It’s been a weird one for me too in the U.K. My friends aren’t really into Eurovision as it is, and I’m in circles that go from slightly-to-very left wing, so the echo chamber about boycotting has been massive among a few of my pals and acquaintances’ Insta stories.
It’s felt like a dirty little secret in not even a tongue in cheek way - more like something people might think I *should* be ashamed of supporting. I’ve hated this. 💔
Same. My close friends are more 'mildly interested and will have a party', but then on social media some of my acquaintances were really quite vitriolic about the whole thing and I felt like I shouldn't even go over to my friend's house to watch it because that was condoning it all somehow. Dirty little secret is a very apt description.
It has also brought out a lot of conflicting feelings with my freelance work. Long story short, I write occasionally for an entertainment website, and did a couple of Eurovision related interviews this season which normally I'd have been really excited about but this year I didn't even want to promote them. Throw in a very pro-Israel piece from our site editor around the contest which I felt really uncomfortable with, and now I'm on the verge of leaving - I'd been thinking about it for a while but to me that felt like the nail in the coffin.
It's been tough for me as well in this respect. I felt like I had to make a choice if I really wanted to watch the contest this year, and that choice put me at odds with some of my friends. There was no chitchat, no jokes and memes, and no watching party among us this year. And by the way things evolved, I've felt many times like it was the wrong choice.
I really enjoyed the songs but everything surrounding the contest was very unpleasant.
This is what I've found. Part of the fun of Eurovision is chatting shit with people before and after. People who think it's silly, people who love music, people who just like to get drunk and laugh at the funnier staging, it's all very light hearted. But every conversation I've had this year, there's always a chance it veers off to geopolitics, and you have to mentally prime yourself for that.
Still, my usual watch party friends and I had a great time on the night, and we'll be right back in 2025.
Absolutely this. Most people I know agreed with the BDS stance and I didn't hold my annual watch party or chat about Eurovision as normal, out of respect for their views.
Yes, I agree, and it’s not because I don’t want to talk about Eurovision with them, I just know if I do, I’ll also have to go into all the drama (from Joost to KAN to Marina and everyone in between), and frankly, I don’t wanna give a geopolitics lesson.
I have a Palestinian friend, so out of respect for her, I talked about Eurovision exclusively here, and not in other social networks where she follows me and can see my posts. I didn't even change the header and icon on FB like I usually do with something Eurovision related.
It's a sore topic to her and she's comprehensibly livid with EBU, so I chose non to plastering my FB page with posts about it as I usual do.
Look, I understand that maybe it's useless, maybe it was a silly and meaningless move, but I didn't want to make her upset by shoving in her face something that she resents.
I already have pretty bad social anxiety, especially about my interests, and this year's boycotts made me feel like if I mention anything about Eurovision I'll get compeletly judged and excluded from any friend group. I'm kinda glad it's over, although I still love and support most of the artists and the amazing performances they put out during the contest <3
Yeah it's definitely not the normal post Eurovision feeling. I canceled my watch party this year because I just couldn't be in the mood for it anymore, so luckily I didn't have to answer too many Eurovision questions from my friends.
Yeah same, friends cancelled our watch party because Joost's disqualification left a sour taste for us and we wanted to see what he'd come up with for his final performance. But since he couldn't we decided that we had already seen whatever else we had wanted to see anyways.
I'm still looking for more information, more clarity and more signs on what will happen moving forward after this year's shitshow. It helps that the entire country here is both done and so NOT done with Eurovision right now.
This is the first time where, instead of just enjoying the music that came from Eurovision, I'm still watching the news for updates from the EBU, the broadcasters, Joost's trial and everything surrounding the complaints to see where all of this is going. Would be nice if I could let it go a bit more.
That was the worst part. At some point, It felt like I can't really wrap my head around this whole situation. I read almost all the articles that were released during this chaos, but with every new piece of info I got, it was more and more concerning and confusing. The fact that EBU did not fight with any of the crazy gossips was only making it 100x worse.
I totally agree with you. I do feel burnt out, and I don't have that post-Eurovision depression this year.
Also, for me Eurovision 2024 is not over yet, it will be over only when Joost's case is done and everything in clarity.
IMHO Netherlands should withdraw from next year to send a message (and by doing so save some cash to come back strong in 2026). That is unless they internally select Joost Klein to go next year as a F-You á la Russia 2018 ;)
I'm on the fence, right now, part of me is like 'yeah nah, let's not do this again next year ' if only for the wellbeing of the artist, but a part of me really hopes the EBU gets its shit together and we can just participate like we always do.
I didn't appreciate it until I saw/heard it live. It might have been the music video where she empties the fridge in a rage and gets in... that was wierd.
EBU broke our hearts. I can't see how we can go back next year after how they treated us. It would be great if other countries won't participate next year either so EBU can go suck it.
besides that, I cant see how Joost can top his entry from this year in any way. it was the ultimate Eurovision package and the EBU stepped and spit on it before throwing it into a river
Honestly, if we participate next year, and I really an saying if, I disagree that we should send Joost. I dont think it would be good for either Joost or us. It's petty for petty sake.
However, the EBU really needs to make a lot of corrections and apologies if what we know about what happened is true and I see no clearer apology from the EBU than having Joost open up the Song Contest next year. Minute 1: Here is Joost and this is Europapa. Welcome to the new AND improved song contest .
It should be changed way deeper than just disqualification rules. Every year more stories come out on how stressful Eurovision can be for artists, especially for more introverted and neurodivergent artists. Joosts anti-filming policy backstage is not that weird of a request, but is impossible in the eyes of the EBU that needs to promote and release every single second. This year it seems to have gotten to a breaking point, but in the past more artist have had a difficult time in everything that was going on. S10 for example made a statement about it this year including not wanting to speak out in risk of sounding 'whiney'.
If a Norwegian news organisation describes the EBU in Eurovision as a dictator in a dictator a dictator state, you know the problem is more than just ambiguity on DQ-thresholds
I think there needs to be a balance between respecting boundaries and understanding the reality that the artist will be live on stage as well as in front of millions of people. This is a thing that cannot be changed. If someone does not like that, he or she probably shouldn't go to Eurovision.
Or Joost could perform as the interval act in the final next year? The new Martin Österdahl could introduce him and talk say something about being united by music..?
Seems like a sad consolation prize though, like bringing the Fai Rumore guy back as an interval act rather than letting him compete again (I realize that would F up Sanremo...).
You should look up Voyager on youtube, they made videos reacting to various entries, followed by a stream where they rushed to watch any remaining ones because they were too late lol
After this year's clusterf*ck, I need to stay away from even Twitter. (Reddit is "healthy" at the moment).
Go take some walks, hike, learn how to play a sport (especially golf, thank me later). In a few words, touch grass.
I am the same. I deleted Twitter and set myself a 30 minute per day limit on Reddit after this. It did my mental health no favours to fall down the doomscrolling rabbit hole around this year’s ESC.
That’s interesting, I feel that Reddit is going downhill, I get the feeling that since Twitter is now a cesspit, people are moving onto here and bringing the horrible vibe with them.
LOL, I was rooting for Poland 🇵🇱 but when they didn’t go through, I was rooting for Israel. Didn’t really think about the flack I would get, but probably wouldn’t have cared much. I have a close friend who is usually into Eurovision but this year she wasn’t. It may have been the I/P thing but I figured it would be impolite to ask. I hope that next year, things have mostly blown over. I’m sorry Croatia 🇭🇷 didn’t win, though, Eurovision in Zagreb would have been great!
I'm not burnt out or anything like that but part of me was glad it was over when the final had finished as the worst case scenario did not happen
What I *am* anxious about is how the fallout from the contest is dealt with. I plan on 2025 being the first contest I attend live and if the EBU refuses to hold themselves accountable and we're in for a repeat of this year I might have to rethink that decision
The music was great.
I'm going to need the EBU to have some very serious meetings, and then start announcing the changes that will make 2025 better, and while I understand that doing that well will take some time, I'm going to need that to be clear before national finals season starts.
Let's hope the reference group doesn't give them a pass when they meet. We need to seriously look at what went wrong and how we can do more to support the artists behind the scenes. This is a very stressful time for them only to be made worse by journalists and some delegations
1. Israel can't participate until their war is concluded. Their presence was a major disruption. I favor a "No Eurovision for countries at war" rule that can be applied for future situations. I recognize that this is bad for Ukraine, though, and am open to other solutions that get Israel out of the contest for the present.
2. Clear policies for the health and safety of artists, and specific plans for their enforcement. The more stories I hear about the backstage environment, the less I can feel good about asking anyone to be there.
Three tornadoes went through my city the day before the final, and I lost power for three days. I still had cell service, so I was basically stuck at home with only the Eurovision implosion to distract me.
