Salvador Sobral from Portugal became the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 early on May 14. This is the first victory for the country.
The song Sobral performed was written by his elder sister Luisa. She is considered one of the most important songwriters and singers of the new generation of Portuguese musicians.
When he was announced as the winner, he invited her to join him on the stage and they performed “Amar Pelos Dois” (“Love For Two”) together.
The grand final took place at the International Exhibition Centre in Kyiv on May 13. Bookies predicted Sobral’s victory. He has led both juries’ and audience’s voting.
Bulgaria’s Kristian Kostov has taken the second place with Moldova’s Sunstroke Project being on the third.
The show saw contestants from 26 countries: Bulgaria, Belarus, Croatia, Hungary, Denmark, Israel, Romania, Norway, The Netherlands, Austria, Ukraine, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Moldova, Portugal, Poland, and Sweden.
Ukrainian Onuka, Ruslana and Jamala performed along with the contestants.
Ukraine has got its chance to host the Eurovision Song Contest after a Crimean Tatar singer Jamala won Ukraine the first place at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden. During the first semi-final on May 9, she performed her winning song “1944.” The song is about the tragic events of Crimean Tatar history when the Soviet authorities ordered Tatars to leave their native region Crimea in 1944.
She also premiered her new song “I Believe In You” at the grand final.
