Music, entertainment... and politics!

1.- Austria, 2.- Israel, 3.- Estonia, 4.- Sweden, 5.- Italy, 6.- Greece, 7.- France, 8.- Albania, 9.- Ukraine, 10.- Switzerland, 11.- Finland, 12.- Netherlands, 13.- Latvia, 14.- Poland, 15.- Germany, 16.- Lithuania, 17.- Malta, 18.- Norway, 19.- United Kingdom, 20.- Armenia, 21.- Portugal, 22.- Luxembourg, 23.- Denmark, 24.- Spain, 25.- Iceland

In its 69th edition, the Eurovision Song Contest once again intertwined elements of entertainment and fun with controversy and politics, a mix that could begin to tire even its most loyal fans.

The artistic or the political?

The feeling the festival leaves behind is that politics continues to take precedence over art when it comes to voting. For some, the public vote yielded lower scores than expected. Special mention goes to the United Kingdom, where one of its representatives ('Remember Monday') gave another a pat on the back after receiving 0 points for the second year in a row.

Austria won (at the last gasp)

Ultimately, the victory went to Austria, whose representative, JJ, earned 436 points, thanks to the song 'Wasted Love.' The unusual performance combines heartfelt lyrics and a countertenor voice with dance beats to talk about unrequited love and abandonment.

Israel came close to victory again

The Austrian singer achieved victory in the nick of time, after Israel, thanks to the Televote, took the lead with 357 points. Yuval Raphael and her 'New Day Will Rise' were close to pulling off an upset.

That would have been problematic

Had Israel won the contest, a big problem would have arisen for the European organizers of the festival. Could the wartorn country host the song contest at all if it won? And if it could not, which other nation would be willing to co-host the event on Israel's behalf? As The Guardian's live correspondent noted, many participating broadcasters have protested the inclusion of Israel in the contest in the first place, and a victory for the controversial participant would present a delicate situation.

Bronze for a coffee

Third place, by just one point (356 in total), went to Estonia, as Tommy Cash's 'Espresso Macchiato' and, above all, his impossible footwork, captivated European viewers.

The favorite, off the podium

Sweden, the bookmakers' heavy favorite, finished in fourth place, ahead of countries like France and Switzerland, which were also tipped to win.

Ireland and Australia weren't even in the final

To the disappointment of many, Australia's representative Go-Jo had not received enough votes to make it to the Grand Finale. His 'Milkshake Man' remained in the closet on Saturday night. The same happened to Ireland's representative Emmy, a Norwegian singer with a poppy tune, but that was less of a surprise.