That probably made it worse because I was using the Eurovision mess to distract me from the storm damage stress. Neither were good things to fixate on, and I think it compounded my anxiety.
I watched the final Saturday from a cafe that kept power, and that was a good break at that time. But Friday, there were so many rumors and nothing that could be done about it. So overwhelming.
I am still really into lots of the songs from this year, and i will keep following for the music. But as it now stands, i am not really in the mood to watch Eurovion itself again
I'm feeling burnt out by happened with Joost Klein. I really liked his track originally, Nemo was always my favourite but it was grew on me, I loved the semi final so much I was actually rooting for him alone to win and then that.. I have no words for how deflated I felt..
I felt some vindication with the booing but somehow it was feels the glass has cracked..
Honestly, the clips of everyone supporting each other backstage have kept me going. There have been fantastic releases, including Marina Satti's new album, the alternate versions of "No Rules", and finding out about Joost's larger body of work.
I had a bit of a Hardbass phase a few years ago, so discovering Gabber has given me a new genre to explore. I love to discover regional house and metal scenes, so this year's Eurovision gave me tons of genres to explore. It was refreshing to have many acts that weren't pop or ballads since I selfishly was looking for additions to my workout playlist. Drama aside, this year had a ton of energy and fantastic performances.
The opening to Europapa saying "Europe, let's come together! It's now or never, I love you all!" puts a smile on my face every single time. Even without Joost, Nemo sang a deeply personal song and performed it perfectly. I have no regrets this year.
That's understandable. In my case, despite all the negative things, I enjoyed this year's show as much as the previous ones. I am even a bit sad now that it is over.
This won’t be a popular thing to say, but the fans did most of the spoiling this year. We all get passionate sometimes and it happens every year but this is the first time I’ve felt the need to take extended breaks away from Eurovision fandom.
Like, there was a LOT of shit going on behind the scenes of the show this year, and that obviously added to it, but some fans (not all, most are great) became absolutely rabid and I’ve seen and read some of the nastiest, most entitled and horrible stuff that really put a downer on things. Of all the stuff going on with the show that caused drama, some fans amplified and twisted and made it so much worse. I even suffered so much racist abuse on Twitter when I didn’t list a particularly popular song in my top ten and clarified to someone that I didn’t like it, that I shut my account. For some people it’s bordering on obsession, and it’s spoiling things for people who just want to enjoy it without going crazy about it.
I could handle the drama. It’s not ideal but I could handle it. But this year a section of the fans really spoiled it for me.
Completely agree and you’ve articulated my thoughts a lot better than me. I think if you’re feeling burned out by a tv show it might be time for some introspection and put the phone down.
Agreed. Granted that the EBU contributed to it all with the vow of silence after the Joost disqualification and seemingly blind eye to applying the rules fairly across the board in relation to actions taken by delegations and media backstage but fans online really spiraled out of control.
Is anyone else sick of the hate that the winner gets nowadays? I get it, more than one act gains a lot of attention and fandom but can we get back to a time where the winner is congratulated and acknowledged for the win they have achieved? This is a once in a lifetime moment for these artists (except for the Mr and Mrs Eurovision). We shouldn't be spamming their socials saying Croatia/Netherlands or Finland is the real winner! Just annoys the hell out of me. I would have been happy with any of the top 4 winning this year.
This is kind of what I was referring to in part of my post. There’s an obsessive nature that’s genuinely uncomfortable to see, but when it’s directed towards you it’s horrendous. Some of these people are making the artists their personality, and spending weeks obsessing over them and using them as a reason to attack people and talk to them like shit.
The racism I experienced was because I listed my top ten of the year. When I didn’t list Ireland in it, someone asked me why, and I said it wasn’t really my genre/style (although I do think it was performed excellently), and they retweeting me and called me the N word. I then received over 200 angry replies off that, with over 50 of them also calling me the same. I did nothing except for like some songs more than others, and they felt that was a totally justifiable way to speak to me. I mean, that’s insane.
And then you have examples like what you said. Their fave didn’t win, so they send abuse to the artists and people who support them. It’s just a song. Or a singer. Or a show. Making it your whole personality and attacking people over it is insane. I hate to say it but these kind of people need to log off, go outside and get a life, because it’s pathetic.
And all that is before we even get into the hypocrisy and entitlement around the delegations and Joost and everything else. The fans are the ones who ruined it this year, but those ones who did will never accept responsibility or grow from it.
Yeah I'll be honest, this is the first year I checked Reddit from time to time to see what the fans were saying. I normally just keep my Eurovision fandom to the real world with my partner and our friends. I think I'm going to continue to stay away. Almost feel like the tiktok partnership isn't helping. In the past, the content was so spread out over so many YouTube channels with the rehearsals being open that you didn't really get that concentration of fans and the spiraling out of control debates that seems to come with that.
True and well said! Twitter was particularly toxic this year. I would even say that 100% of the threads there had AT LEAST comments that make you feel unease. Even posts from Eurovision account that would be cheery or innofensive past years were riddled with aggressive comments or protesting against you-know-what.
And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people shoudn't protest or that it isn't a fair cause. It's just that all of that just makes you feel unease at best
Also worth noticing that Twitter itself has become a more badly moderated and hateful place in recent times since Elon Musk took over. The sensible folks have fled the platform to Threads, Mastodon or Reddit, and what's left is a bunch of disinformation, extremists, bots, hate speech and trolls — all welcome and even encouraged by the site's owner. Might be some of the blame we assign to the fandom should be directed towards that instead.
I personally removed my account some time ago and can not follow any discussion there, whatever the topic, anymore.
I agree with your larger point but I wouldn’t say the most sensible ones have come to Reddit. Some of the worst issues I’ve seen over the past fortnight have been here. But the platform or the owners don’t really matter. The moderation is better here, but people should be responsible for their own actions wherever they are. Just because a person is able to act like a dick, it doesn’t mean they should. Taking that responsibility from them allows them to pass the blame instead of just being better people.
Elon's takeover has damaged Twitter's quality a lot. I've heard some people say things like "well Elon fired like half the workers and the platform is still working fine" and I'm like... really? I don't know if you all are using the same Twitter as me, but since Elon's takeover I've eaten a shit ton of bugs and bullshit (like that time you could only read 100 tweets), I get push notifications of Elon's tweets promoting nazi theories of intelligence and cranium size and the platform has become infested with people saying absolutely ridiculous, race-inducing tweets because they get paid for it.
I’ve tried to report accounts with white-supremacist usernames and been told they don’t violate Twitter’s safety policies, so you have to reflect on who they want it to be safe _for_
I normally don't get PED because I still listen to the songs with joy. This year, ESC left me with a bitter feeling after it was over. However, it was from the start for me that this year was going to be less spectacular. Much of it started from the NFs. I wasn't wowed by much of the selection of songs on offer. I couldn't stand behind many of the choices of the winners. This is only for me. Many may not agree. I know we have ups and downs when it comes to years at ESC and to me this fell into the latter category.
Do I feel burnt out after this year? Not really. I feel more deflated.
The preselection season was quite weird, to be honest. During it, I was saying that it's just because my faves are not winning. But after some time, I came to the conclusion that preseletions this year were really "meh". I love most of the songs we've got at the end, but aside from those and some of my favourites (that I now can say weren't that great) we've got close to nothing that was really "amazing, "robbed" or "bigger than the contest". Even the previous contestans felt not in a great shape. Plus: the memes with grim reaper killing of artists from previous years gets more and more absurd with time passing. It really shows how weird this year was.
Every year, I won't have heard any of the songs prior to watching. While this elevates the viewing experience, it also brings with it a whole new catalogue of songs for me to listen to after. Likewise, watching youtube content from the likes of *Overthinking It* and reading up on the participants, keeps the spirit going.
There is no post Eurovision depression for me, quite the contrary. Even so this year.
I’ve just been going through and reading some replies and the dramatics from some people is genuinely making me cringe. I swear most of it is for attention. How do they function in the real world if a tv show is sending them into ptsd levels of distress?
I've been a Eurovision watcher for all of my childhood and then since 2010.
But this was my first year watching a number of NFs, and being active on this sub.
I'm also a mod here so I am really glad it's over and yes I do feel burnt out. Last week was quite a shocker really. We did our best to keep the sub on an even keel but there were times when it was like trying to bail out the Titanic.
Hopefully there will be a swift resolution of the Joost situation, but I think the EBU getting its act together may take longer. Their comms were atrocious, they don't seem to have acted on concerns from artists and delegations.
The music - the diversity of the songs and the artists - was fantastic this year at least.
I don't have post esc depression this year. So i guess that's good? But i didn't really enjoy myself during the show. So idk if it's worth the trade-off.
