12-year old me watching Lena perform Satellite and my mom commenting that her song is really good but that “someone should’ve told her to fix her X-legs because that posture is horrible“
Based on your flair, how did you watch the Eurovision cuz Soviet Union or ESSR didn’t broadcast Eurovision or you just used the illegally the Finnish TV channel Yle?
yea I put the rainbow one because I am Bi and also I am from the USA so their was no flair for me I didn't know it was because its just rooting for a country or your fav
Riverdance is my first memory of Eurovision. I am irish and would of been 2 so I don't remember it live but riverdance had this impact on Irish culture with bringing Irish dancing back into the main stream, the music of it. Pretty sure someone brought in the video from the Riverdance stage show and we watched it in primary school.
My first song I remember loving was "ooh aah.. just a little bit" by Gina G. I would sing it, watch the music video on MTV, dance to it when it came on the radio.
My family would watch Eurovision every year and it was a topic in school a few days later.
Marry Me (Finland 2013). I don’t remember the contest itself but for some reason that song was stuck in my head for the next eight years until I found out it was from Eurovision!
Also I remember Flying the Flag (United Kingdom 2007) because it was always playing on the radio? I don’t know if I am misremembering though!
Finland 2013 | [Krista Siegfrids - Marry Me](https://youtu.be/dlBXOveVh7c)
United Kingdom 2007 | [Scooch - Flying the Flag (For You)](https://youtu.be/XT6yOIC6ihI)
First time I remember being aware of Eurovision was when Estonia hosted (2002) though I don't remember anything from the contest itself or whether I even watched it😅 (I was about 9 yo)
First time I remember actually watching Eurovision was when Ruslana won (Ukraine 2004)!
Back in 2003, I was a 9 year old kid and I couldn't sleep. Went downstairs to tell my parents I wasn't able to sleep. They were watching Eurovision and I just saw Sertab and her dancers slaying the house down with Sertab's dress and I became a fan instantly.
My mom recorded the 2004 edition on video for me and I brought it with me everywhere and watched it everywhere: at home, at school, at my grandparents' house, at my best friend's house, at birthday parties, literally everywhere.
Watched all Eurovision editions ever since ♥️
Sertab is also my first eurovision memory! I had been watching even before that year but don't really have any vivid memories from those earlier times. I remember we used to give our own points with my family and my mom's boyfriend at the time gave her 12 points while I gave like 1 or 2. Have since gotten better taste and love that performance
The news of Serbia winning Eurovision 2007 was briefly aired on my country's (Vietnam) national TV channel. However, I had not at all cared about ESC until 2021.
Me and my brother were changing channel whatching TV and we've seen Kate Miller (Australia 2019). We re-watched her song and others on Youtube, and from here we started watching Eurovision.
My earliest memory of Eurovision (not counting my country's own competition) was when Ping Pong walked on stage to open Eurovision 2000.
That song is etched into my brain.
Israel 2000.
When I was 8 years old we went to a carnival parade in a neighboring town. I remember there was a Lou (Germany 2003) float with them playing the song and basically advocating to vote for her (granted this was in a small town near where she lives so very low key/budget). As a kid the happy vibes of the song definitely resonated with me and I had the song stuck in my head for a while.
I didn't know about Eurovision back then but when I saw her later on TV when Eurovision was on I remembered seeing her months before. Seeing a person from a small town in my area on such a big stage was definitely a defining moment for me.
Since then the addiction kept slowly growing with a massive boost in 2010 obviously.
Dami Im making it onto the news for coming second (Australia 2016). I was 13 then & was looking for new music, Eurovision ended up being an amazing way to find new artists!
Cat Cat performing in 1994.
The first one I remember watching from start to finish was 2006, because sending Lordi felt ridiculous, after seeing our national final.
Watching Moustache in 2014 and falling in love with it (robbed). Since then I would pester my dad about when the “show with all the countries singing” was on until 2017 where I watched the semi finals for the first time and then been a hardcore fan ever since
I think 2013 , just simply saw it on tv, i was like 9 so not even aware of what eurovision was in 1st place
It was a performance by 2 people if i recall and i looked like a banquet performance
If anyone can help me remember it then thank you
I remember during 2015 I watched some parts because of Elhaida Dani who was representing Albania 🇦🇱 and had won The Voice of Italy 🇮🇹 2/3 years earlier and I was rooting for her
Turkey 2003 is my earliest identifiable memory.
I do remember watching something in 99 but I think it might have been San Remo. I’d been out at a rave the night before and sbs were playing it with no subtitles so I had no idea what was going on other than it being a song contest. I remember the female hosts changed gowns like 4 times.
1994. I think I also watched the previous two years, but I have distinct memories only from 1994, I mean the Riverdance interval act is hard to forget.
The earliest was 2004: the winner of the junior ESC was really catchy. And a classmate made it to the semi final of the national junior ESC in 2005 and we went to the semi final with the whole class.
Oh, mine is weird. When I was in elementary school (late 90s), there was an excerpt from "Zlata's Diary" in our school textbook, where the author says Extra Nena had just won "Eurofestival" (how ESC used to be called here in Italy) - of course it was Jugovizija 1992, that was lost in translation. I think footnotes explained what "Eurofestival" was. Then, I heard it mentioned several times, but always sporadically, over the years, until Italy came back in 2011 and I could start watching it.
Yugoslavia 1992 for the magic bot 🤖
In 2003, I was still a child and a huge fan of the polish band Ich Troje. The vocalist had his own reality show, and the preparations for Eurovision were also shown there. I watched the final because of them.
My first memory was watching the Helsinki contest recording and performances such as Dancing Lasha Tumbai. As for the first one watching it live, Eurovision 2010 and Spain's stage-jumping incident.
2000. That was the first time I ever watched it. I was 9 and my parents had just gotten satellite TV, with my dad able to get one French channel just for my mom. One Saturday, that channel was showing Eurovision, and we all watched it together. We all wanted Denmark to win, and they did. I still remember the French commentators saying "Fly On ze Weengs off Leuve".
Conchita Wurst in 2014 and listening to my family being transphobic, which made no sense to my 10 years old self why they hated her so much. My mom now loves the song though
I vaguely remember watching the 1993 competition (i would have been 7) but i really think it was 1994, watching Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan perform Rock and Roll Kids. They won and I was hooked..I enjoyed the simplicity of the competition then, the focus on the song, but I also love the extravaganza and party it is now 😀
I don't know if it counts as a Eurovision memory as at the time I didn't know it was Eurovision/what Eurovision even was, but being a child in a British school the Scooch song was known by everyone!
Mine is the age of 5 watching I later in life realised was Dana International performing in 1998...
However for years I thought it was an Italian entry singing a song called "Viva Italia" so you can imagine my confusion as to why Italy were not part of the ESC for years...
Its only when i stumbled upon Dana International's winning reprise on YouTube did I realise I had misremembered both the song and nation of the entrant 😅
Depends how you define it.
I saw Lordi on the morning news in 2006 as the winner of ESC.
In terms of ESC itself, the lyrics of the ESC 2008 songs were available on TV through the BBC Red Button. Oh, and the line "qelé qelé, qelé qelé".
TV commercial with Marek Sierocki announcing the first ever Polish national final, it was December 2002 I guess. I remember thinking that Riga was a quite unusual place for holding such an event, I didn't know Latvia won the previous contest.
Earliest concert I remember watching was 2016. I remember having malta as my favorite. But my earliest eurosivison related memory is seeing the news cover the common limits returning from their eurovision journey in 2014. I specifically remember Waylon holding a bouquet of flowers as the interviewer talks about them coming second in the contest
I think it's absolutely adoreable how some comments here are reminscing about seeing Eurovision 2-3 years ago. I sometimes miss the times when what went down 5 years ago didn't feel like yesterday but ancient history. Also I thought the Eurovision fandom was only old gays like me - apparently not.
My first Eurovision was the one with Riverdance in 1994 and I was already 15.
I have no idea how they were cause I was a kid but there was a group of guys singing something like « a friend of a friend of a friend » or something like that 😭
Epic sax man of Moldova 2010! I’m American and I used to love watching the top global videos on YouTube every day when I was like 12. Moldova’s performance video went viral the Sunday after the final, it wasn’t even the edits of just the sax yet.
Everything was intriguing: the epic sax man dance, Moldova being a country I had never heard of, the very concept of Eurovision
14 year old me after seeing a Madonna music video on my country's MTV counterpart went to YouTube and searched for her MVs. Turned out I looked her up just the day after Eurovision and then watched her YT performance, then saw backlash on comments. I wondered what the event was back then, and then I started watching performances with Arcade first and then the rest is history.
tldr. the Madonna performance was my first Eurovision memory. It introduced me to the show lol
Twerking my gay ten year old ass around the living room to Sertab Erener's 'Everyway That I Can' in 2003. I do vaguely remember watching the voting results in 1998 but had no idea what was going on.
My earliest ESC memory that I fully remember was watching our 2017 entry...I don't want to talk about it. Though when I watched Sweden 2014 for the first time after becoming an ESC fan last year it sounded (and looked) very familiar so I probably watched it when I was a kid even if I don't remember doing so.
Finland 2006 | [Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah](https://youtu.be/gAh9NRGNhUU)
Russia 2006 | [Dima Bilan - Never Let You Go](https://youtu.be/waYpnAexrUA)
As a kid I had a German charts compilation CD with creepy Guildo Horn (7th Germany 1998). I must have watched at least parts of the show, but I only remember his performance.
My real first memory of watching Eurovision with my family must have been within the next few years. I remember there was a performance I really liked. I was even allowed to vote but I did secretly because I felt it was weird, which I regret today, I have never found that song again, and after \~ 20 years I don't think I would recognise it. I think it was a little New Age like with classic sounding female vocals, not a 1st place. Any ideas? :/ Maybe it was 2000, the year with Stefan Raab (5th Germany) who was incredibly popular here at that time and made all the kids watch Eurovision.
I remember putting it on discretely while working at a law office in 2014. I have 2 distinct memories from that year: of course, Conchita, and Pollapönk and their ridiculously fun vibes and music video. When I saw how gay the contest was, I got hooked.
My first memory is actually from watching the kids version with the two russian twins. I was five and i remember saying they were gonna win. My earliest memory of the normal eurovision is watching tom dice with me and my guitar in 2010 with my parents. Its one of my favorite entries from my country.
All I remember was that it was Estonia performing. I think the singer was a brunette wearing blue. I think it was in the 2000's, but it might have been in the early 2010's. I will update when I find out which Estonia entry it was.
**Edit:** It was Estonia 2009. Thank you a million times to Urban Symphony for introducing me to Eurovision!
My dad telling me in 2010 that Lena wouldn't even make Top 10 and then I heard that she won on the radio news the next morning. That was also my first Eurovision and I've watched ever since.
The Ark (Sweden 2007). Looking back now, it came in the same place as Charlotte Perrelli's classic Hero the next year (Sweden 2008), which is definitely not something I remembered!
I remember hearing swiss entries in the Radio (mainly Switzerland 2014, Switzerland 2018 and Switzerland 2019) but never paid much attention to them. I found out about the contest last year and watched for the first time this year
I initially thought it was jedward in 2011, but I rewatched 2009 recently and there’s something very very familiar about Mamo (Russia’s 2009 entry) so my parents must have had eurovision on that year and I must have seen Mamo being performed. Something about it was probably very memorable to my little 6 year old brain back then idk
The first Eurovision that I remember watching live was 2001, and my favourite song was Greece 2001 (I am from Greece), with Helena Paparizou before My number one. And then I remember my father telling me to go to sleep, I was 9 years old at the time, but I was very happy when he told me the next morning that she came third! 🤩
I knew of Eurovision in the 80’s because many acts from Spain became super popular in Latin America, however the first time I officially saw Eurovision was in 2000 in Israel watching Ping-pong band sing Sameyack.
