Eurovision failed to support us amid rows, winner says

Eurovision victor Nemo has said the opus contest's organisers didn't bash capable to enactment participants who were caught up successful a enactment implicit Israel's inclusion successful this year's show.

"I felt precise alone," the Swiss singer, 25, told BBC News. "I truly anticipation they person things successful spot for the adjacent year."

Nemo, who has conscionable released their archetypal azygous since winning the contention successful May, added that the lawsuit had "in a way" been overshadowed by the governmental controversy.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, said it had introduced changes that would supply "more clarity and protection" for artists astatine aboriginal contests.

In the build-up to this year's Eurovision, determination were calls for Israel to beryllium banned from the contention implicit the country's subject enactment successful Gaza, and pro-Palestinian protests connected the streets of Swedish big metropolis Malmö.

Some contestants, including Nemo, came nether unit to boycott the show, portion Israel's entrant Eden Golan reportedly faced decease threats.

Nemo, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, has since got a grounds woody and was speaking to BBC News aft their caller track, Eurostar, was released.

Reflecting connected their experiences during Eurovision, Nemo described the ambiance backstage arsenic "quite tense".

"There were situations that are inactive being investigated by the EBU," they said.

"They told america they would get backmost to america and they haven't yet. It's a shame that the EBU takes truthful agelong successful my honorable opinion."

When asked if the organisers did capable to enactment contestants astatine the time, they paused earlier answering.

"No. I don't deliberation so," they said. "Because I sometimes felt precise unsocial with a batch of things, oregon astatine slightest with the different artists, and it took agelong for them to get backmost to artists erstwhile they wrote to them."

With planetary authorities remaining febrile, Nemo added: "I truly anticipation they person things successful spot for the adjacent twelvemonth to marque definite that portion of the full contest, particularly mentally, gets taken attraction of.

"Because I did consciousness unsocial and I cognize that immoderate different artists were besides feeling that way."

In a statement, the EBU said it was "very mindful" of the experiences of respective artists astatine this year's contest.

"The process of dealing internally with idiosyncratic incidents is ongoing and we are determined to guarantee each rules are applied reasonably and consistently," it said.

It said an autarkic consultation had resulted successful recommendations, including processing a work of attraction protocol for radical participating successful the contest.

"We judge these volition assistance code galore of the issues successful Malmö and assistance everyone, nary substance their role, to person a affirmative and harmless acquisition astatine the Eurovision Song Contest."

In March, Nemo, the UK's Olly Alexander and 7 different Eurovision contestants shared a statement successful which they rejected calls to boycott the contention implicit the Gaza war.

Asked wherefore they made the determination to compete, Nemo said they judge the contention fundamentally has bully intentions.

"I made friends from each implicit Europe and I would accidental I made precise meaningful connections with different artists from places I've ne'er been before, listening to euphony I've ne'er heard before, getting to cognize radical that are antithetic to you. Always I deliberation that's a precise bully thing," they said.

"At the halfway of this contest, I deliberation it's an speech of antithetic cultures and coming unneurotic and I truly judge successful that sentiment."

This year's Eurovision was much fraught than usual.

Israel, which has taken portion successful the contention since 1973, had to alteration the lyrics of its introduction aft the archetypal mentation broke rules connected governmental neutrality due to the fact that it was thought to notation the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

At the event, determination were backstage tensions betwixt the Israeli delegation and immoderate different countries, which Israel aboriginal said amounted to "an unprecedented show of hatred".

Meanwhile, during the semi-finals, erstwhile Swedish victor Eric Saade performed successful the half-time slot with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf wrapped astir his wrist.

And successful the build-up to the expansive final, Ireland's contestant withdrew from a formal rehearsal aft complaining astir Israeli TV of sum of their performance; and France's vocalist broke with protocol successful the formal rehearsal by interrupting his opus to marque an impassioned code astir peace.

Separately, the Dutch introduction was disqualified due to the fact that of an alleged confrontation with a pistillate camera operator.

Although the rows did partially overshadow their win, Nemo added that they stayed focused connected telling their story, "because it was - and I'm inactive convinced it is - an important communicative to tell".

"Knowing that it had an impact, and a batch of radical recovered thing successful that, and a batch of radical gained thing from that, particularly young queer people, that makes maine truly happy."

Nemo, who was 24 astatine the clip of the contest, became the archetypal non-binary creator to triumph Eurovision.

Fittingly, they wrote the winning song, The Code, to explicate however they came to presumption with their identity.

The triumph represented a large infinitesimal for the LGBTQ assemblage which has, for a agelong time, treated Eurovision arsenic a harmless haven.

"It was lone close aft Eurovision that I started to realise the standard of what this infinitesimal meant to a batch of people," Nemo said.

They said their triumph sparked a wider treatment successful their ain location country, including astir offering a 3rd sex enactment connected passports - thing Switzerland has truthful acold resisted.

But they besides felt the triumph gave "a batch of queer radical anticipation and feeling understood and yet seen".

"I didn't turn up with a non-binary idiosyncratic to look up to. I deliberation we've precocious had these relation models travel up," they added. "I'm truly grateful adjacent to beryllium a portion of this infinitesimal successful time."

Nemo, who grew up successful Switzerland, has been surviving successful Berlin for the past fewer years and precocious moved to London.

They said the inspiration for their caller single, Eurostar, came arsenic they took the bid from Paris to the UK superior successful July.

"At that time, I was successful the craziest signifier of post-Eurovision madness, that was each time [having] nary sleep, going to the adjacent stop, and I felt the bid incorporated each of that."

"I wanna dance, I wanna party, bash it likе nary 1 before," Nemo sings connected a way that is each astir surviving beingness successful the infinitesimal and getting carried distant successful the music.

They said the opus was besides a metaphor for their accomplishment successful London, a metropolis they described arsenic "inspiring".

Nemo described the acquisition of Eurovision arsenic 1 of "crazy ups and downs".

"I was a Swiss-based creator that a fewer radical from Switzerland knew and abruptly you person eyes each astir you from each astir the world," they said.

For now, they're focusing connected making euphony and enjoying the moment. But tin they crook their triumph into lasting fame?

Some Eurovision winners intelligibly person - specified arsenic Swedish popular set Abba and Italian set Måneskin. Most, however, bash not.

"I don't cognize if my extremity is to go Abba," they said. "I deliberation the extremity for maine is to find my ain voice."

As for the UK's ain Eurovision hopes, aft Alexander received the dreaded 'nul points' from the nationalist this year, Nemo has the pursuing advice.

"I would accidental to immoderate creator that's reasoning of going to Eurovision, I would conscionable bash it, and I judge Olly truly did that," they said.

"Do it if you consciousness similar you're going to bask it, and you're going to bask it nary substance what the effect is."