The 10 best songs competing at (a very contentious) Eurovision

"Israel's participation has caused a whopping, unprecedented five countries to boycott the event in protest of Israel's conduct in Gaza, even as the contest's organizers struggle mightily to project an apolitical, uncontroversial image. That effort is more doomed than ever this year, because the boycotting countries include dependable Eurovision powerhouses Ireland (which has won the seven-decade-old contest a record seven times, tied only with Sweden), The Netherlands (five wins) and Spain (which has only won twice, but is historically one of the contest's "Big Five" main sponsors, alongside the U.K., France, Germany and Italy, so its absence is a very big deal)."

"That leaves 35 countries in the competition in Vienna, Austria this year, ten of which have now been eliminated in semifinals held Tuesday and Thursday. This Saturday, the 25 countries that made it through to the Grand Final will perform their songs in astonishingly rapid succession; despite its perennial veneer of sparkly chaos, Eurovision is, from a production logistics standpoint, the very tightest of ships. Here in the U.S., the ESC Grand Final will be streamed live on Peacock and on YouTube Saturday at 3 p.m ET. The whole megillah usually takes 4+ hours, so clear your day."

"To win, a song needs to do well in both the live televote, and in the votes collected from the 35 national juries groups of music professionals in each participating country. Televoters are overwhelmingly made up of casual fans who are experiencing the songs for the very first time as a group, they gravitate to performances big on spectacle, pyrotechnics, choreography. The juries, on the other hand, have spent the past few months with this music, having observed the performers at pre-partie"

Israel’s participation has led to an unprecedented boycott by five countries in protest of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, undermining attempts to present Eurovision as apolitical. Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain are among the boycotters, along with Iceland and Slovenia. The absence of Spain is especially significant because it is one of the contest’s “Big Five” main sponsors. With these countries staying home, 35 countries compete in Vienna, Austria, and 10 have already been eliminated in semifinals. The 25 qualifiers perform in rapid succession in the Grand Final, which is tightly managed despite Eurovision’s chaotic image. Winning requires strong results in both live televoting and national jury votes, which differ in audience experience and evaluation.

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