In what is arguably the most popular and prestigious song contest in the world, Eurovision continues to capture the imagination of fans from right across the world. 2023 will be no exception, with hundreds of millions of people once again expected to tune in to the five-day event taking place in Liverpool from May 9-13.
It is Sweden, Finland and France who are expected to take home the spoils in this year’s contest, with the two Nordic countries the favourites in the Eurovision odds at 8/13 and 15/8 respectively, while the French are the third favourites at 9/1.
And if 2023’s edition is anything like what we saw last year – fans are in for a treat. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the top two ranked performers at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest hosted in Turin, Italy.
1st Place – Ukraine
Given the turmoil surrounding the Ukraine/Russia war that had broken out just months prior, there were plenty of people, irrespective of where they were from, who wanted to see Ukraine’s entry the Kalush Orchestra perform well. Perform well they did, as their title ‘Stefania’ was an incredibly unique, powerful and well produced song that acts as an ode to a mother.
Its exceptional instrumentals and lyrics clearly resonated with the crowd and with those watching at home, as Ukraine were announced the winner with an enormous 631 votes.
Sam Ryder
After a meteoric rise during the pandemic for his TikTok videos of prominent music covers – Sam Ryder found himself as the United Kingdom’s representative for Eurovision just a mere two years later. There was a lot of expectation surrounding Ryder’s performance due to the United Kingdom not having placed at the event for twenty years, and not having won the event for 25 years.
Couple that with the fact that Ryder was one of the most talented artists to represent the country for quite some time – and it was clear that there was plenty of pressure on the then 32-year-old. He delivered and then some, amazing onlookers with his song ‘Space Man’.
Ryder would go on to finish first in the jury vote and came second overall in the contest – and as a result – he has been highly praised for his contribution to helping turn around the UK public’s perception of Eurovision.
As you could imagine, Ryder was overjoyed with his finish – and spoke glowingly about the contest overall.
“I felt so much encouragement and support and love from home and not just home, but in the Eurovision community in general,” he said.
“There is so much love. Sitting in that arena is like being in a church, it is just incredible. I can’t explain it and I can’t even begin to do it justice the feeling that you have when you’re there.”
His success hasn’t ended there, with his entry peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart – and his debut studio album ‘There’s Nothing but Space, Man!’ reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart. That has resulted in Ryder being nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Brit Awards – and in doing so – he has become the first Eurovision act to be nominated in that category.
For those who believe either Ukraine or the United Kingdom can recreate their success in 2023 – with Paddy Power – they’re paying 12/1 and 45/1 respectively – which is good for fourth and tenth favourite.
