Italy won the first Eurovision Song Contest held after the COVID-19 cancellation, taking the 2021 title with Måneskin’s “Zitti e buoni.”
The 2021 final took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 22 May. Måneskin received 524 points, including 318 from the public vote, and finished ahead of France and Switzerland. The band consisted of Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, Thomas Raggi and Ethan Torchio.
The 2020 contest, also scheduled for Rotterdam, was cancelled because the COVID-19 pandemic made the planned event impossible. It was the first cancellation in Eurovision history. Several 2020 artists returned in 2021, but the songs from the cancelled contest were not eligible to compete.
Italy’s 2021 victory was its third, following wins in 1964 and 1990. “Zitti e buoni” was performed in Italian and helped bring rock music back to the centre of Eurovision’s final.