EXPERT COMMENT LAST UPDATED : 15 MAY 2019
Despite reports that she is yet to formally sign a contract, music fans all over the world are expecting an interval performance from global superstar Madonna at this weekend’s prestigious Eurovision Song Contest final.
Pop music researcher and lecturer at Birmingham City University’s School of Media, Dr Stephanie Fremaux, says it’s all about boosting ratings.
“Madonna, a small town girl from Bay City in Michigan to a global icon, may seem like a controversial choice to represent all of Europe at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. But arguably, the ‘material girl’ is no stranger to controversy.
“From Pepsi dropping her sponsorship after depicting an African-American Jesus in the ‘Like a Prayer’ video to the infamous nude ‘Playboy’ photo shoot and interview, to her post-watershed homoerotic ‘Justify my Love’ video which premiered on the largely progressive MTV, Madonna has courted controversy her whole career.
“Since Sir Terry Wogan’s passing, interest in the largely European-focused programme has gone down and with Brexit looming, the largely political judging holds less intrigue for British audiences. But the sway still held by a global superstar of Anglophile Madonna’s calibre could be enough of a draw for British viewers.
“The big names having played the interval previously include fellow American, Justin Timberlake, the cast of ‘Riverdance’, and erm, The Wombles. Madonna’s rumoured set list will likely be ‘Like a Prayer’ and the reveal of a brand new song. But with the deaths of such icons as Prince, George Michael, and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, what a coup for Eurovision to bag the Queen of Pop, Madonna.”