Loreen from Sweden wins Eurovision song contest
Listen to the story (American accent)
Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Tattoo".
Loreen beat singers from 25 other countries to become the pop music champion of Europe.
Finnish singer Käärijä came in second place with 526 points. Loreen scored 583 points.
Loreen also won the Eurovision in 2012. She is now the second performer to win the contest twice, after Ireland's Johnny Logan in the 1980s. Sweden now shares the record for the most wins with Ireland. Both countries have seven victories.
This year, the UK hosted the Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine. Ukraine won the contest last year but couldn't host the event this year due to Russia's invasion and the war.
During the contest, Russian missiles hit Ternopil, a Ukrainian city where the music group Tvorchi, representing Ukraine in the contest, is from.
Tvorchi hoped to bring attention to Ukraine's fight with their song "Heart of Steel,". They finished the contest in sixth place.
The slogan for this year's Eurovision was "united by music," which tried to combine the spirit of war-torn Ukraine with the soul of Liverpool, the birthplace of The Beatles.
The contest was founded in 1956 and is famous for producing big stars like ABBA and Celine Dion.
Around 6,000 fans watched the show inside the arena. There were estimated to be around 160 million global television viewers.
Vocabulary25 words
- Beat
- to defeat an opponent or win a competition; to win a match/game against another person/team
- Champion
- the winner ?
- Finnish
- relating to Finland; of Finland; ??
- Place
- position or rank in a competition/tournament; 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, etc.
- Performer
- Someone who entertains or shows their skills, such as a singer, dancer, or actor
- Share
- to have or use something at the same time as someone else; to divide food, money, goods, etc. and give some of it to someone else
- Record
- the most or least ever; the highest level ever; achieved for the first time
- Victory
- win; success; achievement; triumph
- Host
- to organize or hold an event; provide space for an event
- On behalf
- Acting or speaking for someone else, representing their interests or opinions; to do for or instead of someone else
- Due to
- because of; owing to
- Invasion
- the action of attacking and entering another country or area
- Missile
- A flying weapon that explodes when it hits a target
- Represent
- To act or speak for someone or something, to be a symbol or example of them
- Bring attention to something
- To make others notice or pay attention to a specific thing or issue
- Slogan
- a short and easy-to-remember phrase used to promote a product or company
- Combine
- bring together; merge; in total; unite; put together; mix
- Spirit
- The inner energy or attitude that guides someone's actions, emotions, or beliefs
- War-torn
- Describing a place or region that has been severely damaged or destroyed by war
- Soul
- The spiritual or invisible part of a person that gives them their individuality and consciousness; the emotional part of human nature; the quality of a person or work of art that shows or produces deep good feelings
- Birthplace
- The location where a person or thing is born or originates
- Founded
- started; began; created
- Produce
- to create or make something
- Estimate
- guess; approximate; judge; suppose
- Global
- related to the whole world; everywhere in the world
Discussion questions
- What do you think about Loreen winning the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Tattoo"? Did you enjoy the performance?
- What's your opinion of the UK hosting the contest instead of Ukraine? Should the contest have been held in Ukraine despite the war?
- Do you believe that music can unite people from different backgrounds and cultures? How does the Eurovision Song Contest exemplify this idea?
- Can you name any other famous singers or bands that have emerged from the Eurovision Song Contest? How do you think the contest contributes to discovering new talent?
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