Eurovision final – live: Moldova entry sends fans wild with exuberant performance
Moldova #Moldova
The Eurovision 2022 final proved to be one of the liveliest and most competitive in recent memory.
While the atmosphere was still good-humoured, the sheer quality of the 25 countries competing this year presented voters with some tough decisions.
Sam Ryder, a singer-songwriter who rose to fame on TikTok, performed original song “Space Man” and – despite previous dismal efforts from the UK – seemed to win over much of the audience.
“It’s been phenomenal,” he told The Independent of the support he’s received. “The whole team have been working so hard going around Europe, using as much time as we could to do TV, radio, singing on street corners… Everywhere we’ve been, there’s been nothing but kindness and good vibes.” Read more about him here.
Among the other favourites to win were Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, Sweden’s Cornelia Jakobs, Spain’s Chanel, and Italy’s own Mahmood and Blanco.
A trio of famous presenters led proceedings for the evening, with pop singer Mika joining fellow hosts Italian TV personality Alessandro Cattelan and Italian singer Laura Pausini on stage.
After the performances were over, voting opened to both the European and Australian public, and the panel of judges for each country.
Eurovision 2022 key points
Ukraine wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 00:04 , Roisin O’Connor
And it’s Ukraine! In one of the tensest finals in a long time, and with the UK so close to first place, the public vote swung it and Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra have triumphed with their song “Stefania”.
Vote turns to the public 23:44 , Roisin O’Connor
Right, I’ve been screaming for a while now, but the UK is at the top of the leaderboard after the jury votes in what feels like an unprecedented moment. Here come the public votes, which can change everything…
Another set of douze points for the UK’s Sam Ryder 23:15 , Roisin O’Connor
From Belgium and Germany, absolutely incredible scenes
Voting gets underway 23:05 , Roisin O’Connor
Everyone in the press room is holding their breath…
Maneskin joke about last year’s ‘cocaine’ controversy 23:02 , Roisin O’Connor
Maneskin returned to Eurovision with lead vocalist Damiano David joking about last year’s “cocaine” controversy.
The Italian rock band were the winners of last year’s Song Contest with their performance of “Zitti E Buoni” at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam.
The group returned to Eurovision this year on Saturday night (14 May) to sing their new track “Supermodel” before voting began.
After their performance, host Alessandro Cattelan – an Italian TV personality – asked the band if they had any advice for the competitors awaiting the results.
Lead vocalist David joked in response: “Have fun and don’t get close to the table.”
Full story here:
Maneskin joke about last year’s Eurovision ‘cocaine’ controversy
Less than a minute to vote! 22:57 , Roisin O’Connor
The fateful hour is almost upon us…
Maneskin perform new single Supermodel despite Damiano David’s injury 22:33 , Roisin O’Connor
Poor Damiano! He turned up to the Eurovision final using a crutch (apparently he busted his ankle before the the show). He and his band Maneskin still proved exactly why they were champions last year, putting on a fiery rendition of new song “Supermodel”, along with a teaser of a new track. Asked if he had any advice for this year’s 25 contestants, he joked: “Don’t get too close to the table.” Of course referring to the notorious “coke” scandal where he was caught on camera bending over a table – which turned out to be him picking up some broken glass from the floor.
Eurovision fans praise Sam Ryder’s performance of Space Man 22:11 , Roisin O’Connor
Eurovision fans are ecstatic over the UK’s entry.
This year’s UK representative is singer-songwriter and TikTok star Sam Ryder.
The Essex-born musician performed his song “Space Man” at the finals in Turin, Italy – this year’s host country, following the victory of Italian rock band Måneskin in 2021’s competition.
Prior to his selection as this year’s hopeful, the 32-year-old made a name for himself on TikTok through a mix of his covers of major hits and original music.
Viewers shared their reactions to Ryder’s performance on Twitter.
Eurovision UK fans ecstatic over ‘top tier belter’ Sam Ryder
Sam Ryder did us proud 22:01 , Roisin O’Connor
What a performance! He really gave it his all, amazing guitar solo, incredibly vocals… absolutely nothing to be embarassed about this year. Come on voters!
