by Billy Poon

I first came across the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2010 when I was looking for new genres of music apart from the ones I used to listen to all the time. Ever since, I have been quite involved in the Eurovision fan community and various blogging platforms. Essentially, the Eurovision song contest is an annual competition with each participating European country sending a song to compete for the trophy and the right to host the next edition of the contest. Apart from the music, this competition also functions as a lens through which to view a variety of socio-political issues. In the past few editions of the contest, several social issues have been widely discussed in the media and among fans. Issues about gender equality are arguably the most controversial ones. Discussions with differing opinions happen frequently among the fans when countries select their representatives, as in 2015 when all female hosts were chosen for the show. Geopolitical tension is also at play in the contest, as in 2017, when Russia was forced to withdraw from the competition due to military conflicts with the host country, Ukraine.

I want to use the remaining part of this article to share my thoughts on language and language ideologies that I have observed from watching the contest over the past few years. The dominance of songs in English in the contest (as observed by one of our undergraduate students) has been widely discussed and criticised by the media and fans. Between 2008 and 2015, all winning songs were sung entirely in English. In order to get more votes from the audience across Europe, more countries opt for English songs or translate their songs from native languages to English.

However, the situation seems to have changed in the past two editions of the contest, especially after Ukraine’s victory in 2016 with the song 1944 by Jamala (the chorus is sung in Crimean Tartar), and Portugal’s triumph in 2017 with Amar Pelos Dois by Salvador Sobral (a ballad sung entirely in Portuguese). Many fans were delighted to see such change, arguing that the contest has become a place to celebrate linguistic diversity and a unique arena to showcase each participating country’s culture and talents. However, others were more apprehensive and questioned whether such change is positive to the contest, especially if we considered the post-contest commercial performance of songs sung in native languages. Indeed, the chart performance and streaming counts of Ukraine’s winning song in 2016 were disappointing, to say the least. Instead, entries in English dominated the charts, most notably, Sweden’s If I were Sorry by Frans, which charted in 23 countries and became the most commercially successful entry from that edition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNECV2h-y58
Ukraine’s winning song in 2016: 1944 by Jamala

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AIPrVchJN8
Sweden’s entry in 2016: If I were Sorry by Frans

While it is not my intention to judge whether the shift is beneficial to the contest or not, it does present an interesting dichotomy and struggle between advocating linguistic diversity and achieving successful commercial performance. The goal of the contest is to allow all participating countries to showcase their unique cultures and talents. However, national broadcasters have become more and more hesitant in sending songs in native languages as they are often less successful and are less likely to get much support from the voters. Instead, they select songs in English which are likely to appeal to a wider audience and generate more revenue for the artists and record labels.  Meanwhile, as the next edition of the competition is fast approaching, let’s sit back and enjoy the music, cultures and talents of each participating country.

                                           

Published on: March 26, 2018 < Back >