I will never forget watching the disbelief and disappointment look of my host family from their national act 😅😅🤭
Like memory of watching it on TV, or my first memory involving Eurovision?
If the former, then it will be UK 2012, I remember looking in awe at the TV when the pyro wheels spun, but at this point I was already a fan.
If the latter, then it will probably be my sister listening to Me and My Guitar (Belgium 2010), I remember searching the song up on Youtube, and since then I’ve been hooked
Welp it was basically me looking up Alexander Rybak and discovering that he was from Belarus so I read more because I was curious if He still lived there and I read the words "Rybak represented and won for Norway in 2009 eurovision" That started the chain reaction of countless google searches of what "eurovision" was 🥲 Sadly that was around April of this year so I'm new
First time i remember the full thing is so nostalgic for me, it was 2019, i was 8 at the time, and in remember we couldn't watch the finals on Saturday, so we watched it Sunday, but by then we had already heard Duncan had won. First time i remember a little bit was 2018. But really, i dont know anymore. It could be, but also couldn't.
I have two - mainly because I don't know which counts as which. One was when Sea of Flags was announced. Idk what Eurovision was back then, but the song was played a lot of times on Australian radio.
But if we're talking what sparked me to get into Eurovision - a petition to get Stefan Karl in Eurovision. This prompted me to search what is this song contest cuz i was fairly aware of it by that point. At the same time, i also got to learn what a national selection was, which led to me researching Songvakeppnin. Interestingly, since this was like within the new year (2017), I watched my first Grand Final.
Seeing 'Everyway That I Can' become a top 10 hit in the Netherlands. 2003 was the year I really got into pop music and started following charts, and I had no idea that it was a Eurovision song until much later. Didn't watch my first ESC until 2010, though... 😬
I’m in America and I remember seeing someone reading an article of netta winning Eurovision 2018, when I came back from my school I looked up the song and fell in love, from there I found fuego and became obsessed with Eurovision.
Alexander Rybak winning with a record breaking amount of votes.
It was then that I was still in contact with my dad, and he had custody of me and my brother every other weekend. The finale of ESC that year fell into his custody time so we watched it. The table was full of snacks and I was allowed to stay up until the results came in.
Despite our relationship being very toxic for most of my life, and me going no contact about 8 years ago, watching the ESC finale is one of the few happy memories I have of spending time with him.
Fairytale is actually one of my first memories from my life overall, since I had just turned 4 at the time and I remember my parents dancing happily to the song in my bedroom while we watched. It's also the first time they let me stay up past my bedtime because they were excited for me to see the show for the first time
I watched some of the entries of the 2021 Eurovision in school because my classmates convinced my music teacher to show them to us. I have since then been a really big Eurovison fans and plan to going to Swiss to watch it live next year.
For some reason it's Sweden 2013? First time watching Eurovision, and it's the only song I (very vaguely) remember watching. Random.
But my first proper memory is 7yo me watching and hating Rise Like A Phoenix, going to bed early and waking up the next morning and being devastated after finding out that Conchita had won it 🤣🤣 (I love the song now though)
Watching Sandra Kim win with J'aime la vie. I was 9 years old. A year later Johnny Logan won with Hold me now, and that sealed the deal for me. I was hooked :-)
We were visiting an older aunt, which basically meant adults talking with little to do for children (I was 11 I think), so I asked for the tv to be on and ESC was on the tv. It was 2001 and I vividly remember our singer Michelle (for the bot: The Netherlands 2001) sitting on stage barefoot. I also really liked the diversity of all the songs. I slowly got hooked after that.
Didn't know it was a eurovision song back then but i was obsessed with everyway that i can (turkey 2003) and they actually used to play it quite a lot on mtv.
Dana International winning when I was 8 years old. My gay ass was obsessed with her and that feathery Jean Paul Gaultier dress that she wore for the winner's performance. Still am.
Seeing Sweden win in 99' (I'm from Sweden). I barely remember it, I may even maybe remember something earlier but it's the earliest that I for sure know is from Eurovision.
Watching Lordi and thrashing along with my crappy toy guitar. My mum took a picture which always emerges at every birthday. I must have been 7?
That moment is probably when I became a metal head
Me and my friend chanting 'Estonia' (first time I'd ever heard of the place) and being excited that they won. So it must've been Estonia 2001, which kind of embarrasses me now, but was apparently fire to 9yo me 🙈
Although I have some vague memories of earlier finals, my first musical memory is Nocturne in the 1995 ESC. I was 9 and my mother woke me up when Norway had won. 🇳🇴
My oldest one I can remember clearly is my mom asking me who I want to vote for in the 2015 final. I said UK (UK 2015) and still don't regret it, very much overhated that one.
Also Euphoria received a lot of radio play when it won so that was earlier
1993. I watched the Eurosong national final in Belgium and then was allowed to stay up late to watch Barbara Dex compete in Ireland… I remember the song, everyone else her dress 😅
I remember watching JESC 2009 with my brother and my main take from it was how pretty the North Macedonian flag was and how preteen girl compatible the Dutch song was
Watching on youtube 2014 eurovision and completely loving it. It’s still one of my favourite finals. And than the same year watching eurovision 2017 in live for the first time
When I saw Charlotte Nilsson in 1999 in this amazing pink/purple outfit singing Take me to your Heaven, I was so impressed! I was just a young girl back then.
Multi-pronged answer to this:
1988 (Dublin) - I was too young (5 years old) to realise what it was, but I remember the staging/lights and 1/2 entries (Lara Fabian for Luxembourg to name one). Don’t remember Celine though - too late in the night for me at that age .
