Why Måneskin’s Eurovision Victory Matters
The internet blew up with appreciation for Italy’s four-piece band Måneskin after the performers won the Eurovision Song Contest with 524 points last Saturday. Although Måneskin had been bookmaker’s favourites for weeks, fans of lead singer Damiano and his bandmates Victoria, Thomas, and Ethan had their doubts about a glam rock performance’s success in a contest often associated with overblown staging and power ballads. The winners jumped on stage after the pivotal announcement, putting all fears to rest and confidently exclaiming: “Rock n’ roll never dies!”.
Måneskin’s success marks only the third victory for Italy in the immensely popular contest, with their most recently winning song “Insieme:1992” having been performed by Toto Cotugno in Croatia in 1990. The country did come incredibly close multiple times in recent years: operatic pop trio Il Volo won the televote in 2015 with their emotionally charged ballad “Grande amore”, and Mahmood placed second overall in 2019 with “Soldi”, a contemporary pop-RnB tune reflecting the singer’s mixed heritage, which remains the most-streamed Eurovision song on Spotify. Italy has a solid track record when it comes to sending high-quality entries to the contest, largely thanks to their selection process in which the winner of the Sanremo festival, the most famous Italian pop music event of the year, goes on to represent the country on Eurovision’s big stage.
Måneskin’s humble beginnings make their success in Eurovision all the more striking. After several of the members met at the same high school, the friends started their musical journey by busking in the Colli Portuensi district of Rome. The band’s name, which translates to ‘moonlight’ in Danish, was chosen when registering for local music contest Pulse and serves as a nod to bassist Victoria’s cultural background. Their breakthrough was marked by finishing second in Italy’s X Factor in 2017. Having covered “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand during the competition, Måneskin has recently been praised by the Scottish band’s frontman Alex Kapranos who called their Eurovision performance “full of life and attitude” and expressed hope to see them play live one day.
After their impressive win, the band members and their fans took to social media, describing Måneskin’s victory as “revolutionary”. Although past winners of Eurovision haven’t been as homogeneous as some like to imagine, Måneskin really did make history as the first Italian rock entry to win the contest. More than that, they proved that the underappreciated genre in the world of Eurovision can indeed be celebrated by millions of viewers. It’s worth mentioning that the last time a rock band took home the trophy was over a decade ago when Finland’s hard rock band Lori won the contest with “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in 2006. Marking the most popular Finnish entry to date, the band stood out with their unapologetic force and monster-like appearance.
Other than that, there were only a few winning entries that fit inside the loose frame of ‘rock’ in Eurovision history: even though ABBA’s “Waterloo” is now often classified as Europop, it was considered a rock entry when it entered the contest in 1974, and RIVA’s 1989 “Rock Me” was undeniably influenced by 80s pop-rock. In over sixty years of the event’s existence, however, it’s tough to find other victors associated with the genre. 2021 marks a year of rock resurgence that can be noticed in multiple Eurovision entries, with Portugal’s The Black Mamba coming in 12th with their 70s rock-inspired song “Love Is On My Side”, and Finland reaching their second-best ever result with Blind Channel’s memorable nu-metal hit “Dark Side”.
Apart from echoing the infectious energy of Lori, Måneskin is quite unlike anything Eurovision has seen before. The energizing tempo, infectious guitar riff, and sharp Italian lyrics of “Zitti e buoni” are appealing on their own, but the band’s charisma and eye-catching style are responsible for the boost they needed to triumph in the big finale. Simultaneously playing into classic rock trends and defying outdated gender stereotypes, Måneskin enhanced their distinct look with black eye makeup, nail polish, high-heeled boots, and customized tight red bodysuits designed by Etro, a famous family-run fashion brand.
The song contest, requiring months of vigorous preparation from all delegations, may have wrapped up after Saturday’s four-hour show, but the finale’s performances are far from forgotten – if anything, Måneskin have entered a fresh, invigorating chapter of international success. Compilations of Damiano David from various performances and interviews have recently flooded Tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube. While the lead singer can be described as conventionally attractive, his allure also speaks to a universal shift of standards in beauty ideals, where challenging toxic masculinity and experimenting with androgynous appearance is often celebrated and viewed as desirable. Some of the Måneskin musicians have also come out as members of the queer community: in an interview with neg.zone, Victoria describes herself as bisexual, Damiano as bicurious, and Ethan as ‘sexually free’. Ultimately, whether on or off stage, the performers unashamedly embrace who they are, only adding to their fiery charm. Thinking back to Eurovision icons Dana International and Conchita Wurst, the contest demonstrates a history in championing talents with bold personalities unafraid to challenge the norm. Måneskin is a new, distinctive addition to the list.
The band’s success is also momentous in the context of Italian rock, which holds a special place in the country’s culture. Even though Italy had no major rock tradition until the genre spread from the U.S. in the 60s, rock ’n’ roll music soon became an integral part of the 1968 student uprisings around the country. The dominant role of classical music in Italian identity led to a rise in classically influenced rock in the 70s, but it was the following decade that welcomed some of the most popular Italian rock acts to date, who rose to fame in the context of the new wave and hardcore scenes. Key names include CCCP Fedeli alla linea and Vasco Rossi, the latter holding the record for the highest attended ticketed concert of all time. Having performed in the Sanremo Festival himself decades ago, Vasco congratulated Måneskin on their glam rock entry, praising the guitar riff in “Zitti e buoni” and comparing their song to his own hit, “Siamo solo noi”. The rock icon showed appreciation for the band’s confidence and desire to go against the tide, feeling this mirrored his own musical and personal history.
It’s a big deal for Måneskin to be acknowledged by domestic and international rock stars alike and helps cement their position as deserving winners of the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. From Ukrainian electro-folk to touching French ballads, this year welcomed a vast range of languages, characters, and styles of performances, but Måneskin’s victory marks a historic moment for rock in Eurovision, hopefully encouraging unique entries of all genres in the upcoming years of the beloved contest.