COME ON SAM 21:57 , Roisin O’Connor
UK HERE WE GO
Here’s the Eurovision press tent reaction to Moldova 21:55 , Roisin O’Connor
I managed to record a bit of the press tent reacting to Moldova’s performance – they LOVED it.
Eurovision fans adore Norway’s contestant Subwoolfer 21:51 , Roisin O’Connor
Fans have praised Norway for delivering a quintessentially “wacky” Eurovision performance.
The annual song contest is well underway on Saturday night (14 May), with events unfolding in Turin, Italy, this year.
Subwoofer represented Norway, and a Red Riding Hood-inspired song titled “Give That Wolf a Banana” that will likely go down in Eurovision history.
The group performed the track while wearing yellow wolf masks that conceal their identity.
Fans took to Twitter to share their reactions to the song and its strange lyrics.
‘Fully understood the assignment’: Eurovision fans praise ‘wacky’ Norway performance
Sweden gets a big roar of approval 21:50 , Roisin O’Connor
So Swedish pop singer Cornelia Jakobs is one of the favourites to win this year… I’m not so convinced. I feel like the good Eurovision ballads are the ones that tell a story, and I don’t get that from “Hold Me Closer”.
Moldova… 21:44 , Roisin O’Connor
I have no words. There was a conga line in the press tent. Absolutely outstanding.
21:39 , Roisin O’Connor
A nice but not particularly mind-blowing performance from Iceland with “Með Hækkandi Sól”. Very polite.
Coming up… 21:29 , Roisin O’Connor
Left to perform we have:
Come on Sam!
Azerbaijan’s contestant Nadir Rustamli sings ‘Fade To Black’ 21:23 , Roisin O’Connor
I actually really like Azerbaijan’s entry, I think it’s one of the better ballads of this year’s contest, and he hits a really impressive note at the climax that had everyone gasping during the rehearsals.
Lithuania and Germany performances are muted affairs after Ukraine 21:19 , Roisin O’Connor
Ukraine are obviously a tough act to follow, but Germany and Lithuania’s entries did their best. That really was a tremendous performance from Kalush Orchestra, and will hopefully silence the naysayers claiming they’d only win for political reasons. It’s a fantastic song and they delivered a superb live performance.
Here we go, Ukraine! 21:09 , Roisin O’Connor
It’s Kalush Orchestra for Ukraine! Formed in 2019, the group consists of founder and rapper Oleh Psiuk, multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk, and dancer Vlad Kurochka.
The lyrics to “Stefania” are an ode to mothers and the trials they face raising families. The band’s live performance features synchronised dance moves, breakdance and flutes.
These guys are one of the favourites to win!
Spain’s Eurovision 2022 contestant Chanel plays Slomo 21:01 , Roisin O’Connor
You should see the press room right now, the Spanish contigent are going absolutely bonkers for Chanel and her song “Slomo”. It’s classic Spain, to be sure they’re not trying anything new this year, but hey, it’s a crowd-pleaser!
Italy’s Mahmood and Blanco perform ‘Brividi’ 20:56 , Roisin O’Connor
This song, the title of which means “Chills”, is performed entirely in Italian. If you’re interested in what the lyrics mean (they’re very poetic), you can check out both the Italian and English versions below:
What the lyrics to Mahmood and Blanco’s song ‘Brividi’ mean in English
Viewers react to Norway’s performance 20:53 , Roisin O’Connor
The Eurovision Grand Final is upon us – and the “strange” performances have begun.
This year’s event is being hosted by Italy after Italian rock band Maneskin won the 2021 competition. Twenty-six artists have flocked to Turin to represent their countries in the grand final.
Fans were left “disturbed” by Finland’s entry.
Finnish rock band The Rasmus – behind the 2003 hit song “In the Shadows” – performed their song “Jezebel”.
Viewers took to Twitter to share their reactions to the song.
