This year’s Eurovision Song Contest have us many memorable songs, but only one could come out victorious. Switzerland’s singer Nemo eventually celebrated the victory with their song “The Code”, making history as the first non- binary contestant to win Eurovision.
Nemo, who uses they/them pronouns, drew inspiration from his journey of self-discovery when writing “The Code”. Its lyrics capture the singer’s decision to “crack their own code and enter the kingdom of authenticity” after realizing they’re neither a man nor a woman.
“The Code” left an impression on the Eurovision juries across the continent, and Nemo was rewarded with 22 sets of the maximum 12 points for 365 jury points. Despite losing the public vote to Croatia’s Baby Lasagna with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, the Swiss artist eventually emerged victorious with a grand total of 591 points.
Nemo’s win went down in Eurovision’s history books since they’re the first non-binary person to ever take the Eurovision trophy home. This also marks the first victory for Switzerland since 1988, when Celine Dion won big with “Ne partez pas sans moi”.
The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest returned to Malmö, Sweden, just in time for the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s win. Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman hosted the grand final, which took place on May 11 at Malmö Arena.