1990 - I remember Italy being announced as winners at my grandparents but again no realisation of what I was watching nor any memory of the song at the time.
1991 (7 yrs. old) - My first “This is Eurovision” moment where i knew what i was watching as it was becoming an annual tradition in our home (Ireland in the 90s). Again, I remember the staging and Carola dashing out from the side entrance.
I remember looking it up when I was like 11 or 12 on Wikipedia and wondering what it was about (and I will admit, the Epic Sax Guy meme helped with that!), then when I saw it on twitter when I was 16 with, ironically, Russia and Ukraine's performances, I was hooked.
The first memory I have is of Romania 2007 and how I thought it was really cool that they brought an entry where they were singing in so many different languages to a competition between a bunch of different countries.
I’m from Turkey and grew up in Germany. In 2003, I was 10. It was the first I heard of the Contest, the first time I watched. The first and only time my country won.
12-year old me watching Lena perform Satellite and my mom commenting that her song is really good but that “someone should’ve told her to fix her X-legs because that posture is horrible“
I was coming here to say Lena - Satelite is one of my earliest memories too!
Lordi! Made quite the impression on 12 year old me 🤘
Same here! Lordi got me into Eurovision, I was really excited about it for the first time. I also immediately bought their CD.
6 year old me was obsessed. I remember having my brother download the song with emule.
Watching my first Eurovision on TV back in 1975 - the opening song was from Teach-In, the Dutch winner before Duncan!
Based on your flair, how did you watch the Eurovision cuz Soviet Union or ESSR didn’t broadcast Eurovision or you just used the illegally the Finnish TV channel Yle?
The flair isn't for where you are from, it's for what country you are rooting for (your fav).
The flair could be multiple reasons not just your rooting for them
what?? i always thought it was your home turf!
Me too, I've always had the UK flair because that's where I'm from lol
Me too lol
yea I put the rainbow one because I am Bi and also I am from the USA so their was no flair for me I didn't know it was because its just rooting for a country or your fav
Ruslana’s Wild Dances 🔥
Same
Mine too!!
Riverdance is my first memory of Eurovision. I am irish and would of been 2 so I don't remember it live but riverdance had this impact on Irish culture with bringing Irish dancing back into the main stream, the music of it. Pretty sure someone brought in the video from the Riverdance stage show and we watched it in primary school. My first song I remember loving was "ooh aah.. just a little bit" by Gina G. I would sing it, watch the music video on MTV, dance to it when it came on the radio. My family would watch Eurovision every year and it was a topic in school a few days later.
conchita wurst, i think i remember seeing her on some tv show in my country describing her as "the bearded singer" or something like that
I knew all the words to Love Shine a Light as a kid but I don't remember actually watching that year, so I have to say Wadde Hadde Dudde Da!
Watching Conchita Wurst win for Austria in 2014. I thought that she was awesome and I haven't stop watching the contest since.
She's an icon, she's a legend and she IS the moment
Austria 2014 | [Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix](https://youtu.be/xhCC_PN9UlA)
10 year old me, watching in 2007, and vibing with Verka so much that I got genuinely pissed that my country won, and not Ukraine.
Marry Me (Finland 2013). I don’t remember the contest itself but for some reason that song was stuck in my head for the next eight years until I found out it was from Eurovision! Also I remember Flying the Flag (United Kingdom 2007) because it was always playing on the radio? I don’t know if I am misremembering though!
Finland 2013 | [Krista Siegfrids - Marry Me](https://youtu.be/dlBXOveVh7c) United Kingdom 2007 | [Scooch - Flying the Flag (For You)](https://youtu.be/XT6yOIC6ihI)
1990 Azúcar Moreno for Spain. Bandido. This couldn’t be more iconic first memory https://youtu.be/OTAW1fZf7SQ?si=jRFspqDW2cd8Mt3j
First time I remember being aware of Eurovision was when Estonia hosted (2002) though I don't remember anything from the contest itself or whether I even watched it😅 (I was about 9 yo) First time I remember actually watching Eurovision was when Ruslana won (Ukraine 2004)!
Back in 2003, I was a 9 year old kid and I couldn't sleep. Went downstairs to tell my parents I wasn't able to sleep. They were watching Eurovision and I just saw Sertab and her dancers slaying the house down with Sertab's dress and I became a fan instantly. My mom recorded the 2004 edition on video for me and I brought it with me everywhere and watched it everywhere: at home, at school, at my grandparents' house, at my best friend's house, at birthday parties, literally everywhere. Watched all Eurovision editions ever since ♥️
Sertab is also my first eurovision memory! I had been watching even before that year but don't really have any vivid memories from those earlier times. I remember we used to give our own points with my family and my mom's boyfriend at the time gave her 12 points while I gave like 1 or 2. Have since gotten better taste and love that performance
Switzerland 1988. I was just about to turn 4, but looooooved Celine.
This is the day I was born!
UK nill points in 2003
The news of Serbia winning Eurovision 2007 was briefly aired on my country's (Vietnam) national TV channel. However, I had not at all cared about ESC until 2021.
Eurolaul 1996. I did not understand why Ivo Linna was not there live in person.
I have so with Maneskin. I love them and I am very happy, that they won Eurovision 2021!
Me and my brother were changing channel whatching TV and we've seen Kate Miller (Australia 2019). We re-watched her song and others on Youtube, and from here we started watching Eurovision.
Australia 2019 | [Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity](https://youtu.be/Eo5H62mCIsg)
My earliest memory of Eurovision (not counting my country's own competition) was when Ping Pong walked on stage to open Eurovision 2000. That song is etched into my brain. Israel 2000.
Israel 2000 | [PingPong - Sameach (שמייח)](https://youtu.be/3uNfhj66GOo)
Be happy 🤭😁 ohhhhhhh… it was mine too
Watching music video for Marija Magdalena on tv.