Eurovision Fans enthralled by Finland’s ‘Pennywise’-inspired performance
Give That Wolf a Banana! 20:42 , Roisin O’Connor
It’s Norway time!
Marius Bear’s ballad is certainly on the tamer side of things… 20:36 , Annabel Nugent
Next up is Marius Bear representing Switzerland!
The singer’s ballad, while certainly emotional, is most definitely on the tamer side of tonight’s performances – especially given the wild Finland perofmrance that preceded it…
It’s The Rasmus for Finland with ‘JEZEBEEEEEEEEL’ 20:30 , Roisin O’Connor
“JEZEBEEEEEEEEEL…”
It’s Finnish rock stars The Rasmus with “Jezebel”
Fans were delighted when the group behind 2003 hit “In the Shadows” returned with their song “Jezebel”, which frontman Lauri Ylönen describes as “an homage, a tribute, to the strong women of today, who own their bodies, who are in charge of their sensuality, their sexuality, and who are determined to be an equal”.
He co-wrote the track with Desmond Child, who has several high-profile rock songwriting credits to his name, including Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You”, Aerosmith’s “Angel”, Alice Cooper’s “Poison”, Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ la Vida Loca”, and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer”.
Portugal performs the moody, introspective “Saudade, Saudade” 20:26 , Roisin O’Connor
Calming things down a bit is Portugal’s entry MARO with the ethereal “Saudade, Saudade”. I can’t see it doing particularly well on the leaderboard but it’s creating a lull before what’s coming up next…
Romania’s WRS goes next with “Llámame” 20:24 , Roisin O’Connor
I absolutely love this guy! The BuzÄu-born artist started out as a dancer before going on to perform with a number of Romanian pop stars. Clearly he’s also capable of handling the stage perfectly well on his own…
Czech Republic gets things off to a strong start 20:21 , Roisin O’Connor
What an amazing performance from Czech Republic’s We Are Domi and their song “Lights Off”! It’s not easy going first but they just proved you can do it and still offer a fantastic show.
Laura Pausini! 20:05 , Roisin O’Connor
I’m obsessed, Laura is how I learnt Italian. But how is she changing so fast?!
And we’re off! Eurovision 2022 let’s goooooooo 20:03 , Roisin O’Connor
Got to love a good singalong. And there are our hosts, pop singer Mika, Italian TV personality Alessandro Cattelan and Italian singer Laura Pausini!
This year’s opening performance is as spectacular as ever, with singer Pausini doing a gorgeous medley of her big hits.
Eurovision 2022 is about to begin! 19:56 , Roisin O’Connor
Here’s your four-minute warning! I’m not going to tell you how much wine I’ve had.
It’s almost time for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest! 19:41 , Roisin O’Connor
Pretty much everyone is set up in the press room now (it’s huge), and there’s some friendly competitive spirit in the air. And spirits, too. I, as you can see, have gone for the classy option. Less than 20 minutes to go!
Rock band The Rasmus are representing Finland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Fans were delighted when the group behind 2003 hit “In the Shadows” returned with their song “Jezebel”, which frontman Lauri Ylönen describes as “an homage, a tribute, to the strong women of today, who own their bodies, who are in charge of their sensuality, their sexuality, and who are determined to be an equal”.
He co-wrote the track with Desmond Child, who has several high-profile rock songwriting credits to his name, including Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You”, Aerosmith’s “Angel”, Alice Cooper’s “Poison”, Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ la Vida Loca”, and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer”.
We caught up with Lauri to see how he’s feeling ahead of tonight’s final:
The Rasmus Q&A: Meet Finland’s entry for Eurovision 2022
What you need to know about pop star and Eurovision 2022 host Mika 19:31 , Roisin O’Connor
A trio of famous presenters will be leading proceedings this evening, with pop singer Mika joining fellow hosts Italian TV personality Alessandro Cattelan and Italian singer Laura Pausini on stage.
Although Mika is not Italian, he is popular in the country after having appeared on the Italian version of The X Factor.
Speaking on The One Show, he said: “I have done television in Italy. I learnt to speak Italian just because I got this opportunity to go and do The X Factor in Italy.
