Eurovision divides fans after confirming the Caribbean ‘is coming’ to 2024 contest
Loreen became the second person – and first woman – to win Eurovision twice in 2023. (Getty)
As the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest gears up to storm Sweden in May following Loreen’s epic victory last year, there may be a surprise new region joining the ranks: the Caribbean.
Each year, Eurovision sees countries across Europe (and Australia) face off against one another in a high-camp celebration of music from across the continent. But as the competition grows ever bigger, so does the list of countries allowed to compete.
The contest divided opinion in 2015 by bringing Australia into the fold. Now, it is testing the waters once more after sharing a mysterious post on Instagram which heavily implied that the Caribbean region would join this year’s competition (taking place in Malmö Arena, with the grand final on 11 May).
The video shows picturesque clips of Caribbean beaches, alongside the sound of waves lapping against the shore. The caption reads: “New Year, new news. We’re thrilled to confirm that the Caribbean is coming to the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.”
No further details have been forthcoming, leaving some people scratching their heads.
The Caribbean is a sub-region of the Americas, consisting of more than 700 islands. The area has 13 independent countries including the Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica.
It is unclear how, and from where, the Caribbean contestant would be selected but due to Europe’s coloinal history, the UK, Netherlands and France all have historical ties to the region, which remains one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the world.
“What’s the point of calling it EUROvision, then?” one person wrote on social media, while another said: “When does it stop being EUROvision and start being GLOBALvision?”
However, other fans of the contest defended the suspected move. “Stop gatekeeping Eurovision. Adding non-European countries isn’t gonna change the competition only expand it for the better,” one said.
Another advised: “Chill out, guys. Eurovision is a brand name, so in no case would there be a need to modify it. Let’s be open to new members.”
A third group of fans speculated that the post is simply a sponsorship announcement.
This is not the only Eurovision news in recent weeks. In December, Years & Years singer Olly Alexander announced he would be representing the UK in 2024, much to the delight of the nation.
Hopefully, he’ll fare better than Mae Muller, who came second-from-last in 2023 with her original pop tune “I Wrote a Song”.
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