Sweden has won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest after earning 583 points.

  • READ MORE: British Eurovision entry Mae Muller: “I wanted to write something that made people feel empowered”

Sweden were favorites to win ahead of tonight’s final in Liverpool, with Loreen’s song ‘Tattoo’ at odds of 4/9 on bet365 to win.

Loreen becomes the first woman ever to win Eurovision twice, following her win in 2012 with the song ‘Euphoria’.

After the jury’s votes, Sweden was in first place with 340 points. After the public vote, this rose to 583. Finland and Israel came second and third.

You can watch Loreen’s performance here:

Loreen
Loreen performing live at Eurovision – CREDIT: Getty

Eurovision
Loreen at the opening of Eurovision – CREDIT: Getty

Talking to NME about her history at Eurovision ahead of tonight’s contest, Loreen said: “It started with the song [‘Euphoria’]… It was just an embryo at the time, but I could sense that something with this song and me was going to happen,” she said.

“My first reaction [to re-entering the competition] was ‘No’ because I am purposeful. I need to understand why I do things: ‘Why stand on that stage?’, ‘Do I have something to say?’ But every time I said, ‘Maybe I will,’ there was this feeling of positivity in me. The process felt very easy and effortless.”

She explained the meaning behind ‘Tattoo’, she told NME that the track is about acceptance and learning that we must endure the hardships of reality in order to fully appreciate the world around us.

“It’s a love song and I let everyone interpret it what they want,” she explained, “but what I’m trying to say is that there’s no day without night, and there’s no love without the opposite. It is all necessary.

“We tend to think that the grass is greener on the other side, but if you want to experience this deep, authentic love, you have to be aware that the struggle has to be there too. We can’t run away from that moment , we feel a little bit of pain.”

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra – CREDIT: Getty

Earlier in the evening, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra opened the competition with an emotional rendition of their 2022 Eurovision winning song, ‘Stefania’.

Although it is customary for the winners to host the competition, this year’s installment took place in Liverpool following the ongoing political conflict taking place in Ukraine.

At the opening, the band was also joined by musicians and well-known figures from afar. It cut to clips with Britain’s 2022 Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder playing guitar on the song from the top of Liverpool’s Liver Building.

Other contributions via video included those from Joss Stone, Miss Banks, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Princess of Wales, who played piano on the song.

Roger Taylor on drums at Eurovision – CREDIT: Getty

Elsewhere on the night, Ryder was joined on stage by Queen drummer Roger Taylor for a performance of his new song ‘Mountain’.

Ryder last joined Queen on stage for a rendition of ‘Somebody To Love’ at the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins tribute concert.

There was also a star-studded segment that included former Eurovision contestants singing classic songs by Liverpool artists.

UK entry Mae Martin closed the performances with her entry, ‘I Wrote A Song’. Great Britain finished second last with 24 points.

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