“I learnt in a couple of months, luckily my Italian is better now, the ironic thing about this whole thing is that I’m gonna do Eurovision, the biggest TV show Italy has ever had to put on, and the whole thing is in English.”
Read more about him here:
Why is Mika hosting the Eurovision Grand Final?
19:26 , Roisin O’Connor
Another favourite this year is Norway’s bonkers contestant, Subwoolfer, and their song “Give That Wolf a Banana”. It reminds me a lot of “What Does the Fox Say”, the viral (and equally bonkers) 2013 song from Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis. Anyway, read all about Subwoolfer and the lyrics they’ll be singing during their lively (masked) performance, here:
The lyrics to Norway’s Eurovision entry are… quite something
What’s the order for each country performing in the Eurovision final? 19:20 , Roisin O’Connor
A reminder that the running order for Eurovision is considered very important. Those performing earlier in the contest obviously have to worry about making a good enough impression that the judges and voting public remember them by the end of the show. Meanwhile, those who perform second to last or last have the opposite concern: that voters will already have made up their minds on who to vote for by the time their turn is up.
Here’s a look at the running order for this evening – it’s good news for the UK!
19:16 , Roisin O’Connor
They didn’t do so well in the fake scoreboard that gets announced after the final rehearsals, but Italian contestants Mahmood and Blanco are still favourites to win with their song “Brividi”.
As a confirmed Mahmood fan since his amazing performance in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, I obviously wanted to catch up with him to hear about how he came to write this year’s song, and how he’s feeling about returning to represent Italy.
Meet Mahmood and Blanco, Italy’s Eurovision 2022 hopefuls
Could Serbia take the Eurovision crown this year? 19:11 , Roisin O’Connor
A lot of people have been buzzing about Serbia’s entry, Konstrakta, and for good reason. She’s veered very much into the performance art style of Eurovision performance with her song “Corpore Sano” (Latin for “a healthy body”), which has her sitting in front of a wash basin getting towels handed to her by mysterious figures.
Here’s a recap of what those peculiar lyrics actually mean:
Serbia’s Eurovision song by Konstrakta includes peculiar lyrics about Meghan Markle
19:04 , Roisin O’Connor
So here in Turin, the atmosphere has been… interesting? During the semi-finals the city felt virtually deserted, because everyone was over in the park watching live performances, and then at the theatre where rehearsals took place. Last night and today, though, there was definitely a buzzier atmosphere, and now the city seems to be leaning into the Eurovision Song Contest. What’s wonderful is everyone – delegates from Ukraine, Italy, Sweden, Germany, France – keeps telling me they think the UK is in with a shot this year with Sam Ryder. I think so too! It feels like we’re finally taking this contest seriously, as so many countries have been doing for years.
You can read more about Sam here:
Who is Sam Ryder? A guide to the UK’s Eurovision Song Contest 2022 hopeful
18:47 , Roisin O’Connor
Italy’s Eurovision 2021 champions Maneskin are ready for their performance on new single “Super Model” tonight!
Who are the favourites to win this year? 18:24 , Roisin O’Connor
The UK is currently riding high as one of the bookies’ favourites to win this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Sam Ryder has charmed the international delegates – and their journalists, it seems – thanks to his song “Space Man” and his charming personality. He’s really giving it his all, and people are taking notice.
Anyway, take a look at where Sam is on the latest Eurovision odds, along with the rest of the 20 finalists competing in tonight’s final.
Eurovision 2022 latest odds
Every winning Eurovision song ranked worst to best 18:05 , Roisin O’Connor
While he sadly no longer works with The Independent (greener pastures bla bla), the brilliant Ben Kelly, my fellow Eurovision fan, undertook the mammoth task of ranking every single Eurovision winner from worst to best.
Take a look and see if you agree!
