Robyn calls Eurovision 'a disgrace' as the boycott of the contest continues

Robyn on the contest: 'It's just a disgrace now'

Swedish pop artist Robyn, known for hits such as 'Show Me Love', 'With Every Heartbeat' and 'Dancing On My Own', spoke out sharply against Eurovision on comedian Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang, Euronews reports. According to her, interest in the contest faded after the era of ABBA, who won in 1974 with the song 'Waterloo'. 'We don't have ABBA anymore, so I don't really watch Eurovision. It's just crap now, I would say,' the singer said. She added that she watches the contest with American friends, and one of them hides under a blanket because 'it's truly a disgrace', and after watching it she feels 'overstimulated, in a bad way'.

Criticism amid boycotts

Robyn's remarks came as Eurovision endures a prolonged crisis over Israel's participation. As Euronews notes, last year five countries — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — boycotted the contest after the organisers refused to exclude Israel. Spain's RTVE said at the time that it would not broadcast the contest or the semi-finals, calling the EBU's decision 'insufficient'; Ireland's RTÉ described participation as 'unjustifiable' in light of the losses in Gaza; Slovenia's RTVSLO explained its withdrawal by citing the values of 'peace, equality and respect'.

Withdrawals for 2027

The crisis continues ahead of the 2027 contest, which will be held on 15 May in Burgas (Bulgaria) following Dara's victory in Vienna. In October, the Dutch public broadcaster NPO reversed its earlier decision to return to the contest — this came after the broadcaster AVROTROS had already announced in August that it would not take part because of Israel's presence. Ireland has also announced it will not participate in Eurovision 2027, the head of Spain's RTVE has backed the boycott, and the Czech broadcaster has withdrawn from the contest, citing, unlike the others, budget constraints. Meanwhile, the 2026 contest drew an audience of 131 million viewers — 35 million fewer than a year earlier.

Robyn's new album

Despite her criticism of the contest, Robyn herself remains a prominent figure on the Swedish pop scene: the country has won Eurovision six times, most recently with Loreen in 2023 with the song 'Tattoo'. The singer's ninth studio album, 'Sexistential', was included in the list of the best albums of 2026 according to Euronews Culture, where it was described as 'dopamine synth-pop' about female sexuality, motherhood and existential anxiety.