Eurovision 2019: Madonna performs 'Like a Prayer' and new song 'Future' at ceremony
The pop icon is celebrating the release of her album Madame X
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Madonna gave a noticed performance during the Eurovision final on Saturday.
The pop star is marking the release of her forthcoming album Madame X with her guest performance, which came after all the contestants had had their turn onstage, during the voting period.
She opened her short show with "Like A Prayer", for which she was accompanied by a choir, reviving her 1989 hit.
The second half of her performance consisted in the reggae-inspired song "Future", sung in a duo with Quavo.
Madonna chatted with one of the Eurovision hosts shortly before her turn onstage, at one point quoting her own tune "Music" and getting the crowd to repeat her lyrics: "Music makes the people come together".
Madonna also addressed a pep talk to the contestants, telling them: "You're all winners, no matter what happens. Because to get here was not easy.
"You had to have a dream, and believe in that dream, make a lot of sacrifices to get here, and that, in my opinion, makes a winner."
The singer had faced calls from a Palestinian-led campaign to avoid performing at the event in Israel.
But the Queen of Pop rejected the boycott motions, saying she will "never stop playing music to suit someone's political agenda".
Her performance appeared to fail to convince viewers, several of whom thought the singer sounded out of tune.
Additional reporting by agencies
Follow The Independent's live-blog of the Eurovision final here
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments