About 100,000 visitors have gathered in the southern Swedish city of Malmö for the annual kitsch party, amid a heavy police presence as authorities brace for possible unrest.
Swiss rapper and singer Nemo, 24, qualified from the second semi-final with the song on Thursday The codejust like Joost Klein, 26, from the Netherlands with his song European Pope.
“Singing this song in front of a live audience and knowing that so many people were listening made me very emotional,” Nemo said during a press conference after the semi-final.
The song, a drum and bass, opera, rap and rock song, is about Nemo's journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.
“I think it's really important that we have so much queer representation this year,” Nemo said, referring to Irish contestant Bambie Thug, who also secured a spot in the final after performing in the first semi-final on Tuesday.
Israeli solo artist Eden Golan, 20, and her song Hurricane also qualified for Saturday's big show, with performances from 26 countries.
There was some cheering from the audience before, during and after Golan's performance, as well as applause and waving Israeli flags, according to a Reuters journalist in the audience.
“I am so overwhelmed with emotions,” Golan said later at the press conference.
“It is truly an honor to stand here on stage and make our voices heard and represent ourselves with pride,” she said, adding that organizers had taken precautions to make the event safe for everyone.
The solo artist characterizes her song as a strong power ballad that describes a person going through a storm of emotions.
Armenia, Austria, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Latvia and Norway also qualified for the final.
Eurovision Song Contest organizers had resisted calls to exclude Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' attack on October 7, arguing that the competition is a non-political event.
More than 10,000 pro-Palestinian campaigners, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, staged a non-violent protest in the hours leading up to the semi-final, waving Palestinian flags and “boycotting Israel”.
A smaller group of pro-Israel supporters, including members of Malmö's Jewish community, also organized a peaceful demonstration in the city, defending the Golan and its country's right to participate in the competition.
Hundreds of artists in Sweden and elsewhere have insisted that Israel cannot participate, as did two Belgian ministers earlier this year.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the event, earlier this year asked Israel to change its original texts in order to participate, saying they had originally referred to the October 7 attack.
In a video statement earlier on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Golan for her participation.
“Not only are you taking on the Eurovision Song Contest in a proud and very impressive way, you are also successfully combating an ugly wave of anti-Semitism – and representing the State of Israel with enormous honor,” Netanyahu said.