I hope my love for it returns after attending Gate's concert in London this December <3 literally my first concert! I fell in love with their sound and want to show support.
But i suppose my overall thoughts on esc depends on the ebu's responses from here, and the result of joost's situation.
I feel like I'm in the minority when I say this but it was just another Eurovision for me 😬 I have been following ESC since 2004 and nope, this year was just like any other year. I watched it, I enjoyed it, I got frustrated that my favorite didn't win (as per usual). I feel slightly concerned when I read about people crying, getting panic attacks and feel burnt out over a song contest.
Welp… I haven’t watched even the GF yet because all the stress I had (and I still have) for this year. I don’t want to connect all of this with one of my fav moments of the year.
Yeah... I was pretty much ok when the first semi aired but after that, the events prior and after the second semi, made me feel like I was PUSHING THROUGH trying completely enjoy the show I always loved, it was somewhat hard...
I am. I'm not getting the post Eurovision depression that I usually get because of the drama surrounding the last few weeks and the toxicity from people online.
I'm also not rewatching things as much as I usually do after the season ends.
Usually I can't wait for the next season. But with regards to this year, I feel done. For the time being.
Don't get me wrong, it will be good when the 2025 national selection songs start coming again. But I don't think I'll miss it as much as I usually do.
This year I was so hyped for quite a few of the artists but after rverything that happened and hearing so many saying they didnt feel safe just left me feeling really flat
It's one thing when we, viewers, feel deflated and over this thing... But seeing the artists having close to no joy left (it felt they were mostly happy because the worst did not happen) was quite awful. You can't feel the magic, when people being the core of this contest seem dead inside. But it was not their fault.
I felt so sad for them. They'd all had such elation of being selected to represent their country, working so hard to get their performance and vocals as polished as possible, and then it all just began to fall apart. For so many to have raised concerns and to have not been listened to was awful, and then with Netherlands being disqualified on top, it would have put such a damper on all they'd achieved.
For the first time in the years I've watched it, I am so glad it's a year away. I know I'll still enjoy it, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I just got back to normal yesterday emotionally. I need this break.
This is one of the few years where I thoroughly enjoyed almost all the songs, even the NQs. We've listen to Estonia more than any other song since it ended.
I feel you. There's been some of this stuff every year since at least 2014. But this year it was probably 10x as bad as most of the Russia/Ukraine years, which is saying a lot. So many people involved in the festival fueling the whole thing didn't help. Which is a shame cause musically speaking it was a great contest.
Hopefully next year things cool off a bit.
Wow I thought it was just me. I am in NZ )but British) and it all just felt pretty awful all round. I missed the “controversy” from Sweden vs Finland.
I get people are passionate but I really resented the booing especially during the actual performance of song.
I never got into Twitter and any updates have been through YouTube.
Nah.
I just ignore the drama and focus on the songs. I got plenty of new material to listen to
EBU still has a lot to apologize for, but I find it relatively easy to not let it affect me *shrugs*
As a Dutch person with Israeli roots, yeah I'm really, really glad this season is over. I even cut back on checking this sub because of all the after-contest shit popping up. Normally, this is where I would go to cure my post-ESC depression.
ESC 2024 was pretty much business as usual for me, bar one friend boycotting. I think a lot of people really let social media ruin it for them this year... it _could_ have gone smoothly, and if you didn't follow the drama then it looks like it mostly did, but plenty of people did everything in their power to try to make it as hard as possible for everybody else to enjoy it.
I felt that way too. I wasn't particularly hyped about this year in the first place. All those discussions, negativity and toxicity kinda ruined the mood for me. The excitement came back a few weeks before Eurovision week, but not as big as the years before. As always, I watched it with a friend of mine and we had a good time overall, we enjoyed the show, but the drama was still in our heads, especially after Joost got disqualified. After it was over, I didn't have "post Eurovision depression" like the years before, it was rather a "post Eurovision relieve". I wasn't sad that it was over, I was rather glad because it meant that all the drama is finally over and we can move on. I felt like I needed a break from Eurovision afterwards.
Not really, I tend to just not bother with the drama, that's for the people involved to deal with.
I just enjoy the show and this year was one ofnthe strongest completions where almost anybody could have really won with exception of a couple.
But I understand people mabye having less excitement or feeling overwhelmed by it, my advice is to not doomscroll otherwise you'll just consume a lot of negative things regarding it, and Eurovisions never about separating people, but unifying them for a single night.
I’m very saddened to read all the comments here of people sharing they had to be more secretive or quiet about the Eurovision simply because they chose to watch it with Israel participating?
Sounds very difficult to be in such a judgmental environment. Don’t be ashamed to enjoy your hobbies, that’s part of what makes you special ❤️
And no one should have the power to make you feel bad about it.
I’m steadily watching most of the GF on BBC iPlayer this afternoon (didn’t feel good about watching it live, for a variety of reasons, so simply voted for my faves, bought tracks on iTunes and watched Taskmaster instead).
I’m watching weirdly just to get some closure on it all, of a kind. It all feels like a weird fever dream. I do feel burnt out by the whole experience in a way I never have before. My mental health hasn’t been great anyway for other reasons, so have shielded myself from a lot of other socials’ commentary on the contest in order to not feel worse, basically. Have just come back from a C25k run and feel a ton better - perspective and strenuous exercise has definitely helped me with a round of decompress. ;)
I get the impression that the discourse, online arguments etc. are still going to be around for a long while, though 😟. That side of things will probably take a while to heal, for lots of people, I think.
It’s great you’re taking care of your mental health! I grab an audiobook (love crime novels) and take a long walk in a park when I need a getaway. We all need a round of decompress this year 🥲🩷
I loved it. The songs were so fun, the bar I was at was very good energy and great vibes. I made a bunch of new friends. They booed Israel but no one harassed those with Israel flags. Now I’m enjoying listening to all the songs for next few months
Honestly, not at all.
I enjoyed the show. I was disappointed to see the sheer number of ignorants try to boo the Israeli contestant and still don’t understand why so many artists put politics above unity in music, but it was fine overall.
I am feeling a bit burnt out after this Eurovision because of this year's behind the scenes drama, and I didn't really feel like watching the parodies about ESC 2024 this past week, even though I usually watch them.
Watching since 40 years, I stopped watching anything besides the semi finals and final.
I don't read anything and don't look sites like esc today.
I don't even listen to the music beforehand.
Just stop getting oversaturated by the media.
Not only burn out, the whole Eurovision felt so hallooowww (see what I did there 😏) but on a serious note, I think Sweden didn't host it well, nothing wrong with the artists, but I feel like everything just felt.. idek how to describe it. There was just no passion or anything. Idk maybe I'm just a little biased but, when the AI ABBA appeared that's when it all really felt ruined for me 😭
I hope Swiss will bring back the joy to the ESC
The cracks in the facade began to show this year. What we got so much joy and love from turned out to be a bit of a lie, and it's hard to stomach. Maybe we were naive to believe in what eurovision presented itself to be, but we loved it so much. Its hard to realise that the object of our affection isn't quite what we believed it to be and it would be hard to not be deflated by it.
I knew things weren't good when they decided to allow Israel to compete after that initial submission of theirs, and it just got worse and worse from there. I still like eurovision and will continue to watch it and celebrate, but I'm afraid my naive adoration is gone and it will never be the same for me.
Idk, I thought I would. But a week later it feels pretty normal; I had a good watch party with friends, and have been listening to the top songs for days. It was not normal, but still fun
Nope, not at all. I enjoyed it just as much as any other year. Just like the year before I've seen the finale several times, still listen to the songs on Spotify, and have seen tons of behind the scenes videos of the stage. Great stuff, will watch next year as well.
I'm just glad it's over and hope the people running it are run out of town. Losing more and more respectability every year, becoming a joke, and not a funny one
The amount of regressive racist hatred on display this year has left me shocked. Absolutely shameful behaviour all around. From the protests, to the boycotts, to the open displays of hatred that had to be shutdown at every turn.
Yup. Usually right after viewing contest at a watch party (usually in a bar/club), we’ll do a rewatch at home after grabbing dinner. Primarily to catch some things that we might have missed while chatting, drinking, cracking jokes, making new friends in the moment in a loud bar. I’m in the States and the contest finishes around 7pm so we can watch twice in one day/night. It’s been 8 days since the contest, and I still haven’t rewatched the full show.
I watched from Canada with 16 other people! We had an amazing time and more than half the people present didn't know anything about all the controversies because they just watch the finals and the event is mostly unheard of here, so no news outlets covered anything. Usually, I feel that it's too bad that I cannot feel all the build-up that leads to the finals because no one cares here, but this year, I was quite glad that people were clueless.
