Nemo Becomes First Eurovision Contestant to Win for Switzerland Since Céline Dion

The popular European singing contest was co-hosted by actress Malin Akerman

Eurovision 2024 has crowned a winner!

On Saturday, May 11, rapper Nemo (whose full name is Nemo Mettler) became the first non-binary winner in the history of the high-camp singing contest, per the Associated Press. They're also the first contestant to win under the Swiss flag since pop icon Céline Dion competed for the country in 1988, per The New York Times.

They received the majority of the 180 million votes cast by viewers around the world and the most points from representatives of 24 countries to win the competition.

The performance that led to Nemo's historic victory was a rap about their identity called "The Code." "I went to hell and back / To find myself on track,” they sang and rapped while balancing on a spinning disc, per New York Times. “Now, I found paradise / I broke the code.”

Related: King Charles and Queen Camilla Visit Eurovision as U.K. Hosts Annual Competition for Ukraine

Nemo spoke about their victory in a press conference soon after they were crowned the winner of the 68th Eurovision.

"I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person,” they said per the AP.

Nemo went on to say that their trophy was for "people that are daring to be themselves and people that need to be heard and need to be understood."

Related: Sweden's Loreen Wins Eurovision Song Contest for Historic Second Time: 'So Much Love'

"We need more compassion, we need more empathy," they added.

The popular competition hosted this year by Swedish-American actress Malin Akerman and Swedish comedian Peta Mede, was at the center of controversy this year when protestors against the war in Gaza objected to Israel's participation in the contest, per the AP and New York Times.

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Israeli singer Eden Golan finished in fifth place in the competition and the runner-up was a Croatian rocker called Baby Lasagna.

Hours before a winner was crowned in the final, Dutch competitor Joost Klein, was expelled from the competition due to an incident involving "a complaint made by a female member of the production crew” that was being investigated by Swedish police, the AP reported.

Klein had missed dress rehearsals of the show in Friday, May 10 while the incident was being investigated.

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