Netherlands: A four-piece band of Italian rockers won the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song Contest, the first major global cultural event to be held in person since the coronavirus pandemic hit last year, ended in a triumph for Italy’s Maneskin, who won with a hard-rocking song called “Zitti E Buoni” (“Shut Up and Be Quiet”).
The music festival was cancelled last year amid the pandemic but this year’s event in Rotterdam’s Ahoy arena with its regime of testing and strict hygiene protocols was seen as a step toward a post- COVID-19 return to live entertainment.
Italy, the bookmakers’ favourite, trailed Switzerland, France and Malta after the national juries delivered their votes but were propelled to victory by votes from the viewing public.
A crowd of 3,500 fans, who all tested negative for the coronavirus , watched the finalists perform live.
Maneskin is Danish for moonlight, a tribute to De Angelis’ home country. The band, which honed its musical style busking in Rome, won with a total of 529 points from second-placed France. Switzerland, which led after national juries had voted, finished third.
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