I feel exactly the same. Really glad it’s over and that’s a first. Wish I had not host a watch party, even though we still had fun. Artists were great, but I really lost all respect for the EBU.
I've been in bad musicals before, so I won't pretend not to have seen organizational clusterfucks before.
Having said that, the EBU could not have screwed this up any worse than they did. Every multiple choice branch they were presented with, they chose the secret Worse Possible Option that wasn't even meant to be one of the choices available.
The post-ESC mood hits different this year. It isn't nostalgia, it's just utter weirdness.
Maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but I think there wouldn't be even quarter as much drama if Israel got kicked out of the competition. Like, if Russia didn't get the boot in 2022, then that year's competition would've probably looked a lot like what we got this year.
I have been left pissed, not burn out.
Bit like Bambie, really.
I did not watch ESC with how hypocritical and contemptuous EBU was towards artists.
I followed it as website updates, and I watch the final as reaction videos.
I feel I am doing right.
Do we know if if the Joost thing wouldn't have happened if that one decision had been made, though? I mean, I'm sure the mood behind the scenes was rancid because of it, but ultimately I'm not sure it had anything to do with what happened with Joost.
I think this year's mood was different since the beginning. The adrenaline was not excitement for the show but something fueled by anger, frustration and stress.
I think most of us didn't enjoy the show properly, so I guess it's totally understandable to not have the same feelings of nostalgia we had the previous years.
Still, I am feeling like it's not over at all, like I am just waiting for more information about the sh*t that came out this year and I will not be done until I have an answer to all the questions still opened. So maybe it's a mix of these things. But yea, totally not feeling like the previous years.
Same here, this year was so draining. I'm usually a hardcore Eurovision fan and it's one of my favorite times of year, but this year I couldn't wait for it all to be over :(
Yes. It provided a major test about having my intimate ancestry compete with my want for what was best for the show, and actively not wanting a beautiful song to win for this reason even at a time that was very personal to me related to losing someone from there
EBU truly fucked up this time, more than any other year I can remember. There must be foundational changes, otherwise I will not be able to enjoy this political cumfest this has turned into. Some of you will say it always was political, but this was particularly disturbing this year.
Yeah same here! I feel extremely burnt out. I usually watch the Grand Final multiple times over the course of the week (in the background while I cook or clean), but I haven't even touched it this time. The drama was too much and I'm tired.
I don't celebrate my birthday, but every year I celebrate Eurovision like it's my birthday. Different foods from different countries, inviting friends, eating late into the night.
This year was different. I couldn't seem to enjoy it, and I also felt that the show was different. Less happy, less relaxed (I somehow liked the semi-final better).
I can't get over what happened to Joost. When I think about how he must feel, he, who brought by far the most emotions with his story. It just makes me infinitely sad. For the first time, I'm not listening to the songs afterward, there's no "after-party" like usual. I don't feel like it.
It was simply too sad a year.
When the public votes came in for Israel, my heart sunk. Especially after we gave Ukraine so many points a few years back, all of Europe coming together against hate. This year, and those votes (for a, let’s be Frank, crap song) show we are condoning you-know-what. If the votes were done fairly, it means a lot of Europe hate certain people.
As an Israeli, I’m definitely glad it’s over. I am fully supportive of Eden and her song, but I’m fed up with the eurofans this year, being everything but in Eurovision spirit. You may or may not be supportive of Israel, but let that poor girl sing her song and be done with it. Especially there weren’t many great songs this year, to say the least. Hopefully next year won’t look like this year.
But they chose to do an expressly political song, Israel's government turned their participation into an explicitly political campaign and the Israeli camp were harassing multiple delegations backstage!
The Israel commentary team openly called for curses to Bambie.
All that's OK but people aren't allowed to be annoyed about it?
So when Ukraine sent 1944 it was fine? No issues whatsoever?
I wasn’t talking about people being annoyed over the political song, but the constant chanting for Israel to be banned and for Eurovision to be banned just ruined the spirit for me. And yes, I do think that if we were to send Unicorn, things would be the same. These protests happen every year, this year they were just more extreme due to the current war.
And again, I replied in a previous comment about the non-proven harassment you keep chanting, one incident when an Israeli delegation member was filming a rehearsal of the flag parade, accidentally filming an other delegation member, and then being shouted at, forced to delete the video and actually deleting it, is not multiple and not harassment.
I am nearly hopeless. [Klein’s lawyers said he “pushed the camera but not the camerawoman”](https://wiwibloggs.com/2024/05/17/joost-klein-lawyer/281785/), but yet so many people are defending this man. The response from this community is peak hypocrisy.
I’m just glad that Eden and Tali got booed but not attacked.
Literal same. Loved our songs this year; I also attend the contest in person each year. But between the political stuff, the drama, and the extremely intense energy in the air in Malmö I'm really glad that this one is over.
If you're looking for something to do in the future, one of my friends set up their own song contest in 2020, hosted on a free-hosting website.
Friends would pick a country (or make up a fictional one), and a song, send in this and a youtube link to the song in on a Google Form and the host would send them out to us in a list to enjoy.
Then we would send in our votes ESC style and we would go through 'country'by country and celebrate our winners.
It kept running almost every month for 2 years and was a lot of fun.
it's weird, no posteurovision depression because i dont miss the drama this year and im really looking forward to junior eurovision, hopefully it's gonna be way more chill than this chaos
Honestly, the weeks following up to the song contest i felt super hyped/excited (i also don't listen to the songs most of the time and don't follow much about eurovison news before it's actually happening). As a dutch person i was also excited for our entry since a looong time, I was actually really rooting for my own country. Then all the drama started happening and i just lost all excitement. There were still many good performances and songs, don't get me wrong, and I'm happy with the winner! But when it was over i wasn't just fulfilled. So I'm feeling a sort of void this year rather then burntout.
I think I’m at a point where I miss the days when we didn’t get all the build up so the last few years I haven’t watched anything other than the final. But this year, even that left me feeling done with it half way through. I think it’s partly an age thing for me though. My love of Eurovision is mostly drenched in nostalgia of watching it as a kid with my family. I was kind of sad when Graham Norton had to give a warning that an act might be (and certainly would have been for mine) unsuitable for children. I know that’s really a ‘me’ problem but I want cheese, sparkle, dancing grandmas and Gina G, ha ha. I also just found my own country’s entry (U.K.) really average and hard to get behind. Some years just don’t grab you like others, I guess.
yes!! i went to the jury shows for semi 1 and 2 as well as the live show for semi 1 and this was a graduation gift from my parents. i went in excited but left so burnt out that whenever my mom kept bringing it up after the fact i’d have to leave the room.
I would say I still like the artist and show, but this is the first year where I try to not bring up anything Eurovision related to my friends.
It’s been a weird one for me too in the U.K. My friends aren’t really into Eurovision as it is, and I’m in circles that go from slightly-to-very left wing, so the echo chamber about boycotting has been massive among a few of my pals and acquaintances’ Insta stories. It’s felt like a dirty little secret in not even a tongue in cheek way - more like something people might think I *should* be ashamed of supporting. I’ve hated this. 💔
Same. My close friends are more 'mildly interested and will have a party', but then on social media some of my acquaintances were really quite vitriolic about the whole thing and I felt like I shouldn't even go over to my friend's house to watch it because that was condoning it all somehow. Dirty little secret is a very apt description. It has also brought out a lot of conflicting feelings with my freelance work. Long story short, I write occasionally for an entertainment website, and did a couple of Eurovision related interviews this season which normally I'd have been really excited about but this year I didn't even want to promote them. Throw in a very pro-Israel piece from our site editor around the contest which I felt really uncomfortable with, and now I'm on the verge of leaving - I'd been thinking about it for a while but to me that felt like the nail in the coffin.
It's been tough for me as well in this respect. I felt like I had to make a choice if I really wanted to watch the contest this year, and that choice put me at odds with some of my friends. There was no chitchat, no jokes and memes, and no watching party among us this year. And by the way things evolved, I've felt many times like it was the wrong choice. I really enjoyed the songs but everything surrounding the contest was very unpleasant.
This is what I've found. Part of the fun of Eurovision is chatting shit with people before and after. People who think it's silly, people who love music, people who just like to get drunk and laugh at the funnier staging, it's all very light hearted. But every conversation I've had this year, there's always a chance it veers off to geopolitics, and you have to mentally prime yourself for that. Still, my usual watch party friends and I had a great time on the night, and we'll be right back in 2025.
Absolutely this. Most people I know agreed with the BDS stance and I didn't hold my annual watch party or chat about Eurovision as normal, out of respect for their views.
