Here in the Eurovision Fam we want to feature YOU! No, not all of you, but a few YOUs in the Eurovision Song Contest fandom. We’re reviving a well-loved past feature format, where we highlight and center the voices of individual fans who are not from Eurovision participating countries.
This is the sixth and final installment where our audience gets to know a little more of each member of the current Eurovision Fam team. Today, we’re featuring Andrew, who is part of our editorial team!
Check out the latest Eurovision Family Member:
Andrew
Where are you from?
Washington, DC (since 2002, originally from New Jersey)
When and how did you discover the Eurovision Song Contest?
A friend of mine has been *obsessed* for years, and once he introduced me to this phenomenon in the 00s/10s, I was hooked and fully understood why he remains so deeply invested in this contest.
What is your all time favorite Eurovision Song?
One? I have to pick one? Sheesh. I’ll say for the past couple of years it has been Systur’s “Með hækkandi sól” (Iceland, 2022). It’s just such a beautiful and emotional piece, and one that has helped me persevere through some trying times.
Who is your favorite Eurovision winner and why?
Call me a “frontrunner”, but I have to say ABBA. They’re just the quintessential Eurovision winner, and have built a wonderful international music legacy. Plus “Waterloo” is a mainstay on my son’s “bathtime tunes” playlist.
What is your favorite Eurovision Contest year and why?
It’s hard to ignore what the 2021 competition meant to so many people. It may not have the *best* songs and performances (and honestly, the winner wasn’t at the top of my list of favorites that year), but the joy, energy, and spirit that came with the entire contest really enlivened so many artists, fans, and spirits the world over. Seriously, opening the whole thing with “Discotheque” on semi final 1, was just ::chef’s kiss::.
If you could change one thing about the Eurovision Song Contest what would it be and why?
A better television contract deal with the United States. 🥺
What do you LOVE about being in the Eurovision fan community?
People are SO passionate about this contest, but in a way that feels so welcoming and open. The spaces this contest has created, in my experience(s), have been incredibly thoughtful, inclusive, and worldly. Unlike certain things we see on a daily basis in this world, people can find a way to bond over this competition, even if they disagree with their friends and neighbors. For the weeks/months leading up to and during the competition, we are able to shed our petty differences and find a way to lift one another up and open our eyes to something different.
What is the hardest thing about being a fan NOT from a participating country?
The real “community” feel of the competition as it’s happening. Imagining rooms and buildings and streets FILLED with people passionately cheering for their country and/or their favorite entrants gives such a Super Bowl or Olympics or World Cup or MLB/NFL Playoffs vibe (shout out to everyone that was with me at the 2019 World Series Game 7 watch party at Nationals Park) I wish we could experience here. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to drop their daily tasks/work/distractions and take all of Eurovision in together. Just the idea of one collective heartbeat for a few hours for a couple of days feels so invigorating.
