Madonna Calls For Unity, Urges World To “Wake Up” At Eurovision Song Contest

Madonna brought music and politics to the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday Night in Israel.

Dressed in a futuristic Gothic cloak along with a black eye-patch, the music legend started her set with a performance of her 1989 hit “Like A Prayer.”

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She was later joined by Quavo of Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos for a performance of her new single “Future.”

At the end of the performance, two dancers walked up and displayed Israeli and Palestinian flags on their backs.

“Wake up,” Madonna whispered to the audience as the words “wake up” were flashed on a large screen behind her.

Earlier in the show, Madonna was briefly interviewed by one of the evening’s hosts and spoke of unity.

“Look at all the delegates — everybody is here from all over the world,” she said. “And the thing that brings all of these people together is music. So let’s never underestimate the power of music to bring people together.”

The Eurovision Song Contest is similar to U.S. shows like American Idol and The Voice, bringing fresh music talent to worldwide attention.

But not everyone was excited about this year’s event. A group of more than 30 Palestinian cultural centers and organizations from Gaza sent out an open letter calling for a boycott, and an alleged jihadist group released a video threatening the event.

The finale was Saturday night. Duncan Laurence of The Netherlands won with his song, “Arcade.”

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