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EUROVISION

VIDEO: Spain’s best Eurovision moments

Love it or loathe it, the Eurovision song contest has been a springboard to fame for many top pop stars and a handful of memorable songs. The Local looks at Spain's very best Eurovision moments over the past 50 years, from a young Julio Iglesias to an Elvis lookalike.

Published: 10 May 2014 18:09 CEST
VIDEO: Spain's best Eurovision moments
A young Julio Iglesias made a name for himself at Eurovision 1970 before going on to be Spain's number one crooner. Photo: YouTube

Former UK X Factor contestant Ruth Lorenzo will represent her native Spain in this year’s Eurovision song contest.

Not only is she a bigger name in Blighty than in her country of birth, Lorenzo’s decision to sing her power-ballad ‘Dancing in the Rain’ almost entirely in English has angered Spain’s proud National Language Academy.

It's not the first time Spain's Eurovison participation has been embroiled in controversy. Even Spanish dictator Francisco Franco got involved in 1968.

But the country has also been crowned Europe's best with the help of some super songs and some budding pop stars.

HERE ARE SPAIN'S FIVE BEST EUROVISION MOMENTS ON VIDEO

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EUROVISION

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Cornelia Jakobs, Sweden's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, burst into tears and jumped onto presenter Mario Acampas, after shooting through to the final on Thursday night.

Published: 13 May 2022 08:09 CEST
Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Jakobs was emotional at the press conference after her victory, telling the story of her progress from an “largely unknown” indie artist to the Eurovision stage. 

“There are a lot of feelings right now in this little body, an extremely large amount of feelings that can’t really fit in, so they’re exploding,” she said, before beginning to cry. “But I’m so happy and overwhelmed by all the support I’ve got from all these fantastic countries.” 

When the time came to pick lots for which half of the final she would appear in, she leapt onto Mario Acampas, the presenter asking questions at the press conference, wrapping her legs around his waist and clasping herself tightly to his torso. 

He then walked her over to the bowl where the lots were lying. 

“I want you to choose the second half,” she said to him. “Imagine that I have a pistol here and on the count of three I’m going to shoot you if you don’t choose.”

He refused to pick for her so she took one herself and got the second half. 

Jakobs, with her song, “Hold me closer”, was the clear favourite to go into the final, and will go through alongside Finland’s The Rasmus, and his song Jezebel, Serbia’s Konstrakta with “In corpore sano”, as well as entries from Belgium, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Estonia, Australia, and Romania. 

You can see her performance on Thursday in the video below. 

In the final, she will meet the other favourites, which include Ukraine, Italy, and the United Kingdom. 

The final will be shown on Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT at 9pm on Saturday. 

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