What truth is there in the myth that the festival sinks careers?

There are many myths that revolve around the Eurovision Song Contest. The musical contest with the greatest international impact has almost eight decades of history behind it, and its place in the national collective imagination has varied greatly, depending on the circumstances and different factors. The future of Spain in the contest has greatly conditioned the general impression that viewers have had of it. This has been the case in the last two decades, in which the frequent bad Spanish results have fanned ghosts such as neighborhoodism, the impact of geopolitics or the supposed mania that Europe has for us. A very recurring one is the one that ensures that “Eurovision sinks races“. What is true in this myth?

It is important to consider the context. For more than a decade, the festival has veered towards greater commerciality after a stage in which the ‘Eurovision’ dominated the top positions in the classification. The introduction of the juries contributed to change this trend, as well as the approach of many delegations, who understood that betting on recognized singers, or proposals that had already proven to be successful in their countries of origin, was a good option. The festival, with an audience of over 150 million viewers, is, above all, an unparalleled showcase.

Since then, after years of drought in terms of commercial impact, the event has produced a good number of successes. ‘Euphoria’, ‘Heroes’ o ‘Arcade’ These are just a few examples of songs that have completely transcended the Eurovisual sphere and that have become songs that the general public perfectly recognizes.

In the last two editions we have also experienced two very clear examples of virality, success and great media projection. This is what has happened with the Italian group Moonlightwinners in 2021, and with Pink line, Armenian entrant in 2022, who finished in 20th position. ‘Shut up and good’ y ‘Snap‘, the songs with which they competed, respectively, have become two separate ‘hits’.

The Italians have achieved millionaire listeners with many of their songs, placing themselves on several hit lists in different countries of the globe. They have sold out on their European tour, they have performed at the Coachella festival or as opening act for the Rolling Stones, and have received a Grammy Award nomination.

The case of the Armenian representative in Turin is also paradigmatic. Despite finishing in a very discreet position in the standings, she found a place after the contest. It went truly viral on TikTok, being the most reproduced song of its edition, and entering the lists of many countries. Rosa has signed a contract with Columbia Records and will be opening for Ed Sheeran this summer.

And not only that. The truth is that the analysis of the races, for example, of the Spanish representatives discards said mantra. The truth is that all the artists who have attended the festival in recent years have received significant exposure and, despite having ended up in bad positions, have not stopped working. It is the case of Pastora Soler, Ruth Lorenzo, Soraya Arnelas or Blas Cantó.

The arrival of the Benidorm Fest has further amplified this impact: as proof, the success of songs like ‘Oh Mom’, by Rigoberta Bandini o ‘Vicco’s Nocturnal and the jump in popularity of names like Chanelwho is currently triumphing with ‘Clavaíto’, along with Abraham Mateo, or the tanjugueiraswhich have made the leap to the national scale in the last year.