Universal language
It is often said that music and love are forms of universal language. As the winning song of this year’s Eurovision Song contest ‘Wasted Love’ demonstrates, English is increasingly the universal language. Over the last 20 years, English was the primary language for 75% of songs performed by each year’s Eurovision Song contest winner. The winner in 2016, Ukraine’s Jamala, performed her song ‘1944’ in a mix of Crimean Tatar and English. In the previous 20-year period, English accounted for 57% of winning song performances at the Eurovision Song Contest, including five from Ireland, where English is a recognized official language alongside Gaeilige.
Source: European Broadcasting Union, May 2025