Netta Barzilai Wins Eurovision for Israel

Israel’s Netta Barzilai beat out singers from 42 other countries to win the Eurovision 2018 Song Contest late Saturday. With about 200 million people tuning in for the contest’s Grand Final in Lisbon, Barzilai’s song “Toy,” a pop anthem promoting female empowerment, claimed the top prize. Ahead of her final performance, Barzilai credited the #MeToo movement with inspiring the song. “Look, it’s an amazing time when women are searching for and finding their voices,” she said. While reveling in her victory late Saturday, the singer thanked fans for “choosing different” and “choosing daring.” “Thank you for celebrating diversity. Next time in Jerusalem,” she said, referencing Israel’s right to host the next contest. Cyprus’ Greek-Albanian singer Eleni Foureira came in a close second with her upbeat anthem “Fuego,” while Cesár Sampson of Austria took third place with his more toned-down song, “Nobody but You.”