Netherlands 2009, I remember I thought it was toe curling (very cringe) haha
The Netherlands 2009 | [The Toppers - Shine](https://youtu.be/6mR3W2fm7_E)
That was definitely a low point for us
For some reason only Turkey 2003, no other songs of that year
Turkey 2003 | [Sertab Erener - Everyway That I Can](https://youtu.be/vq9OAEBZmAg)
Watching Eurovision 2016 (might have some vague memories of 2015, but nothing I can think of), I remember being impressed by Russia's staging 🙃
When I was 8 years old we went to a carnival parade in a neighboring town. I remember there was a Lou (Germany 2003) float with them playing the song and basically advocating to vote for her (granted this was in a small town near where she lives so very low key/budget). As a kid the happy vibes of the song definitely resonated with me and I had the song stuck in my head for a while. I didn't know about Eurovision back then but when I saw her later on TV when Eurovision was on I remembered seeing her months before. Seeing a person from a small town in my area on such a big stage was definitely a defining moment for me. Since then the addiction kept slowly growing with a massive boost in 2010 obviously.
Germany 2003 | [Lou - Let's Get Happy](https://youtu.be/UlSCci71FRk)
Dami Im making it onto the news for coming second (Australia 2016). I was 13 then & was looking for new music, Eurovision ended up being an amazing way to find new artists!
Australia 2016 | [Dami Im - Sound of Silence](https://youtu.be/5ymFX91HwM0)
Cat Cat performing in 1994. The first one I remember watching from start to finish was 2006, because sending Lordi felt ridiculous, after seeing our national final.
Watching Moustache in 2014 and falling in love with it (robbed). Since then I would pester my dad about when the “show with all the countries singing” was on until 2017 where I watched the semi finals for the first time and then been a hardcore fan ever since
I give you a hint: TAAAANZEN!!
I think 2013 , just simply saw it on tv, i was like 9 so not even aware of what eurovision was in 1st place It was a performance by 2 people if i recall and i looked like a banquet performance If anyone can help me remember it then thank you
I remember during 2015 I watched some parts because of Elhaida Dani who was representing Albania 🇦🇱 and had won The Voice of Italy 🇮🇹 2/3 years earlier and I was rooting for her
hearing Euphoria in random restaurant in 2012, it took me next 10 years to become a eurovision fan tho
Sertab
Turkey 2003 is my earliest identifiable memory. I do remember watching something in 99 but I think it might have been San Remo. I’d been out at a rave the night before and sbs were playing it with no subtitles so I had no idea what was going on other than it being a song contest. I remember the female hosts changed gowns like 4 times.
Katrina and the Waves winning in 1997. There was so much hope in the UK at the time, and that added to it.
1997 was my first memory too, but it was Minn Hinsti Dans.
Gina G in 1996!
Lordi! First peak Eurovision moment, everybody talked about that in school.
lordi winning in 2006. i was five and it was the best thing i'd ever heard, and still is.
1994. I think I also watched the previous two years, but I have distinct memories only from 1994, I mean the Riverdance interval act is hard to forget.
Watching the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest.
ESC 2011 (not a moment in particular), when my country returned after a 14 year hiatus (and I was born when they started the hiatus)
Mine was watching Netta win in 2018, I don't remember anything except a few random songs from before then
The 2014 final
Denmark winning in 2000
Golden Boy live in 2015, i think i watched the entire thing 2015 but Nadav Guedj is the only clear memory
I guess it's probably Michalis Rakintzis in 2002!
SAY!!! (say-say) Say that magic word Sagapo S. A. G. A. P. O.
I think the year of Alexander Rybak. I think I watched eurovision before that but can't remember a song from that.
The earliest was 2004: the winner of the junior ESC was really catchy. And a classmate made it to the semi final of the national junior ESC in 2005 and we went to the semi final with the whole class.
Oh, mine is weird. When I was in elementary school (late 90s), there was an excerpt from "Zlata's Diary" in our school textbook, where the author says Extra Nena had just won "Eurofestival" (how ESC used to be called here in Italy) - of course it was Jugovizija 1992, that was lost in translation. I think footnotes explained what "Eurofestival" was. Then, I heard it mentioned several times, but always sporadically, over the years, until Italy came back in 2011 and I could start watching it. Yugoslavia 1992 for the magic bot 🤖
Yugoslavia 1992 | [Extra Nena - Ljubim te pesmama (Љубим те песмама)](https://youtu.be/ywrykDejDII)
In 2003, I was still a child and a huge fan of the polish band Ich Troje. The vocalist had his own reality show, and the preparations for Eurovision were also shown there. I watched the final because of them.
My first memory was watching the Helsinki contest recording and performances such as Dancing Lasha Tumbai. As for the first one watching it live, Eurovision 2010 and Spain's stage-jumping incident.
Probably Tatu or maybe Jessica Garlick the year before?
Come back!!! If you looove me How can I survive without you?
2000. That was the first time I ever watched it. I was 9 and my parents had just gotten satellite TV, with my dad able to get one French channel just for my mom. One Saturday, that channel was showing Eurovision, and we all watched it together. We all wanted Denmark to win, and they did. I still remember the French commentators saying "Fly On ze Weengs off Leuve".
Epic Sax Guy was the first time I saw something from eurovision, although at the time I didn’t know it was ESC. I was about 10.
Conchita Wurst in 2014 and listening to my family being transphobic, which made no sense to my 10 years old self why they hated her so much. My mom now loves the song though
Sweden winning in 1991
just last year..
I vaguely remember watching the 1993 competition (i would have been 7) but i really think it was 1994, watching Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan perform Rock and Roll Kids. They won and I was hooked..I enjoyed the simplicity of the competition then, the focus on the song, but I also love the extravaganza and party it is now 😀
I don't know if it counts as a Eurovision memory as at the time I didn't know it was Eurovision/what Eurovision even was, but being a child in a British school the Scooch song was known by everyone!
