Viewers across the world are gearing up for the semi-finals of the world’s biggest music competition, the 70th Eurovision Song Contest which begin in earnest on Tuesday night.
This year, we’ve already been treated to a number of bangers like Liekinheitin, by Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, Ferto, by Greece’s Akylas and My System by Sweden’s Felicia.
However, given the event’s rich and varied history, there have been several iconic hits and artists over the past 70 years that have become part of our wider popular culture.
A new report by Spotify highlights some of the most-streamed Eurovision entries of all time – along with the entries that may not have won the coveted prize but have seen immense fame in the following years.
Spotify listeners have already created more than 1.2 million Eurovision playlists in the last year and have streamed its entries more than 1.5 billion times.
Duncan Laurence’s Arcade most-streamed entry of all time
Arcade by’Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands, the 2019 contest winner, was the most-streamed Eurovision entry of all time by Europeans, gaining more than 1.5 billion streams across the world on Spotify.
Similarly, Armenian artist Rosa Linn’s Snap was the second most-streamed entry, with over a billion streams, despite bagging 20th place in the 2022 contest.
A number of other entries won hearts worldwide, including 2021’s winner Zitti e Buoni by Måneskin, 2023’s winner Tattoo by Loreen and 2009’s winning entry Fairytale by Alexander Rybak.
The Eurovision contest has also long been a launchpad for some of the most popular artists across the world.
Sweden’s ABBA, which took part in Eurovision in 1974, is the most-streamed artist of all time from the contest, with their songs racking up more than 12.5 billion streams globally.
Måneskin, who competed in 2021, is the second most-streamed artist ever with nine billion streams, followed by Céline Dion, who represented Switzerland in 1988, with seven billion views.
Hits that won hearts worldwide
Several Eurovision entries have become fan favourites over the years, despite not winning the contest. In many cases, they have ended up outperforming contest winners.
Rosa Linn’s Snap went viral on social media across Europe, outranking the 2022 Ukrainian winner Stefania by Kalush Orchestra, despite being placed 20th in the contest that year.
Similarly, the Portuguese entry Deslocado by NAPA triggered an immense social media trend of personal hometown videos, leading to it becoming the most-streamed entry from the 2025 Eurovision, despite placing 21st.
While Gen Z listeners often prefer entries like Deslocado, Fairytale and the 2023 Slovenian entry Carpe Diem by Joker Out, older generations tended to prefer entries like Arcade, Snap and Tattoo.
What makes a winning entry?
Although there is obviously no magic trick or formula to win the Eurovision contest, Spotify has analysed all historical winning entries to bring some patterns to light.
According to the streaming platform, winning entries usually achieve a delicate balance between emotional groove and high-energy danceability, usually with a tempo of 127 beats per minute (BPM).
F Major in a 4/4 time signature was revealed to be the perfect key for a top entry, due to it being bright, easy to sing along to and familiar.
Combining all these factors, the analysis also revealed that Ireland’s 1987 winner Hold Me Now by Johnny Logan could be the closest to the most perfect Eurovision entry of all time, despite having a BPM of 126, instead of 127.