Madonna's Eurovision performance. Courtesy of the singer's Youtube
Having Eurovision in Israel was always going to be political, with the ongoing border protests that have had close to 200 casualties and injuries in the thousands on the Palestinian side since last March – but Madonna made sure the conflict would be the headline from this year’s version of the international song contest.
On the thirtieth anniversary of Madonna’s Like a Prayer album and shortly before the release of her latest album, Madame X (due on 14 June), the American singer was invited to the stage of Eurovision to perform a mash-up of her two works. At first, the stage closely resembled that of the 2018 Heavenly Bodies Met Gala as Madonna came down a staircase flanked by robed monk dancers, while the instantly recognisable chords of the 1989 hit played. But when she removed the hood of her robe, it exposed the black eye patch with a bedazzled X on it that has come to represent her latest musical incarnation of Madame X. As soon as the chorus hits, audiences started to hear a heavy-handed auto-tune fighting with Madonna to get the notes back towards the melody.
Madonna's Eurovision performance. Courtesy of the singer's Youtube
A few minutes into the song, the robes are ripped off to expose dancers in white dresses, gas masks and floral crowns and Madonna in a post-apocalyptic lingerie armour look as the music transitions to an electric rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet. The singer says over the saccharine melody, “They are so naïve. They think we are not aware of their crimes. We know, but we’re just not ready to act. The storm isn’t in the air; it’s inside of us. I want to tell you about love and loneliness, but it is getting late now. Can’t you hear outside of your Supreme hoodie? The wind that is beginning to howl?” The audience is now fully in Madame X territory as Madonna performs the political song Future, with rapper Quavo. As the auto-tune reverberations get more intense, so does the commentary. When the song finally reaches its crescendo, a male dancer dressed as a soldier, with an Israeli flag on his back and a female dancer in a white dress with a Palestinian flag on her back embrace and walk off stage together.
The European Broadcasting Union, which oversees Eurovision, as well as Israeli officials, were quick to criticise the move as it violates the contests ban on political statements. A representative said that this part of the performance was not part of rehearsals and that Madonna had been made aware that the contest was a “non-political event.”
Palestinian liberation activists were also not thrilled by the performance. BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) – the group petitioning big acts like Lorde, Lana del Rey and Nick Cave to stop playing shows in Israel until political conditions improve – believes that Madonna should have refused to perform, and definitely not have made money off of it. They retweeted the @PACBI account (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel), which said, “Entertaining apartheid Tel Aviv for $1M serves an immoral political agenda.”
Madonna was not the only one to flash a Palestinian flag during the broadcast, Icelandic group; Hatari waved scarves bearing the image while their scores were being given. While Eurovision can’t really punish the pop icon, Iceland may face consequences from the contest.
Check out the Madonna performance below: