From the Liveblog of
Saturday, May 13, 2023
Sweden wins Eurovision, Israel’s Noa Kirel finishes in 3rd place overall
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAmy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Sweden wins the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool early Sunday morning, with Israel’s Noa Kirel finishing in third place.
U-NI-CORN! ???????????? #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/An5tjrcJu1
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 13, 2023
Kirel, 22, finishes with 362 points overall — 177 from the juries and 185 from the televote. Israel receives top marks from the juries of Italy, Azerbaijan, France, Armenia and Poland, and finishes the jury vote in second place overall. The third spot finish for Israel is the best showing for the country since Netta Barzilai won the competition in 2018 with “Toy.”
After completing her powerhouse performance on Saturday night, Kirel breaks down in tears just before exiting the stage.
“Wow, I don’t have the words to explain how exciting it was to represent my country when millions of eyes around the world are watching every movement and note,” Kirel says in a statement shared by the Kan public broadcaster following her performance.
The win for Sweden’s Loreen, with her power ballad “Tattoo,” marks the Scandinavian country’s seventh-total win at the annual competition, tying it for most overall victories with Ireland. It is also the second Eurovision win for Loreen, who took home the top prize at the 2012 contest with “Euphoria” — becoming only the second artist to ever win twice.
The Times of Israel Community.