The Catalan Language at Eurovision: A Journey of Experimentation and Challenges in the International Music Competition – From Spain’s Victory Year, Through the Small Principality of Andorra, to New Opportunities at the Benidorm Fest.
The Eurovision Song Contest is an excellent platform to showcase diverse cultures in many languages. Spain, during its more than sixty years of participation, has taken few risks in terms of language, using only Spanish in most of its songs. The only exceptions were the use of English in the song “Say Yay!” performed by Barei in Sweden in 2016 and the inclusion of some French with José Vélez in 1978 in his song “Bailemos un vals“, but nothing beyond that. Over the years, there have been attempts to bring Catalan or Galician to Eurovision, but for various reasons, they have not succeeded.
The Suppression of Catalan Culture in Spain
Spain is not as homogeneous a country as commonly thought, and it includes many cultures united under the Kingdom of Spain. The Catalan language is spoken in the region of Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. Catalonia is a separatist region, where a significant portion of its inhabitants do not believe in the Spanish crown and think that Catalonia should separate from Spain and become an independent state. The use of the Catalan language is a controversial issue in Spain, as it symbolizes, in the eyes of many, a split in the Spanish nation and Catalan nationalism, which is opposed by supporters of Spanish unity.
There have been several attempts to bring the Catalan language to Eurovision over the years. In 1968, which was Spain’s first victory year at Eurovision, singer Joan Manuel Serrat was chosen to represent Spain with his song “La, La, La”, originally performed in Catalan. However, because he insisted on singing the song in Catalan, the Spanish national broadcaster refused him and brought singer Massiel to sing in his place in Spanish. During those years, Spain was a nationalist dictatorship, and the regime imposed restrictions on all Catalan symbols, so there was no real chance that the song would be sung in Catalan in the first place.
New Opportunities at the Benidorm Fest
After the dictatorial regime in Spain fell and the monarchy returned to power, several Catalan artists tried to reach Eurovision, especially through the Benidorm Fest, which offered a platform for songs in Catalan.
The festival, which from its first year became an excellent example of Spanish cultural diversity, brought to the stage two performances sung entirely in Catalan: the song “Que Esclati Tot” by Siderland in 2023, and the song “El Temps” by Roger Padrós in 2024, which was considered the great ballad of that year. Additionally, in the same year, Catalan singer Sofia Coll did not give up on including Catalan expressions in her song “Here to Stay“, which she sang in the festival competition.
The Spanish public, for its part, still hesitates to choose songs in this language, probably due to the cultural values that the Catalan language brings with it. However, with Catalonia’s strengthening music industry, it seems that one day Spain will send the Catalan language to Eurovision, at least as a language partially integrated into a song.
The Principality That Brought Catalan to the Competition
Catalan did eventually reach Eurovision, not with Spain, but with the Principality of Andorra. The Principality of Andorra is a small independent state (Microstate) that borders the Spanish region of Catalonia on one side and France on the other. Catalan is the only official language in Andorra, and it is the only country in the world with Catalan as an official language.
When Andorra joined Eurovision, it was clear that Catalan would come with it. Indeed, when Andorra wanted to present itself to the world at Eurovision 2004, a song in the Catalan language was sent for the first time. Andorra sent the song “Jugarem a Estimar-nos” performed by Marta Roure, which is considered an anthem among Eurovision fans in Spain, but failed to reach the final stage. Since then, Andorra participated for several more years in the competition, until 2010, when it withdrew from Eurovision after a lack of success during those years, without any performances in the competition’s final.
Spain in Eurovision 2024
“Zorra” is the name of the song performed by the duo Nebulossa, representing Spain at Eurovision 2024 held in Malmö. The duo won the Spanish Eurovision selection “Benidorm Fest 2024”. Spain reached 22nd place in the grand final with 30 points. This is the seventh time in the last decade that Spain has received one of the last five places in the Eurovision final.
Source: losreplicantes.com
Eurovision 2025: This will be Spain’s 65th participation in Eurovision. Spain joined the competition in 1961 and won it twice consecutively in 1968 and 1969. Spain has hosted the contest on its territory only once in 1969 and since then holds the longest waiting time since its last victory – 55 years.