Mine is the age of 5 watching I later in life realised was Dana International performing in 1998... However for years I thought it was an Italian entry singing a song called "Viva Italia" so you can imagine my confusion as to why Italy were not part of the ESC for years... Its only when i stumbled upon Dana International's winning reprise on YouTube did I realise I had misremembered both the song and nation of the entrant 😅
getting up at like 4 in the morning and watching Guy sebastian (Australia 2015) perform for our first ever entry
Depends how you define it. I saw Lordi on the morning news in 2006 as the winner of ESC. In terms of ESC itself, the lyrics of the ESC 2008 songs were available on TV through the BBC Red Button. Oh, and the line "qelé qelé, qelé qelé".
TV commercial with Marek Sierocki announcing the first ever Polish national final, it was December 2002 I guess. I remember thinking that Riga was a quite unusual place for holding such an event, I didn't know Latvia won the previous contest.
Earliest concert I remember watching was 2016. I remember having malta as my favorite. But my earliest eurosivison related memory is seeing the news cover the common limits returning from their eurovision journey in 2014. I specifically remember Waylon holding a bouquet of flowers as the interviewer talks about them coming second in the contest
I think it's absolutely adoreable how some comments here are reminscing about seeing Eurovision 2-3 years ago. I sometimes miss the times when what went down 5 years ago didn't feel like yesterday but ancient history. Also I thought the Eurovision fandom was only old gays like me - apparently not. My first Eurovision was the one with Riverdance in 1994 and I was already 15.
Ruslana's win was epic in our region 🇺🇦🇬🇪
Mine was conchita! It was really a memorable entry to stay in your mind as a kid watching it
I have no idea how they were cause I was a kid but there was a group of guys singing something like « a friend of a friend of a friend » or something like that 😭
Epic sax man of Moldova 2010! I’m American and I used to love watching the top global videos on YouTube every day when I was like 12. Moldova’s performance video went viral the Sunday after the final, it wasn’t even the edits of just the sax yet. Everything was intriguing: the epic sax man dance, Moldova being a country I had never heard of, the very concept of Eurovision
Moldova 2010 | [SunStroke Project and Olia Tira - Run Away](https://youtu.be/C-VMHOlCyW8)
14 year old me after seeing a Madonna music video on my country's MTV counterpart went to YouTube and searched for her MVs. Turned out I looked her up just the day after Eurovision and then watched her YT performance, then saw backlash on comments. I wondered what the event was back then, and then I started watching performances with Arcade first and then the rest is history. tldr. the Madonna performance was my first Eurovision memory. It introduced me to the show lol
Twerking my gay ten year old ass around the living room to Sertab Erener's 'Everyway That I Can' in 2003. I do vaguely remember watching the voting results in 1998 but had no idea what was going on.
My earliest ESC memory that I fully remember was watching our 2017 entry...I don't want to talk about it. Though when I watched Sweden 2014 for the first time after becoming an ESC fan last year it sounded (and looked) very familiar so I probably watched it when I was a kid even if I don't remember doing so.
Sweden 2014 | [Sanna Nielsen - Undo](https://youtu.be/5PQJI-3LW-8)
I watched the contest for the first time in 2011, starting with the grand final, so Finland 2011
Finland 2011 | [Paradise Oskar - Da Da Dam](https://youtu.be/1Fj9of4IzFU)
Watching Alf Poier in 2003. Austria having a comedy song was pretty much the reason my parents introduced Eurovision to me.
Finland 2006 and Russia 2006. I was 5, almost 6 years old when watched my first Eurovision.
Finland 2006 | [Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah](https://youtu.be/gAh9NRGNhUU) Russia 2006 | [Dima Bilan - Never Let You Go](https://youtu.be/waYpnAexrUA)
Sergio and his flickflack is my earliest memory. (Belgium 2002)
Belgium 2002 | [Sergio and the Ladies - Sister](https://youtu.be/weNY2OBu_vc)
2001. When the hosts did a skit in which they "accidentally" broke the trophy.
Watching ESC 2004 with my whole family, I was 10. Happened only once, my family wasn't much invested, but I watched every year ever since.
Seeing Homens da Luta, from Portugal, perform. But I only started following Eurovision in 2017, after Salvador Sobral won.
[удалено]
Watching Molitva win in 2007. Absolutely loved the song and have been a fan of Eurovision since.
watching my first eurovision in 2013 because my mum told us to watch it with her
As a kid I had a German charts compilation CD with creepy Guildo Horn (7th Germany 1998). I must have watched at least parts of the show, but I only remember his performance. My real first memory of watching Eurovision with my family must have been within the next few years. I remember there was a performance I really liked. I was even allowed to vote but I did secretly because I felt it was weird, which I regret today, I have never found that song again, and after \~ 20 years I don't think I would recognise it. I think it was a little New Age like with classic sounding female vocals, not a 1st place. Any ideas? :/ Maybe it was 2000, the year with Stefan Raab (5th Germany) who was incredibly popular here at that time and made all the kids watch Eurovision.
Germany 1998 | [Guildo Horn - Guildo hat euch lieb!](https://youtu.be/HPZX7EZIFD0)
I remember putting it on discretely while working at a law office in 2014. I have 2 distinct memories from that year: of course, Conchita, and Pollapönk and their ridiculously fun vibes and music video. When I saw how gay the contest was, I got hooked.
My first memory is actually from watching the kids version with the two russian twins. I was five and i remember saying they were gonna win. My earliest memory of the normal eurovision is watching tom dice with me and my guitar in 2010 with my parents. Its one of my favorite entries from my country.
