The Eurovision Song Contest, often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed live and transmitted to national broadcasters via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was the 42nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held on 3 May 1997 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) and presented by Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1996 contest with the song "The Voice" by Eimear Quinn. The 1997 contest was the seventh – and to date last – edition to be staged in Ireland, as well as the fourth to be produced by RTÉ in five years. The Point Theatre served as the host venue for the third time, following the 1994 and 1995 contests, becoming the only venue to have been the site of three Eurovision Song Contests.
A gay anthem is a popular song that has become widely popular among, or has become identified with, the gay community. Not all songs labelled as "gay anthems" were written intentionally to become gay anthems, but those that do are often marked by themes of perseverance, inner strength, acceptance, pride, and unity. Research in 2007 suggested that the song most commonly identified as a gay anthem is "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and described the song as "a classic emblem of gay culture in the post-Stonewall and AIDS eras".
Slovenia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 29 times since its debut in 1993, having hosted a qualification round in Ljubljana for seven countries due to the influx of new nations wishing to join the Eurovision Song Contest. Having only missed the event twice in 1994 and 2000 due to the relegation rule after a poor average score in the 1990s, Slovenia's best result is seventh position achieved on two occasions; in 1995 with "Prisluhni mi" performed by Darja Švajger and in 2001 with Nuša Derenda and "Energy". Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Slovenia has qualified for the final on eight occasions. As of 2024, Slovenia has not made it to the top ten since their seventh place finish in 2001, only making it to the thirteenth position in 2002 and 2011.
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 44 times since its debut in 1974, missing six contests in that time. Greece's first win came in 2005 with "My Number One", sung by Helena Paparizou. The Greek national broadcaster, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), broadcasts the event each year and organises the process for the selection of the Greek entry. Greece has never finished last in the contest.
Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Love Power" written by Paul Curtiz and Wakas Ashiq. The song was performed by the band The KMG's, which was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in February 2007 to represent the nation at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. The song, "Love Power", was released on 23 February 2007 and officially presented to the public on 26 February 2007. This was the first time that a Walloon entry was performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Georgia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 16 times since making its debut in 2007. Georgia initially planned to participate in 2009, but later withdrew after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) demanded it to re-write its song which made reference to the then-Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin. Georgia has reached the final on seven occasions, achieving two top ten placements, with Sofia Nizharadze (2010) and Eldrine (2011) both finishing ninth.
Andorra debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Jugarem a estimar-nos" written by Jofre Bardagí. The song was performed by Marta Roure. The Andorran broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) organised the national final 12 Punts in order to select the Andorran entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey. The national final took place over four stages and nine televised shows, resulting in the selection of Marta Roure as the winning artist and "Jugarem a estimar-nos" as the winning song during the final on 15 March 2004.
Spain participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "Dile que la quiero" written by Alejandro Abad. The song was performed by David Civera. Songwriter Alejandro Abad represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 with the song "Ella no es ella" placing eighteenth in the competition. The Spanish broadcaster Televisión Española (TVE) organised the national final Eurocanción 2001 in order to select the Spanish entry for the 2001 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. Twenty artists and songs competed in the televised show where an in-studio jury and a public televote selected "Dile que la quiero" performed by David Civera as the winner.
Oliver Alexander Thornton, known professionally as Olly Alexander, is an English singer, actor and LGBT activist.
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, known professionally as Loreen, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and 2023 with the songs "Euphoria" and "Tattoo" respectively. She is the second performer, after Johnny Logan, to have won the contest twice, and the first woman to do so.
Thomas Neuwirth is an Austrian singer and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst. He came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as Austria's entrant with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Neuwirth has stated that he is not a trans woman. He is gay, and has also described himself as a drag queen.
Sanja Vučić is a Serbian singer and songwriter. Initially the lead vocalist of the Serbian crossover band ZAA, she represented Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Goodbye". From 2017 to 2022 she was a member of pop folk girl group Hurricane, during which time they represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Loco loco". In addition, Vučić and Hurricane were scheduled to represent Serbia in the 2020 contest, which ended up being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeangu Macrooy is a Surinamese singer-songwriter. He was born in Paramaribo and has been living in the Netherlands in the eastern city Enschede in the region Twente since 2014. Macrooy's music is described as modern soul. His audience is in the Netherlands, Suriname, and increasingly in Belgium, France and Germany. He was due to represent host nation the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam with the song "Grow", but the contest was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he represented the country in the 2021 contest with "Birth of a New Age".
Duncan de Moor, known professionally as Duncan Laurence, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. He represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with his song "Arcade" and went on to win the competition, giving the Netherlands its first Eurovision win since 1975. "Arcade" became one of the most successful Eurovision Song Contest winning entries on streaming platforms and international charts in recent history. Prior to Eurovision, Laurence was a semi-finalist in the fifth season of The Voice of Holland.
The Roop are a Lithuanian pop rock band from Vilnius. Formed in 2014, the group consists of lead vocalist Vaidotas Valiukevičius, percussionist Robertas Baranauskas and guitarist Mantas Banišauskas. The group has released three albums – To Whom It May Concern in 2015, Ghosts in 2017 and Concrete Flower in 2022 – as well as the extended play Yes, I Do in 2018. They were due to represent Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with their song "On Fire" before the contest was cancelled. They then took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with "Discoteque", finishing in eighth place in the final.
The Eurovision Song Contest has had a long-held fan base in the LGBT community, and Eurovision organisers have actively worked to include these fans in the contest since the 1990s.
Benidorm Fest is a Spanish song contest organised by the public communication company Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana to determine Spain's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, beginning in 2022. It is held in Benidorm, Valencian Community, at the Palau Municipal d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm. Based on the Benidorm International Song Festival with amendments to accommodate the Eurovision format, the contest consists of two semi-finals and a final, with the winner jointly determined through teams of judges and a public vote.
Joker Out is a five-member Slovenian indie rock band formed in 2016, who describe their genre as 'Shagadelic Rock n' Roll.' They had represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song "Carpe Diem", placing 21st. Their discography includes two studio albums: Umazane misli (2021), and Demoni (2022).
Belgium : Bob Benny, 1959 and 1961 
Luxembourg : Jean-Claude Pascal, 1961 and 1981 (won the first time)
Israel : Dana International, 1998 and 2011 (won the first time)
Bosnia and Herzegovina : Deen, 2004 and 2016 
Sweden : Loreen, 2012 [lower-alpha 2] and 2023 (won both times)
Australia 
Austria 
Belgium 
Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Croatia 
Denmark 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Iceland 
Ireland 
Israel 
Italy 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta 
Montenegro 
Netherlands 
North Macedonia 
Norway 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Russia 
San Marino 
Serbia 
Spain 
Sweden 
Switzerland 
Ukraine 
United Kingdom 