Every Eurovision winning song ranked – from best to worst
Eurovision 2022 final running order 17:22 , Roisin O’Connor
If you know much about Eurovision, you’ll probably know that the running order of the final performances is considered vitally important for each country’s success. Fortunately for the UK, our contestant Sam Ryder is taking part in the second half of the contest, which means (hopefully) his rendition of “Space Man” will be fresh in the minds of both the judges and the voting public.
Here’s the full running order for tonight’s performances:
Here’s the running order for the Eurovision 2022 final
17:02 , Roisin O’Connor
Following a brilliant performance in 2019 that landed him 2nd place, Italian artist Mahmood is returning to Eurovision – only this time, he’s brought a friend.
Crowned Sanremo champions in February, Mahmood (born Alessandro Mahmoud) and fellow rapper/singer Blanco (Riccardo Fabbriconi) are favourites to win this year’s song contest with their song “Brividi”.
The track, co-written with songwriter and producer Michelangelo – a frequent collaborator of Blanco – is a poignant ballad that incoroprates surrealist imagery into the story of a difficult relationship (read the Italian and translated English lyrics here).
We spoke with the duo ahead of their performance at the grand final on Saturday 14 May.
Meet Mahmood and Blanco, Italy’s Eurovision 2022 hopefuls
Meet Serbia’s unusual Eurovision entry 16:52 , Roisin O’Connor
Serbia’s Eurovision 2022 song has bemused fans with a strange reference to Meghan Markle’s “deeply hydrated” hair.
Performed by Serbian singer Konstrakta, the song is entitled “Corpore Sano”, which is Latin for ‘In a healthy body’.
The song, which evokes the music of Kraftwerk, begins with the line: “What could be the secret of Meghan Markle’s healthy hair?”
Konstrakta continues to talk about the importance of hydration, and how under-eye circles are supposedly linked to liver distress. At the same time, she is seen washing her hands in a bowl surrounded by dancers with towels draped over their shoulders, mimicking the set-up of a beauty salon.
“The artist is supposed to be healthy,” goes the chorus of the song, which then crescendos into a gospel-like proclamation: “God grant us health!”
But Markle is not the sole subject of the song, as Konstrakta goes on to address topics including Serbia’s health system, politics and social norms. Read more about their lyrics here:
Serbia’s Eurovision song includes peculiar lyrics about Meghan Markle
16:32 , Roisin O’Connor
When the late Terry Wogan retired from his 35-year stint as the voice of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, many fans thought hope was lost for the UK.
But then Graham Norton emerged onto our screens, bringing his sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek comments. It felt like the perfect match. Any doubts that Norton couldn’t fill Wogan’s shoes quickly vanished in a puff of confetti.
This year, Norton will again be in the commentary booth for the BBC’s grand final coverage (14 May).
Meanwhile, Rylan Clark and Scott Mills have been holding down the fort presenting the semi-finals this week (10 and 12 May).
Norton is renowned for mocking the length of the four-hour final, and also for noticing when “someone dressed up” for the announcement of scores from each participating country. Hopefully he’ll be kinder to the UK’s 2022 entry, Sam Ryder.
Let’s remember some of Norton’s most fierce lines: 
Graham Norton’s most savage Eurovision commentary moments
16:12 , Roisin O’Connor
Elaborate staging, wacky costumes, and an abundance of great songs: Eurovision is a song contest like no other.
But Europe’s annual competition is so much more than a kitsch peculiarity: artists including Abba, Maneskin, Olivia Newton-John, Mahmood and Celine Dion have all achieved worldwide fame since performing on the Eurovision stage.
Though it began as a song-writing contest in 1956, having a strong and unique performance is just as important on today’s Eurovision stage. Balancing impressive vocals, skilful songwriting and visually interesting staging, this list ranks the Eurovision winners that found the sweet spot.
The 10 greatest winning Eurovision performances
How to vote in the Eurovision Song Contest 15:58 , Roisin O’Connor
The Eurovision Song Contest is well known for its fiendishly complex voting system. Fans can vote over the phone, by text or via the Eurovision app, available on devices including iOS, Android and Windows. Each person can vote up to 20 times but voters will be unable to select their own country’s entry.