All I remember was that it was Estonia performing. I think the singer was a brunette wearing blue. I think it was in the 2000's, but it might have been in the early 2010's. I will update when I find out which Estonia entry it was. **Edit:** It was Estonia 2009. Thank you a million times to Urban Symphony for introducing me to Eurovision!
Estonia 2009 | [Urban Symphony - Rändajad](https://youtu.be/PgGiVnhfXs0)
2011 Eurovision
The one I fully remember (I’m 18) was 2014 cause I lovvvvvved Romania lmao
Charlotte Perrelli (then Nilsson) winning in 1999. I just remember her pink outfit singing the winning song. I was 6.
My dad telling me in 2010 that Lena wouldn't even make Top 10 and then I heard that she won on the radio news the next morning. That was also my first Eurovision and I've watched ever since.
I remember watching eurovision 2012, being excited that Serbia made it into the finals also my mom predicting that Loreen was gonna win
In 2009, I was 13 and happened upon a rerun of the 2008 contest on TV. Have been hooked ever since.
My dad coming home with the single cd from Katrina and the Waves - Love shine a light
Finding out about it on a random friday ~a month before this year's contest
The Ark (Sweden 2007). Looking back now, it came in the same place as Charlotte Perrelli's classic Hero the next year (Sweden 2008), which is definitely not something I remembered!
Guildo Horn climbing up the stage while singing that he loves us.
Fairytale, I think. It feels very hazy but I remember watching it with my parents.
I remember hearing swiss entries in the Radio (mainly Switzerland 2014, Switzerland 2018 and Switzerland 2019) but never paid much attention to them. I found out about the contest last year and watched for the first time this year
And you were lucky to see your country winning in your first ever watched contest.
JESC 2005. I was 5 y/o and distinctly remember the Belarusian keyboard bouncing around on a large spring.
I remember being obsessed with Lithuania's 2006 entry, "We Are the Winners" (they weren't)
Junior Eurovision 2006!
Rambo Amadeus (Montenegro 2012). Found the song hilarious at 6, I still love it now. Also Loreen (Sweden 2012) winning like a total queen.
I initially thought it was jedward in 2011, but I rewatched 2009 recently and there’s something very very familiar about Mamo (Russia’s 2009 entry) so my parents must have had eurovision on that year and I must have seen Mamo being performed. Something about it was probably very memorable to my little 6 year old brain back then idk
The first Eurovision that I remember watching live was 2001, and my favourite song was Greece 2001 (I am from Greece), with Helena Paparizou before My number one. And then I remember my father telling me to go to sleep, I was 9 years old at the time, but I was very happy when he told me the next morning that she came third! 🤩
Greece 2001 | [Antique - Die for You](https://youtu.be/qNs-R9NU82I)
She deserved to win that time! I still listen to Antique to this day, that song will never age! ❤️❤️
I knew of Eurovision in the 80’s because many acts from Spain became super popular in Latin America, however the first time I officially saw Eurovision was in 2000 in Israel watching Ping-pong band sing Sameyack. I will never forget watching the disbelief and disappointment look of my host family from their national act 😅😅🤭
Birmingham 1998. Specifically Guildo Horn climbing the lighting rig, and Dana International winning.
Me too, first Eurovision for me!
Like memory of watching it on TV, or my first memory involving Eurovision? If the former, then it will be UK 2012, I remember looking in awe at the TV when the pyro wheels spun, but at this point I was already a fan. If the latter, then it will probably be my sister listening to Me and My Guitar (Belgium 2010), I remember searching the song up on Youtube, and since then I’ve been hooked
Welp it was basically me looking up Alexander Rybak and discovering that he was from Belarus so I read more because I was curious if He still lived there and I read the words "Rybak represented and won for Norway in 2009 eurovision" That started the chain reaction of countless google searches of what "eurovision" was 🥲 Sadly that was around April of this year so I'm new
First time i remember the full thing is so nostalgic for me, it was 2019, i was 8 at the time, and in remember we couldn't watch the finals on Saturday, so we watched it Sunday, but by then we had already heard Duncan had won. First time i remember a little bit was 2018. But really, i dont know anymore. It could be, but also couldn't.
I have two - mainly because I don't know which counts as which. One was when Sea of Flags was announced. Idk what Eurovision was back then, but the song was played a lot of times on Australian radio. But if we're talking what sparked me to get into Eurovision - a petition to get Stefan Karl in Eurovision. This prompted me to search what is this song contest cuz i was fairly aware of it by that point. At the same time, i also got to learn what a national selection was, which led to me researching Songvakeppnin. Interestingly, since this was like within the new year (2017), I watched my first Grand Final.
Bucks Fizz with the skirts.
mine was seeing conchita wurst’s win. i was 7 and so confused, as they were something i had never seen before
Seeing 'Everyway That I Can' become a top 10 hit in the Netherlands. 2003 was the year I really got into pop music and started following charts, and I had no idea that it was a Eurovision song until much later. Didn't watch my first ESC until 2010, though... 😬
I’m in America and I remember seeing someone reading an article of netta winning Eurovision 2018, when I came back from my school I looked up the song and fell in love, from there I found fuego and became obsessed with Eurovision.
Alexander Rybak winning with a record breaking amount of votes. It was then that I was still in contact with my dad, and he had custody of me and my brother every other weekend. The finale of ESC that year fell into his custody time so we watched it. The table was full of snacks and I was allowed to stay up until the results came in. Despite our relationship being very toxic for most of my life, and me going no contact about 8 years ago, watching the ESC finale is one of the few happy memories I have of spending time with him.
Fairytale is actually one of my first memories from my life overall, since I had just turned 4 at the time and I remember my parents dancing happily to the song in my bedroom while we watched. It's also the first time they let me stay up past my bedtime because they were excited for me to see the show for the first time
Seeing Lordi win in 2006, I was 7 ish and thought it was the coolest shit ever
Ruslana performing Wild Dances, my 5 year old self discovered Eurovision and ever since then my obsession with music is still going strong.
