Viewers who missed the Eurovision 2016 Song Contest grand final can catch all the action right here, with full video of the winning song from Ukraine’s Jamala along with video of the performances from all 26 finalists.
Saturday’s Eurovision final was a thrilling one, with a new scoring system that added a higher level of drama to the annual song contest. Each of the final performances can be seen below, and at the bottom of the page is the full replay of Saturday’s grand final.
Jamala scored 534 points for her song “1944,” a politically charged ballad with references to ethnic cleansing and Josef Stalin. As the BBC noted, she is the first Crimean Tatar to ever perform at the contest, and her song — which refers to the year Stalin deported the entire ethnic group from the Ukraine’s Crimea region — caused quite a bit of controversy.
Ukraine’s Jamala wins Eurovision song contest; Russians complain of political subtext https://t.co/szYYcGsdJu pic.twitter.com/lNsXn86YPT
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 15, 2016
The song was intensely personal for Jamala, whose great-grandmother was one of the nearly 250,000 Tatars expelled from the region, the report noted.
The win for Jamala also means that Ukraine will host next year’s Eurovision, which will bring an even bigger spotlight to the nation.
For those who missed it, here is Jamala’s performance of “1944” at the Eurovision 2016 finals.
Despite the controversial lyrics and the tension raised over Ukraine’s current conflict with Russia, Jamala struck a more peaceful tone after taking home the Eurovision 2016 title.
“I really want peace and love to everyone,” she said after winning.
Later, in a backstage interview, she added, “It’s amazing. I was sure that if you talk about truth it really can touch people.”
So good! Watch @jtimberlake perform #CantStopTheFeeling at #Eurovision : https://t.co/MyZmrQMGMT pic.twitter.com/U42h8jP7Up
— POPSUGAR Ent (@POPSUGAREnt) May 15, 2016
While many expected Jamala to finish among the top singers in the contest, her song was a surprise winner and knocked off the favorite in Russia’s Sergey Lazarev. His techno ballad, “You Are The Only One,” was considered the favorite going into the Eurovision 2016 final, but he ended up finishing third.
The full performance can be seen below.
This year’s Eurovision grand final included a new scoring system that gave separate scores for each country’s jury and for public voting, leading to a bit of drama as Australia’s Dami Im was the initial leader for her song, “Sound of Silence,” after jury votes. But the public vote did not come in as strong, and she ended up finishing second overall.
The public vote added a new level of excitement, causing some drama for countries that both rose and fell due to public vote. Poland was next to last after jury voting gave just seven points, but the public’s 227 points helped the country rise to eighth place.
The U.K. was at the other end of it, falling from No. 17 after the jury vote down to No. 24 after just eight points were added from the public vote.
Here are videos of the other Eurovision 2016 final performances, in the order they finished.
4. Bulgaria: “If Love Was A Crime” sung by Poli Genova
5. Sweden: “If I Were Sorry” sung by Frans
6. France: “J’ai cherché” sung by Amir
7. Armenia: “LoveWave” sung by Iveta Mukuchyan
8. Poland: “Color Of Your Life” sung by Micha? Szpak
9. Lithuania: “I’ve Been Waiting For This Night” sung by Donny Montell
10. Belgium: “What’s The Pressure” sung by Laura Tesoro
11. The Netherlands: “Slow Down” sung by Douwe Bob
12. Malta: “Walk On Water” sung by Ira Losco
13. Austria: “Loin d’ici” sung by ZOË
14. Israel: “Made Of Stars” sung by Hovi Star
15. Latvia: “Heartbeat” sung by Justs
16. Italy: “No Degree Of Separation” sung by Francesca Michielin
17. Azerbaijan: “Miracle” sung by Samra
18. Serbia: “Goodbye (Shelter)” sung by Sanja Vu?i? ZAA
19. Hungary: “Pioneer” sung by Freddie
20. Georgia: “Midnight Gold” sung by Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz
21. Cyprus: “Alter Ego” sung by Minus One
22. Spain: “Say Yay!” sung by Barei
23. Croatia: “Lighthouse” sung by Nina Kralji?
24. United Kingdom: “You’re Not Alone” sung by Jack and Joe
25. Czech Republic: “I Stand” sung by Gabriela Gun?íková
26. Germany: “Ghost” sung by Jamie-Lee
A full replay of the Eurovision 2016 Song Contest grand final can be found below (the video may not be available to view in all countries, however).
[Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images]
