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Eurovision Song Contest airs amid two major conflicts

Georgian singer Nutsa Buzaladze representing Georgia with the song "Firefighter" performs during the dress-rehearsal on the eve of the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 on May 10, 2024 at the Malmo Arena in Malmo, Sweden. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)
Georgian singer Nutsa Buzaladze representing Georgia with the song "Firefighter" performs during the dress-rehearsal on the eve of the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 on May 10, 2024 at the Malmo Arena in Malmo, Sweden. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)

Europe’s top music competition culminates in Malmo, Sweden, on Saturday.

The Eurovision Song Contest sees countries from across the continent and around the world come together to showcase their best musical acts. The winning country will host the next competition in 2025.

However, this year’s competition has been overshadowed by the continued war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. Critics have called for Israel to be ousted, and some acts have had to change lyrics or costumes to stay within Eurovision’s ‘apolitical’ rules.

For more, host Scott Tong speaks to Paul Jordan, an expert and commentator on Eurovision, earning him the title “Dr. Eurovision.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR