Rovaniemi, Finland
In a stunning upset, a Finnish heavy-metal band won this year’s Eurovision song contest. Usually some cheesy Europop act wins the most call-in votes in the highly popular competition, which is televised live throughout Europe. But this year, the over-the-top theatrics of Lordi, a mock-Satanist group whose members wear monster costumes, won the day with “Hard Rock Hallelujah.” It’s the first win for frequent last-place finisher Finland, and the band’s hometown, Rovaniemi, says it will name a square after them. The upset was so unexpected that Ireland mistakenly posted a press release congratulating its entrant, Brian Kennedy, on his “marvelous win.” Ireland has won Eurovision seven times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Retribution: Trump calls for prosecution of criticsFeature Trump targets former officials who spoke out against him, sending a warning to future whistleblowers
-
Why does the U.S. need China's rare earth metals?Today's Big Question Beijing has a 'near monopoly' on tech's raw materials
-
When did divorce begin?The Explaine Couples have always split up, but the institution has undergone major changes over the years