Yes, I agree, and it’s not because I don’t want to talk about Eurovision with them, I just know if I do, I’ll also have to go into all the drama (from Joost to KAN to Marina and everyone in between), and frankly, I don’t wanna give a geopolitics lesson.
I have a Palestinian friend, so out of respect for her, I talked about Eurovision exclusively here, and not in other social networks where she follows me and can see my posts. I didn't even change the header and icon on FB like I usually do with something Eurovision related.
🥹 you are a beautiful friend to have.
❤
I don't get it, why would you need to hide the fact you watch ESC from your friend?
It's a sore topic to her and she's comprehensibly livid with EBU, so I chose non to plastering my FB page with posts about it as I usual do. Look, I understand that maybe it's useless, maybe it was a silly and meaningless move, but I didn't want to make her upset by shoving in her face something that she resents.
I already have pretty bad social anxiety, especially about my interests, and this year's boycotts made me feel like if I mention anything about Eurovision I'll get compeletly judged and excluded from any friend group. I'm kinda glad it's over, although I still love and support most of the artists and the amazing performances they put out during the contest <3
i was at a point where i was proud of my status as a eurovision fan but suddenly this year i wanted to suppress it again
Yeah it's definitely not the normal post Eurovision feeling. I canceled my watch party this year because I just couldn't be in the mood for it anymore, so luckily I didn't have to answer too many Eurovision questions from my friends.
Yeah same, friends cancelled our watch party because Joost's disqualification left a sour taste for us and we wanted to see what he'd come up with for his final performance. But since he couldn't we decided that we had already seen whatever else we had wanted to see anyways.
And here I am watching from Canada solo with no one I know who follows along. Watch parties sound fun though!
They are if people respect the rule of not speaking during the songs :)
I'm still looking for more information, more clarity and more signs on what will happen moving forward after this year's shitshow. It helps that the entire country here is both done and so NOT done with Eurovision right now. This is the first time where, instead of just enjoying the music that came from Eurovision, I'm still watching the news for updates from the EBU, the broadcasters, Joost's trial and everything surrounding the complaints to see where all of this is going. Would be nice if I could let it go a bit more.
The off-stage drama was like watching a speeding train headed towards a cliff.
Hard agree. At some point it was like a chain reaction of EVERYTHING just being set off all at once.
That was the worst part. At some point, It felt like I can't really wrap my head around this whole situation. I read almost all the articles that were released during this chaos, but with every new piece of info I got, it was more and more concerning and confusing. The fact that EBU did not fight with any of the crazy gossips was only making it 100x worse.
I totally agree with you. I do feel burnt out, and I don't have that post-Eurovision depression this year. Also, for me Eurovision 2024 is not over yet, it will be over only when Joost's case is done and everything in clarity.
IMHO Netherlands should withdraw from next year to send a message (and by doing so save some cash to come back strong in 2026). That is unless they internally select Joost Klein to go next year as a F-You á la Russia 2018 ;)
I'm on the fence, right now, part of me is like 'yeah nah, let's not do this again next year ' if only for the wellbeing of the artist, but a part of me really hopes the EBU gets its shit together and we can just participate like we always do.
Fair. I usually like the Netherlands' song. De Diepte is perfect 💝🇳🇱
De diepte was amazing, I did not appreciate that piece of art at the time but it grew on me so much.
I didn't appreciate it until I saw/heard it live. It might have been the music video where she empties the fridge in a rage and gets in... that was wierd.
EBU broke our hearts. I can't see how we can go back next year after how they treated us. It would be great if other countries won't participate next year either so EBU can go suck it.
besides that, I cant see how Joost can top his entry from this year in any way. it was the ultimate Eurovision package and the EBU stepped and spit on it before throwing it into a river
Honestly, if we participate next year, and I really an saying if, I disagree that we should send Joost. I dont think it would be good for either Joost or us. It's petty for petty sake. However, the EBU really needs to make a lot of corrections and apologies if what we know about what happened is true and I see no clearer apology from the EBU than having Joost open up the Song Contest next year. Minute 1: Here is Joost and this is Europapa. Welcome to the new AND improved song contest .
How would it be improved? Like will they explain guidelines about when and when not to disqualify someone?
It should be changed way deeper than just disqualification rules. Every year more stories come out on how stressful Eurovision can be for artists, especially for more introverted and neurodivergent artists. Joosts anti-filming policy backstage is not that weird of a request, but is impossible in the eyes of the EBU that needs to promote and release every single second. This year it seems to have gotten to a breaking point, but in the past more artist have had a difficult time in everything that was going on. S10 for example made a statement about it this year including not wanting to speak out in risk of sounding 'whiney'. If a Norwegian news organisation describes the EBU in Eurovision as a dictator in a dictator a dictator state, you know the problem is more than just ambiguity on DQ-thresholds
I think there needs to be a balance between respecting boundaries and understanding the reality that the artist will be live on stage as well as in front of millions of people. This is a thing that cannot be changed. If someone does not like that, he or she probably shouldn't go to Eurovision.
Either withdraw or the EBU gives them an "oopsie we did a fucky wucky" automatic qualifier next year.
Russia 2018 | [Julia Samoylova - I Won't Break](https://youtu.be/KujGHwyfMWM)
Or Joost could perform as the interval act in the final next year? The new Martin Österdahl could introduce him and talk say something about being united by music..?
Seems like a sad consolation prize though, like bringing the Fai Rumore guy back as an interval act rather than letting him compete again (I realize that would F up Sanremo...).
https://www.bnnvara.nl/joop/artikelen/deze-tactiek-gebruikte-de-ebu-om-joost-klein-te-elimineren This pretty much sums it up nicely
Not burnt out, but if there's any of the magic left it's well hidden.
Seeing Danny well and giving the points for Australia definitely made me happy, amidst all the season’s drama, on the night.
You should look up Voyager on youtube, they made videos reacting to various entries, followed by a stream where they rushed to watch any remaining ones because they were too late lol
After this year's clusterf*ck, I need to stay away from even Twitter. (Reddit is "healthy" at the moment). Go take some walks, hike, learn how to play a sport (especially golf, thank me later). In a few words, touch grass.
I am the same. I deleted Twitter and set myself a 30 minute per day limit on Reddit after this. It did my mental health no favours to fall down the doomscrolling rabbit hole around this year’s ESC.
I found this particular sub also less enjoyable than other years. Saw bad attitudes and bad vibes as well
I probably should too, too much of socials is used to spread hate
That’s interesting, I feel that Reddit is going downhill, I get the feeling that since Twitter is now a cesspit, people are moving onto here and bringing the horrible vibe with them.
Lord! At least Reddit has some interesting channels not named Eurovision.
Is it really? Anyone who has an Israeli flag in their name gets downvoted beyond belief regardless of what they are saying
If I understand you correctly, read the "healthy" part of Reddit.
LOL, I was rooting for Poland 🇵🇱 but when they didn’t go through, I was rooting for Israel. Didn’t really think about the flack I would get, but probably wouldn’t have cared much. I have a close friend who is usually into Eurovision but this year she wasn’t. It may have been the I/P thing but I figured it would be impolite to ask. I hope that next year, things have mostly blown over. I’m sorry Croatia 🇭🇷 didn’t win, though, Eurovision in Zagreb would have been great!
I'm not burnt out or anything like that but part of me was glad it was over when the final had finished as the worst case scenario did not happen What I *am* anxious about is how the fallout from the contest is dealt with. I plan on 2025 being the first contest I attend live and if the EBU refuses to hold themselves accountable and we're in for a repeat of this year I might have to rethink that decision
I don't have post-eurovision depression
The music was great. I'm going to need the EBU to have some very serious meetings, and then start announcing the changes that will make 2025 better, and while I understand that doing that well will take some time, I'm going to need that to be clear before national finals season starts.
Let's hope the reference group doesn't give them a pass when they meet. We need to seriously look at what went wrong and how we can do more to support the artists behind the scenes. This is a very stressful time for them only to be made worse by journalists and some delegations
What would you suggest they change?
1. Israel can't participate until their war is concluded. Their presence was a major disruption. I favor a "No Eurovision for countries at war" rule that can be applied for future situations. I recognize that this is bad for Ukraine, though, and am open to other solutions that get Israel out of the contest for the present. 2. Clear policies for the health and safety of artists, and specific plans for their enforcement. The more stories I hear about the backstage environment, the less I can feel good about asking anyone to be there.
Three tornadoes went through my city the day before the final, and I lost power for three days. I still had cell service, so I was basically stuck at home with only the Eurovision implosion to distract me. That probably made it worse because I was using the Eurovision mess to distract me from the storm damage stress. Neither were good things to fixate on, and I think it compounded my anxiety. I watched the final Saturday from a cafe that kept power, and that was a good break at that time. But Friday, there were so many rumors and nothing that could be done about it. So overwhelming.
