After months of speculation and rumours, it has been revealed that superstar singer Madonna will perform as an interval act in the final in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. She has been invited by the Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams. But is her inclusion good for the contest? Let’s discuss.
The big benefit to having a superstar as an interval act is that it will bring thousands of new viewers to the contest, some of whom may enjoy the show and follow it in the future. This is not the first time this has happened; in 2014 Justin Timberlake performed his runaway hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. Back then it felt as though Eurovision was gatecrashed rather than adding a new element to it. I love the interval shows where it highlights the hosting country’s culture or brings us something that we have never seen before, not just turn it into a concert.
I admit that I am sceptical. Even though a lot of the audience for Eurovision is the LGBT+ group, who have regularly supported Madonna throughout her career, I’m not sure what the relevance of her music is in an Israeli show of all places. It would only truly work in my opinion if her performance would showcase the strengths of the contest and not just turn into a bog standard concert.
The other interval acts are past memorable acts in the contest performing each other’s songs, which is an interesting concept but lacks the kind of memorability to make a contest great. It almost reminds me of Baku 2012, when this kind of interval act occurred yet the show felt soulless. I worry that the announced Israeli performance will fall into the background with the host broadcaster in their eagerness to try and reach out to what they believe their demographic is.
What are your thoughts on Madonna being announced as the interval act for Eurovision 2019? Do you think this will bring a new angle to the contest or would you have preferred something more original in Tel Aviv? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below and stay tuned for more Eurovision articles, with rehearsals starting very soon!
The Blogging DJ 
I do want to see local flavour when going to Israel, the winning nation, so I’m not impressed with Madonna taking that spot, as much as I wasn’t keen on Justn Timberlake. Maybe Justin was still more relevant to the contemporary music scene at the time than Madonna is now and maybe having an international star raises the profile, but for me this is a waste of an opportunity. Might be different if said stars were long time fans. Poor choice and a waste of money, wherever it came from.
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