Bucks Fizz winning for us, I was six. That song was everywhere!
I think hearing about France 2014 and how shitty it was according to everyone. Then it’s hearing about the win of Måneskin (Italy 2021)
France 2014 | [TWIN TWIN - Moustache](https://youtu.be/vjkqciwP034) Italy 2021 | [Måneskin - Zitti e buoni](https://youtu.be/RVH5dn1cxAQ)
I watched some of the entries of the 2021 Eurovision in school because my classmates convinced my music teacher to show them to us. I have since then been a really big Eurovison fans and plan to going to Swiss to watch it live next year.
For some reason it's Sweden 2013? First time watching Eurovision, and it's the only song I (very vaguely) remember watching. Random. But my first proper memory is 7yo me watching and hating Rise Like A Phoenix, going to bed early and waking up the next morning and being devastated after finding out that Conchita had won it 🤣🤣 (I love the song now though)
Watching Sandra Kim win with J'aime la vie. I was 9 years old. A year later Johnny Logan won with Hold me now, and that sealed the deal for me. I was hooked :-)
We were visiting an older aunt, which basically meant adults talking with little to do for children (I was 11 I think), so I asked for the tv to be on and ESC was on the tv. It was 2001 and I vividly remember our singer Michelle (for the bot: The Netherlands 2001) sitting on stage barefoot. I also really liked the diversity of all the songs. I slowly got hooked after that.
Didn't know it was a eurovision song back then but i was obsessed with everyway that i can (turkey 2003) and they actually used to play it quite a lot on mtv.
Dana International winning when I was 8 years old. My gay ass was obsessed with her and that feathery Jean Paul Gaultier dress that she wore for the winner's performance. Still am.
I was 4 and I was watching Eurovision 2009 with my mother and my sister. All I remember is Norway winning and Iceland's blue dress.
Seeing Sweden win in 99' (I'm from Sweden). I barely remember it, I may even maybe remember something earlier but it's the earliest that I for sure know is from Eurovision.
Watching Lordi and thrashing along with my crappy toy guitar. My mum took a picture which always emerges at every birthday. I must have been 7? That moment is probably when I became a metal head
Dana international dropping the trophy, and my mom screaming loudly
Me and my friend chanting 'Estonia' (first time I'd ever heard of the place) and being excited that they won. So it must've been Estonia 2001, which kind of embarrasses me now, but was apparently fire to 9yo me 🙈
Although I have some vague memories of earlier finals, my first musical memory is Nocturne in the 1995 ESC. I was 9 and my mother woke me up when Norway had won. 🇳🇴
My oldest one I can remember clearly is my mom asking me who I want to vote for in the 2015 final. I said UK (UK 2015) and still don't regret it, very much overhated that one. Also Euphoria received a lot of radio play when it won so that was earlier
SONO FUORI DI TESTA! MA DIVERSO DA LORO!
1993. I watched the Eurosong national final in Belgium and then was allowed to stay up late to watch Barbara Dex compete in Ireland… I remember the song, everyone else her dress 😅
Seeing Netta Barzilai’s Eurovision 2018 win being talked about in the news~ >_<
me dramatically singing carola’s worst song and being so hyped over lordi winning
Watching Måns Zelmerlöw’s stunning performance with ‘Heroes’ when I was 14 years old.
I remember watching JESC 2009 with my brother and my main take from it was how pretty the North Macedonian flag was and how preteen girl compatible the Dutch song was
Hard rock hallelujah is my first memory.
Watching on youtube 2014 eurovision and completely loving it. It’s still one of my favourite finals. And than the same year watching eurovision 2017 in live for the first time
I remember Alsou performing in 2000. After that, I have been hooked on this contest.
Watching Dana International win!
When I saw Charlotte Nilsson in 1999 in this amazing pink/purple outfit singing Take me to your Heaven, I was so impressed! I was just a young girl back then.
Watching with a group of friends and laughing in incredulity at Russia 2012 with it growing on us enough we all hoped it would win
My country winning Eurovision in 2017(Portugal), then I got interested in the contested and disliked that TOY won cuz Eleni music was better😔
Multi-pronged answer to this: 1988 (Dublin) - I was too young (5 years old) to realise what it was, but I remember the staging/lights and 1/2 entries (Lara Fabian for Luxembourg to name one). Don’t remember Celine though - too late in the night for me at that age . 1990 - I remember Italy being announced as winners at my grandparents but again no realisation of what I was watching nor any memory of the song at the time. 1991 (7 yrs. old) - My first “This is Eurovision” moment where i knew what i was watching as it was becoming an annual tradition in our home (Ireland in the 90s). Again, I remember the staging and Carola dashing out from the side entrance.
Johnny Logan, Mr Eurovision himself, winning for Ireland 1987. I know we watched it most years, but anything before that is a bit hazy. I was 11.
Me snoozing during the esc 2011 final
1985, Bobbysocks - La det svinge. I do not remember anything but the song and my happy mom dancing with me when they won. I was 2 :)
I remember looking it up when I was like 11 or 12 on Wikipedia and wondering what it was about (and I will admit, the Epic Sax Guy meme helped with that!), then when I saw it on twitter when I was 16 with, ironically, Russia and Ukraine's performances, I was hooked.
I think 2014? I remember feeling conflicted about how I disliked my countries song, but it like also getting second place
I feel so young compared to others here, I’m 18 but I keep seeing songs that were from before I was born 😭
The first memory I have is of Romania 2007 and how I thought it was really cool that they brought an entry where they were singing in so many different languages to a competition between a bunch of different countries.
I’m from Turkey and grew up in Germany. In 2003, I was 10. It was the first I heard of the Contest, the first time I watched. The first and only time my country won.
Watching Denmark win in 2013, and being super happy about it because we went on vacation there 😂 I think thats where my connection to Denmark begon