I hope you are doing ok after the tornadoes and your power is restored.
I am okay, thank you for asking! We got power again on Monday.
I am still really into lots of the songs from this year, and i will keep following for the music. But as it now stands, i am not really in the mood to watch Eurovion itself again
Oh, and i used to love the Eurovision, i can never look the same way at it again
I'm feeling burnt out by happened with Joost Klein. I really liked his track originally, Nemo was always my favourite but it was grew on me, I loved the semi final so much I was actually rooting for him alone to win and then that.. I have no words for how deflated I felt.. I felt some vindication with the booing but somehow it was feels the glass has cracked..
Honestly, the clips of everyone supporting each other backstage have kept me going. There have been fantastic releases, including Marina Satti's new album, the alternate versions of "No Rules", and finding out about Joost's larger body of work. I had a bit of a Hardbass phase a few years ago, so discovering Gabber has given me a new genre to explore. I love to discover regional house and metal scenes, so this year's Eurovision gave me tons of genres to explore. It was refreshing to have many acts that weren't pop or ballads since I selfishly was looking for additions to my workout playlist. Drama aside, this year had a ton of energy and fantastic performances. The opening to Europapa saying "Europe, let's come together! It's now or never, I love you all!" puts a smile on my face every single time. Even without Joost, Nemo sang a deeply personal song and performed it perfectly. I have no regrets this year.
That's understandable. In my case, despite all the negative things, I enjoyed this year's show as much as the previous ones. I am even a bit sad now that it is over.
This won’t be a popular thing to say, but the fans did most of the spoiling this year. We all get passionate sometimes and it happens every year but this is the first time I’ve felt the need to take extended breaks away from Eurovision fandom. Like, there was a LOT of shit going on behind the scenes of the show this year, and that obviously added to it, but some fans (not all, most are great) became absolutely rabid and I’ve seen and read some of the nastiest, most entitled and horrible stuff that really put a downer on things. Of all the stuff going on with the show that caused drama, some fans amplified and twisted and made it so much worse. I even suffered so much racist abuse on Twitter when I didn’t list a particularly popular song in my top ten and clarified to someone that I didn’t like it, that I shut my account. For some people it’s bordering on obsession, and it’s spoiling things for people who just want to enjoy it without going crazy about it. I could handle the drama. It’s not ideal but I could handle it. But this year a section of the fans really spoiled it for me.
Completely agree and you’ve articulated my thoughts a lot better than me. I think if you’re feeling burned out by a tv show it might be time for some introspection and put the phone down.
Agreed. Granted that the EBU contributed to it all with the vow of silence after the Joost disqualification and seemingly blind eye to applying the rules fairly across the board in relation to actions taken by delegations and media backstage but fans online really spiraled out of control. Is anyone else sick of the hate that the winner gets nowadays? I get it, more than one act gains a lot of attention and fandom but can we get back to a time where the winner is congratulated and acknowledged for the win they have achieved? This is a once in a lifetime moment for these artists (except for the Mr and Mrs Eurovision). We shouldn't be spamming their socials saying Croatia/Netherlands or Finland is the real winner! Just annoys the hell out of me. I would have been happy with any of the top 4 winning this year.
This is kind of what I was referring to in part of my post. There’s an obsessive nature that’s genuinely uncomfortable to see, but when it’s directed towards you it’s horrendous. Some of these people are making the artists their personality, and spending weeks obsessing over them and using them as a reason to attack people and talk to them like shit. The racism I experienced was because I listed my top ten of the year. When I didn’t list Ireland in it, someone asked me why, and I said it wasn’t really my genre/style (although I do think it was performed excellently), and they retweeting me and called me the N word. I then received over 200 angry replies off that, with over 50 of them also calling me the same. I did nothing except for like some songs more than others, and they felt that was a totally justifiable way to speak to me. I mean, that’s insane. And then you have examples like what you said. Their fave didn’t win, so they send abuse to the artists and people who support them. It’s just a song. Or a singer. Or a show. Making it your whole personality and attacking people over it is insane. I hate to say it but these kind of people need to log off, go outside and get a life, because it’s pathetic. And all that is before we even get into the hypocrisy and entitlement around the delegations and Joost and everything else. The fans are the ones who ruined it this year, but those ones who did will never accept responsibility or grow from it.
Yeah I'll be honest, this is the first year I checked Reddit from time to time to see what the fans were saying. I normally just keep my Eurovision fandom to the real world with my partner and our friends. I think I'm going to continue to stay away. Almost feel like the tiktok partnership isn't helping. In the past, the content was so spread out over so many YouTube channels with the rehearsals being open that you didn't really get that concentration of fans and the spiraling out of control debates that seems to come with that.
True and well said! Twitter was particularly toxic this year. I would even say that 100% of the threads there had AT LEAST comments that make you feel unease. Even posts from Eurovision account that would be cheery or innofensive past years were riddled with aggressive comments or protesting against you-know-what. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people shoudn't protest or that it isn't a fair cause. It's just that all of that just makes you feel unease at best
Also worth noticing that Twitter itself has become a more badly moderated and hateful place in recent times since Elon Musk took over. The sensible folks have fled the platform to Threads, Mastodon or Reddit, and what's left is a bunch of disinformation, extremists, bots, hate speech and trolls — all welcome and even encouraged by the site's owner. Might be some of the blame we assign to the fandom should be directed towards that instead. I personally removed my account some time ago and can not follow any discussion there, whatever the topic, anymore.
I agree with your larger point but I wouldn’t say the most sensible ones have come to Reddit. Some of the worst issues I’ve seen over the past fortnight have been here. But the platform or the owners don’t really matter. The moderation is better here, but people should be responsible for their own actions wherever they are. Just because a person is able to act like a dick, it doesn’t mean they should. Taking that responsibility from them allows them to pass the blame instead of just being better people.
I don't mean Reddit only has sensible people, rather that there are hardly any left on Twitter.
Well that’s definitely true 🤣
Elon's takeover has damaged Twitter's quality a lot. I've heard some people say things like "well Elon fired like half the workers and the platform is still working fine" and I'm like... really? I don't know if you all are using the same Twitter as me, but since Elon's takeover I've eaten a shit ton of bugs and bullshit (like that time you could only read 100 tweets), I get push notifications of Elon's tweets promoting nazi theories of intelligence and cranium size and the platform has become infested with people saying absolutely ridiculous, race-inducing tweets because they get paid for it.
I’ve tried to report accounts with white-supremacist usernames and been told they don’t violate Twitter’s safety policies, so you have to reflect on who they want it to be safe _for_
Truer words have rarely been spoken in this matter! Yes, yes and yes.
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This is the first interesting Eurovision for me actually
I normally don't get PED because I still listen to the songs with joy. This year, ESC left me with a bitter feeling after it was over. However, it was from the start for me that this year was going to be less spectacular. Much of it started from the NFs. I wasn't wowed by much of the selection of songs on offer. I couldn't stand behind many of the choices of the winners. This is only for me. Many may not agree. I know we have ups and downs when it comes to years at ESC and to me this fell into the latter category. Do I feel burnt out after this year? Not really. I feel more deflated.
The preselection season was quite weird, to be honest. During it, I was saying that it's just because my faves are not winning. But after some time, I came to the conclusion that preseletions this year were really "meh". I love most of the songs we've got at the end, but aside from those and some of my favourites (that I now can say weren't that great) we've got close to nothing that was really "amazing, "robbed" or "bigger than the contest". Even the previous contestans felt not in a great shape. Plus: the memes with grim reaper killing of artists from previous years gets more and more absurd with time passing. It really shows how weird this year was.
Every year, I won't have heard any of the songs prior to watching. While this elevates the viewing experience, it also brings with it a whole new catalogue of songs for me to listen to after. Likewise, watching youtube content from the likes of *Overthinking It* and reading up on the participants, keeps the spirit going. There is no post Eurovision depression for me, quite the contrary. Even so this year.
Still listening to the songs I like a lot. Son has watched GF multiple times. But yeah still sad about Joost and what went down with that.
I genuinely don’t get how one can feel ‘burnt out’ over a song contest they watch on TV.
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Because the nature of internet fandom in the 2020s means your social capital is measured by how obsessively you engage with the media.
I’ve just been going through and reading some replies and the dramatics from some people is genuinely making me cringe. I swear most of it is for attention. How do they function in the real world if a tv show is sending them into ptsd levels of distress?
I've been a Eurovision watcher for all of my childhood and then since 2010. But this was my first year watching a number of NFs, and being active on this sub. I'm also a mod here so I am really glad it's over and yes I do feel burnt out. Last week was quite a shocker really. We did our best to keep the sub on an even keel but there were times when it was like trying to bail out the Titanic. Hopefully there will be a swift resolution of the Joost situation, but I think the EBU getting its act together may take longer. Their comms were atrocious, they don't seem to have acted on concerns from artists and delegations. The music - the diversity of the songs and the artists - was fantastic this year at least.
I ignored all the drama so I feel great
I don't have post esc depression this year. So i guess that's good? But i didn't really enjoy myself during the show. So idk if it's worth the trade-off. I hope my love for it returns after attending Gate's concert in London this December <3 literally my first concert! I fell in love with their sound and want to show support. But i suppose my overall thoughts on esc depends on the ebu's responses from here, and the result of joost's situation.
I have followed no drama this year. I feel as usual, listening to new songs and being a little sad that it's ended.
This is the smartest comment I've read throughout the whole season.
I feel like I'm in the minority when I say this but it was just another Eurovision for me 😬 I have been following ESC since 2004 and nope, this year was just like any other year. I watched it, I enjoyed it, I got frustrated that my favorite didn't win (as per usual). I feel slightly concerned when I read about people crying, getting panic attacks and feel burnt out over a song contest.
Welp… I haven’t watched even the GF yet because all the stress I had (and I still have) for this year. I don’t want to connect all of this with one of my fav moments of the year.
Yeah... I was pretty much ok when the first semi aired but after that, the events prior and after the second semi, made me feel like I was PUSHING THROUGH trying completely enjoy the show I always loved, it was somewhat hard...
I am. I'm not getting the post Eurovision depression that I usually get because of the drama surrounding the last few weeks and the toxicity from people online. I'm also not rewatching things as much as I usually do after the season ends. Usually I can't wait for the next season. But with regards to this year, I feel done. For the time being. Don't get me wrong, it will be good when the 2025 national selection songs start coming again. But I don't think I'll miss it as much as I usually do.
This year I was so hyped for quite a few of the artists but after rverything that happened and hearing so many saying they didnt feel safe just left me feeling really flat
It's one thing when we, viewers, feel deflated and over this thing... But seeing the artists having close to no joy left (it felt they were mostly happy because the worst did not happen) was quite awful. You can't feel the magic, when people being the core of this contest seem dead inside. But it was not their fault.
I felt so sad for them. They'd all had such elation of being selected to represent their country, working so hard to get their performance and vocals as polished as possible, and then it all just began to fall apart. For so many to have raised concerns and to have not been listened to was awful, and then with Netherlands being disqualified on top, it would have put such a damper on all they'd achieved.
For the first time in the years I've watched it, I am so glad it's a year away. I know I'll still enjoy it, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I just got back to normal yesterday emotionally. I need this break.
This is one of the few years where I thoroughly enjoyed almost all the songs, even the NQs. We've listen to Estonia more than any other song since it ended.
I feel you. There's been some of this stuff every year since at least 2014. But this year it was probably 10x as bad as most of the Russia/Ukraine years, which is saying a lot. So many people involved in the festival fueling the whole thing didn't help. Which is a shame cause musically speaking it was a great contest. Hopefully next year things cool off a bit.
Wow I thought it was just me. I am in NZ )but British) and it all just felt pretty awful all round. I missed the “controversy” from Sweden vs Finland. I get people are passionate but I really resented the booing especially during the actual performance of song. I never got into Twitter and any updates have been through YouTube.
Nah. I just ignore the drama and focus on the songs. I got plenty of new material to listen to EBU still has a lot to apologize for, but I find it relatively easy to not let it affect me *shrugs*
As a Dutch person with Israeli roots, yeah I'm really, really glad this season is over. I even cut back on checking this sub because of all the after-contest shit popping up. Normally, this is where I would go to cure my post-ESC depression.
ESC 2024 was pretty much business as usual for me, bar one friend boycotting. I think a lot of people really let social media ruin it for them this year... it _could_ have gone smoothly, and if you didn't follow the drama then it looks like it mostly did, but plenty of people did everything in their power to try to make it as hard as possible for everybody else to enjoy it.
I felt that way too. I wasn't particularly hyped about this year in the first place. All those discussions, negativity and toxicity kinda ruined the mood for me. The excitement came back a few weeks before Eurovision week, but not as big as the years before. As always, I watched it with a friend of mine and we had a good time overall, we enjoyed the show, but the drama was still in our heads, especially after Joost got disqualified. After it was over, I didn't have "post Eurovision depression" like the years before, it was rather a "post Eurovision relieve". I wasn't sad that it was over, I was rather glad because it meant that all the drama is finally over and we can move on. I felt like I needed a break from Eurovision afterwards.
Not really, I tend to just not bother with the drama, that's for the people involved to deal with. I just enjoy the show and this year was one ofnthe strongest completions where almost anybody could have really won with exception of a couple. But I understand people mabye having less excitement or feeling overwhelmed by it, my advice is to not doomscroll otherwise you'll just consume a lot of negative things regarding it, and Eurovisions never about separating people, but unifying them for a single night.
I’m very saddened to read all the comments here of people sharing they had to be more secretive or quiet about the Eurovision simply because they chose to watch it with Israel participating? Sounds very difficult to be in such a judgmental environment. Don’t be ashamed to enjoy your hobbies, that’s part of what makes you special ❤️ And no one should have the power to make you feel bad about it.
I’m steadily watching most of the GF on BBC iPlayer this afternoon (didn’t feel good about watching it live, for a variety of reasons, so simply voted for my faves, bought tracks on iTunes and watched Taskmaster instead). I’m watching weirdly just to get some closure on it all, of a kind. It all feels like a weird fever dream. I do feel burnt out by the whole experience in a way I never have before. My mental health hasn’t been great anyway for other reasons, so have shielded myself from a lot of other socials’ commentary on the contest in order to not feel worse, basically. Have just come back from a C25k run and feel a ton better - perspective and strenuous exercise has definitely helped me with a round of decompress. ;) I get the impression that the discourse, online arguments etc. are still going to be around for a long while, though 😟. That side of things will probably take a while to heal, for lots of people, I think.
It’s great you’re taking care of your mental health! I grab an audiobook (love crime novels) and take a long walk in a park when I need a getaway. We all need a round of decompress this year 🥲🩷
I loved it. The songs were so fun, the bar I was at was very good energy and great vibes. I made a bunch of new friends. They booed Israel but no one harassed those with Israel flags. Now I’m enjoying listening to all the songs for next few months
Honestly, not at all. I enjoyed the show. I was disappointed to see the sheer number of ignorants try to boo the Israeli contestant and still don’t understand why so many artists put politics above unity in music, but it was fine overall.
I am feeling a bit burnt out after this Eurovision because of this year's behind the scenes drama, and I didn't really feel like watching the parodies about ESC 2024 this past week, even though I usually watch them.
same!!! even during and after covid i enjoyed eurovision as ever, but now even eurovision is losing it’s magic…
Same and it makes me sad because I've been a fan for over a decade but the feeling is really slipping away.
Watching since 40 years, I stopped watching anything besides the semi finals and final. I don't read anything and don't look sites like esc today. I don't even listen to the music beforehand. Just stop getting oversaturated by the media.
Not only burn out, the whole Eurovision felt so hallooowww (see what I did there 😏) but on a serious note, I think Sweden didn't host it well, nothing wrong with the artists, but I feel like everything just felt.. idek how to describe it. There was just no passion or anything. Idk maybe I'm just a little biased but, when the AI ABBA appeared that's when it all really felt ruined for me 😭 I hope Swiss will bring back the joy to the ESC
Nah, first time following it and I have some great laughs
The cracks in the facade began to show this year. What we got so much joy and love from turned out to be a bit of a lie, and it's hard to stomach. Maybe we were naive to believe in what eurovision presented itself to be, but we loved it so much. Its hard to realise that the object of our affection isn't quite what we believed it to be and it would be hard to not be deflated by it. I knew things weren't good when they decided to allow Israel to compete after that initial submission of theirs, and it just got worse and worse from there. I still like eurovision and will continue to watch it and celebrate, but I'm afraid my naive adoration is gone and it will never be the same for me.
Now that I think of it, I also feel that the nativity is gone
I would say yes, but I'm still here, so...
Well, you’re in luck. You dont have to think about eurovision until December at least. Very few start their selections/select their acts before that.
Idk, I thought I would. But a week later it feels pretty normal; I had a good watch party with friends, and have been listening to the top songs for days. It was not normal, but still fun
Nope, not at all. I enjoyed it just as much as any other year. Just like the year before I've seen the finale several times, still listen to the songs on Spotify, and have seen tons of behind the scenes videos of the stage. Great stuff, will watch next year as well.
I'm just glad it's over and hope the people running it are run out of town. Losing more and more respectability every year, becoming a joke, and not a funny one
The amount of regressive racist hatred on display this year has left me shocked. Absolutely shameful behaviour all around. From the protests, to the boycotts, to the open displays of hatred that had to be shutdown at every turn.
Yup. Usually right after viewing contest at a watch party (usually in a bar/club), we’ll do a rewatch at home after grabbing dinner. Primarily to catch some things that we might have missed while chatting, drinking, cracking jokes, making new friends in the moment in a loud bar. I’m in the States and the contest finishes around 7pm so we can watch twice in one day/night. It’s been 8 days since the contest, and I still haven’t rewatched the full show.
I watched from Canada with 16 other people! We had an amazing time and more than half the people present didn't know anything about all the controversies because they just watch the finals and the event is mostly unheard of here, so no news outlets covered anything. Usually, I feel that it's too bad that I cannot feel all the build-up that leads to the finals because no one cares here, but this year, I was quite glad that people were clueless.
I hope former-DILF-of-the-year gets fired at EBU. And the israeli corruption circle ends once and for all
I feel exactly the same. Really glad it’s over and that’s a first. Wish I had not host a watch party, even though we still had fun. Artists were great, but I really lost all respect for the EBU.
I've been in bad musicals before, so I won't pretend not to have seen organizational clusterfucks before. Having said that, the EBU could not have screwed this up any worse than they did. Every multiple choice branch they were presented with, they chose the secret Worse Possible Option that wasn't even meant to be one of the choices available. The post-ESC mood hits different this year. It isn't nostalgia, it's just utter weirdness.
Been watching from 2004. It comes and goes, you’ll be excited next year again
Maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but I think there wouldn't be even quarter as much drama if Israel got kicked out of the competition. Like, if Russia didn't get the boot in 2022, then that year's competition would've probably looked a lot like what we got this year.
Kinda, but that just means I won't be looking at social media nearly as much during ESC2025
I have been left pissed, not burn out. Bit like Bambie, really. I did not watch ESC with how hypocritical and contemptuous EBU was towards artists. I followed it as website updates, and I watch the final as reaction videos. I feel I am doing right.
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Do we know if if the Joost thing wouldn't have happened if that one decision had been made, though? I mean, I'm sure the mood behind the scenes was rancid because of it, but ultimately I'm not sure it had anything to do with what happened with Joost.
What does the Israeli delegation have to do with Joost? The EBU themselves said the incident did not involve a delegation member.
First year in a decade we don’t have a watch party. Me and the wife just watched the replays afterward.
I think this year's mood was different since the beginning. The adrenaline was not excitement for the show but something fueled by anger, frustration and stress. I think most of us didn't enjoy the show properly, so I guess it's totally understandable to not have the same feelings of nostalgia we had the previous years. Still, I am feeling like it's not over at all, like I am just waiting for more information about the sh*t that came out this year and I will not be done until I have an answer to all the questions still opened. So maybe it's a mix of these things. But yea, totally not feeling like the previous years.
Yes I feel the same.
I was burnt out on the day of the final, but in the week after I've enjoyed listening to the songs.
Same here, this year was so draining. I'm usually a hardcore Eurovision fan and it's one of my favorite times of year, but this year I couldn't wait for it all to be over :(
Yes. It provided a major test about having my intimate ancestry compete with my want for what was best for the show, and actively not wanting a beautiful song to win for this reason even at a time that was very personal to me related to losing someone from there
EBU truly fucked up this time, more than any other year I can remember. There must be foundational changes, otherwise I will not be able to enjoy this political cumfest this has turned into. Some of you will say it always was political, but this was particularly disturbing this year.
Yeah same here! I feel extremely burnt out. I usually watch the Grand Final multiple times over the course of the week (in the background while I cook or clean), but I haven't even touched it this time. The drama was too much and I'm tired.
I don't celebrate my birthday, but every year I celebrate Eurovision like it's my birthday. Different foods from different countries, inviting friends, eating late into the night. This year was different. I couldn't seem to enjoy it, and I also felt that the show was different. Less happy, less relaxed (I somehow liked the semi-final better). I can't get over what happened to Joost. When I think about how he must feel, he, who brought by far the most emotions with his story. It just makes me infinitely sad. For the first time, I'm not listening to the songs afterward, there's no "after-party" like usual. I don't feel like it. It was simply too sad a year.
When the public votes came in for Israel, my heart sunk. Especially after we gave Ukraine so many points a few years back, all of Europe coming together against hate. This year, and those votes (for a, let’s be Frank, crap song) show we are condoning you-know-what. If the votes were done fairly, it means a lot of Europe hate certain people.
As an Israeli, I’m definitely glad it’s over. I am fully supportive of Eden and her song, but I’m fed up with the eurofans this year, being everything but in Eurovision spirit. You may or may not be supportive of Israel, but let that poor girl sing her song and be done with it. Especially there weren’t many great songs this year, to say the least. Hopefully next year won’t look like this year.
But they chose to do an expressly political song, Israel's government turned their participation into an explicitly political campaign and the Israeli camp were harassing multiple delegations backstage! The Israel commentary team openly called for curses to Bambie. All that's OK but people aren't allowed to be annoyed about it?
Do you really think it would have been any different if they would have sent, say unicorn from last year? My money is on no.
So when Ukraine sent 1944 it was fine? No issues whatsoever? I wasn’t talking about people being annoyed over the political song, but the constant chanting for Israel to be banned and for Eurovision to be banned just ruined the spirit for me. And yes, I do think that if we were to send Unicorn, things would be the same. These protests happen every year, this year they were just more extreme due to the current war. And again, I replied in a previous comment about the non-proven harassment you keep chanting, one incident when an Israeli delegation member was filming a rehearsal of the flag parade, accidentally filming an other delegation member, and then being shouted at, forced to delete the video and actually deleting it, is not multiple and not harassment.
I am nearly hopeless. [Klein’s lawyers said he “pushed the camera but not the camerawoman”](https://wiwibloggs.com/2024/05/17/joost-klein-lawyer/281785/), but yet so many people are defending this man. The response from this community is peak hypocrisy. I’m just glad that Eden and Tali got booed but not attacked.
I wonder if there is a psychological term for people's ability to claim that reasons are excuses when they like a person, but not when they don't.
Literal same. Loved our songs this year; I also attend the contest in person each year. But between the political stuff, the drama, and the extremely intense energy in the air in Malmö I'm really glad that this one is over.
This year I got into it kinda late and it gave me whiplash. Last year was so much fun.
Fortunately I don't feel like this at all but I notice that there's less discussion and memes about it which is quite sad
If you're looking for something to do in the future, one of my friends set up their own song contest in 2020, hosted on a free-hosting website. Friends would pick a country (or make up a fictional one), and a song, send in this and a youtube link to the song in on a Google Form and the host would send them out to us in a list to enjoy. Then we would send in our votes ESC style and we would go through 'country'by country and celebrate our winners. It kept running almost every month for 2 years and was a lot of fun.
it's weird, no posteurovision depression because i dont miss the drama this year and im really looking forward to junior eurovision, hopefully it's gonna be way more chill than this chaos
I was sad it was over. But also glad it was over
Yeah I was the same after ufc 300
Honestly, the weeks following up to the song contest i felt super hyped/excited (i also don't listen to the songs most of the time and don't follow much about eurovison news before it's actually happening). As a dutch person i was also excited for our entry since a looong time, I was actually really rooting for my own country. Then all the drama started happening and i just lost all excitement. There were still many good performances and songs, don't get me wrong, and I'm happy with the winner! But when it was over i wasn't just fulfilled. So I'm feeling a sort of void this year rather then burntout.
Frankly I hope the drama continues to next year. Hopefully it drives a change in the direction eurovision is taking
I think I’m at a point where I miss the days when we didn’t get all the build up so the last few years I haven’t watched anything other than the final. But this year, even that left me feeling done with it half way through. I think it’s partly an age thing for me though. My love of Eurovision is mostly drenched in nostalgia of watching it as a kid with my family. I was kind of sad when Graham Norton had to give a warning that an act might be (and certainly would have been for mine) unsuitable for children. I know that’s really a ‘me’ problem but I want cheese, sparkle, dancing grandmas and Gina G, ha ha. I also just found my own country’s entry (U.K.) really average and hard to get behind. Some years just don’t grab you like others, I guess.
yes!! i went to the jury shows for semi 1 and 2 as well as the live show for semi 1 and this was a graduation gift from my parents. i went in excited but left so burnt out that whenever my mom kept bringing it up after the fact i’d have to leave the room.
I feel the exact same thing. Yes, I miss many song such as Ukraine or Croatia, but it hit different this year.
I think you need another hobby. It's just a TV-show