On Thursday, April 24th, the Walker Institute had the privilege of hosting Professor Ivan Raykoff  from The New School in a talk about the politics of the Eurovision Song Contest. Professor Raykoff spoke on his roots as an American with parents who were immigrants from Eastern Europe, and how he was first introduced to Eurovision through hearing about ABBA from a Swedish exchange student.

He spoke on how in many ways Eurovision was ahead of its time: Dana International, a trans-woman representing Israel won in 1998. He recalled in the days before internet streaming, he would have a friend in London tape the contest for him. Now, Eurovision is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, allowing them to tune into the largest song contest in Europe.

Eurovision is officially apolitical, but a song contest involving singers representing different nationalities is inherently political, including messages in songs. Broadcasters have used elaborate tech systems including ‘political cleanup’ systems to remove boos from the crowd and insert applause when necessary. This was especially evident in the 2024 contest in Malmö, Sweden, when the Israeli singer Eden Golan receieved boos during her performance in response to the current conflict in Gaza. Historically, the contest has never been removed from politics, as song lyrics and audience responses and attitudes deeply reflect the current state of politics in both Europe and the world.

Important to mention, the Eurovision anthem invokes Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948. Eurovision represents fluid patriotism and pan-European values that transcend different eras, and will continue to do so. However, no matter the official status of the contest as being apolitical, the Eurovision song contest and its music will forever be intertwined with politics.