Israel wins Eurovision with # MeToo inspired song
Lisbon: Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon on Sunday after singer Netta Barzilai beat 25 other contestants with her uptempo song Toy whose lyrics were inspired by the # MeToo movement.
The winning track, which contained refrains such as “I am not your toy, you stupid boy”, summed up the concerns of many women who have adopted the growing global movement against sexual harassment.
The 25- year- old, who wore a multicoloured kimono, accompanied her winning performance with trills, clucking sounds and chicken- like dance moves in an eyecatching and bizarre performance that is often typical of the Eurovision contest. “I am so happy. Thank you so much. Thank you for supporting diversity,” she as she took the stage to perform her song again after her win was announced.
“People chose different, people chose refreshing.”
Barzilai secured 529 points, beating stiff competition from Cyprus’ Eleni Foureira and her fiery song Fuego which got 436 points. She received the Eurovision trophy from the last year’s winner, Portugal’s Salvador Sobral, who had called her song “horrible” in an interview published in Portuguese daily Publico on Wednesday.
“I felt he respected me and I send only love to him,” Barzilai said when asked at a press conference what it was like to receive the award from Sobral.
Shortly after her victory Barzilai managed to break the glass trophy she had been awarded — but organisers gave her a replacement at the postconcert press conference.