanna Nielsen, who late in the week was the frontrunner with a power-ballad penned by one of the country’s veteran Eurovision songwriters.

Dutch duo The Common Linnets are also seen as a contender for the top spot with a Nashville-inspired and somewhat unlikely country song in a contest known for kitsch pop and sparkly frocks.

Audiences in Britain and France routinely complain that their countries suffer from a lack of European voting allies and tend to take the competition less seriously than the countries of the former eastern bloc that joined in the 1990s.

“Everything could be political but we don’t really care, because we are artists and what we are doing is music,” said Lorent Idir from France’s Twin Twin.

If France wanted to win - a feat it hasn’t accomplished since 1977 - its artists needed to add a bit more “fun and colour”, he suggested.

The mainstream appeal of the Eurovision Song Contest has grown over the past two decades after strict rules on singing in the national language and performing with an orchestra were scrapped.

It has also benefitted from the popularity of TV talent shows, and several of this year’s artists have previously competed in programmes like The X Factor.

The growing size of the event, and a desire by some countries to use it to showcase themselves to the rest of the world, has led to soaring costs.

According to some estimates the price for regenerating Azerbaijan’s host city Baku in 2012 was around US$1 billion dollars (Dh3.67bn).

The Danish broadcaster DR has pledged to spend about $35.4 million on Eurovision, which last year drew an audience of 170 million viewers.

“We’re upping the pace a little to increase the suspense,” said executive producer Pernille Gaardbo.

“When the artists leave the stage we will show their immediate reaction... We want to make it as dramatic as possible,” she added.

Elsewhere in Europe, broadcasters continue to struggle with budget cuts and Bulgaria, Cyprus and Serbia have all said they will not be competing this year.