Here’s how it works:
How to vote for your favourite contestants at Eurovision 2022
Meet Norway’s mysterious, brilliant contestants Subwoolfer 15:42 , Roisin O’Connor
One of the acts with the biggest buzz about them this year is Subwoolfer, who are representing Norway.
They perform while wearing yellow wolf masks that conceal their identity so it’s unknown who Subwoolfer actually are, but it’s actually their lyrics that are creating the biggest stir.
The Red Riding Hood-inspired song, titled “Give That Wolf a Banana”, is set to go down in Eurovision history. After they performed in the heats, footage of the band’s rendition circulated social media like wildfire.
Should you wish to sing along with the performance when Subwoolfer frace the stage tonight, here are the lyrics:
The lyrics to Norway’s Eurovision entry are… quite something
Why is Russia banned from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest? 14:48 , Roisin O’Connor
Russia has been banned from this year’s Song Contest, marking the first time the country will not participate since its debut in 1994.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the music event, banned Russia from the 2022 competition following its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In February, the EBU organisers initially said they had no plans to prevent Russia from taking part, then swiftly backtracked and banned the country from competing.
“The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s Contest would bring the competition into disrepute,” it said in a statement at the time.
Why isn’t Russia competing in Eurovision 2022?
14:29 , Roisin O’Connor
After two glitter-filled evenings of semi-finals this week, the official Eurovision Song Contest grand final running order has been released.
Taking place in Turin, Italy on Saturday (14 May), the final will run for approximately four hours, showcasing all 25 countries that made it past the semis.
Eurovision wouldn’t be the same without Graham Norton. The presenter will be back in the BBC’s commentary booth to give his hot takes on performances, costumes and all things Eurovision.
As for the result, it is suspected that Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra will do extremely well with their rap track “Stefania”, amid the country’s ongoing war with Russia.
For the first time in years, the UK’s entry, Sam Ryder, is in a good position with the song “Space Man”. It can surely only improve on the “nul points” that James Newman received for “Embers” last year.
See the running order in full here:
Here’s the running order for the Eurovision 2022 final
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra are set to take Eurovision by storm 14:16 , Roisin O’Connor
Hip hop act Kalush Orchestra’s song “Stefania” blends modern rap and classical Ukrainian folk music.
Formed in 2019, the group consists of founder and rapper Oleh Psiuk, multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk, and dancer Vlad Kurochka.
The lyrics to “Stefania” are an ode to mothers and the trials they face raising families. The band’s live performance features synchronised dance moves, breakdance and flutes.
There are some whispers that Ukraine may collect some extra votes due to the obvious political context of the ongoing invasion of their country by Russia. Personally (and I know a lot of people feel this way), I think “Stefania” is a fantastic song – the band’s performance is polished and full of energy – and Ukraine would be worthy winners this year.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra prepare for Eurovision stage amid Russian invasion
The UK’s painful Eurovision history – in numbers 13:55 , Roisin O’Connor
Now we all know the Eurovision Song Contest hasn’t been kind to the UK. I’d argue a lot of that was our fault (most countries take Eurovision incredible seriously, the UK not so much). Of course, that could all be about to change, depending on how the lovely Sam Ryder does in this year’s final.
For now though, just take a look at the UK’s Eurovision performance history over the years:
The UK’s long years of Eurovision pain – in numbers
Ciao from Turin – it’s the Eurovision 2022 final! 13:16 , Roisin O’Connor
Ciao ragazzi! The day is finally here – it’s the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 final! I’m reporting to you live from Turin with help from my esteemed London-based colleagues, Jacob Stolworthy and Annabel Nugent.
We’re looking at one hell of a contest this year. For starters, the UK actually has a shot at winning – can you believe it? That’s thanks to Sam Ryder, our entry for this year, and his song “Space Man”. But there’s also fierce competition from countries including Ukraine, Sweden, Moldova, Spain, and everyone’s favourite wolves, Norway!
When is the Eurovision 2022 final and how can I watch it?
Let’s start with the beginning and tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 final, here.