The contest was won by Austria’s JJ with his emotional song Wasted Love.
The UK’s Eurovision 2025 contestants Remember Monday have said the competition has given them “memories that will last a lifetime” despite getting zero points from the public vote.
The trio, made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, finished 19th during Saturday’s grand final in Basel, Switzerland, after receiving 88 points from the national juries, including 12 points from Italy, for their song What The Hell Just Happened?.
Speaking about their experience in the competition, the trio said: “Wow – what a ride.
“Three best mates walked onto the world’s biggest music stage and came out with a top 10 Jury score, massive streaming numbers, and memories that will last a lifetime.
“Performing at Eurovision was one of the most surreal and emotional moments of our lives.
“The love we’ve felt from fans, our incredible team, and everyone who streamed, voted, and believed in us has been overwhelming.
“This is just the beginning for Remember Monday.
“We’ve got new music coming your way, a UK and Ireland headline tour this year, a summer packed with festivals, and we’ll be hitting the stage at Wembley Stadium for the Summertime Ball, no big deal.
“We’re so grateful for the platform, the media support, and every single new fan who’s joined us on this wild journey. Eurovision? Completed it. Let’s go.”
The trio were the UK’s first girl group entrant since 1999, and fared slightly worse than Olly Alexander who came 18th in Malmo in 2024.
The contest was won by Austria’s JJ with his emotional song Wasted Love, while Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, who is an October 7 survivor, was the runner-up.
In the centre of the city there were clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police, and three officers were injured, according to the police.
Raphael was left “shaken and upset” after pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards a barrier when she was on stage on Saturday night, her team said.
A spokesman for Israeli broadcaster Kan said the protesters “were blocked by security officials” and their delegation “needed to move location” for 15 minutes.
Swiss police confirmed the two people were handed over to them and that they have now been released, while organisers Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR released a statement saying that a crew member was hit with paint but is “fine”.
Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, said its supporters “did attempt to enter the stage, and some cornstarch-based powder paint appears to have got onto both the action taker and a member of staff in the ensuing kerfuffle” but denied it was “thrown”.
A spokesperson for the group said David Curry, 22, from Manchester, and Meaghan Leon, 27, from London, had been detained and “released”.
About 800 pro-Palestinian protests demonstrated against Israel’s inclusion near a free concert in the centre of Basel shortly after 7pm on Saturday, and a small group nearby protested with Israeli flags.
Later the group advocating for Israel to be removed from the singing competition moved across Basel towards the Eurovision Village, where they were met by a significant police presence and tear gas was used.
Basel police said in a statement that during identity checks on about 400 people, a group “threw firecrackers at the emergency services, injuring three police officers who were taken to hospital with suspected blast trauma”.
A protester was also treated by ambulance workers, the force said.
The UK gave its top public vote of 12 points to Israel during the grand final, but the British jury awarded no points to Raphael’s New Day Will Rise as Israel finished with 357 points to Austria’s 436 points.
Winner JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, said “love is the strongest force in the world, let’s spread more love” after receiving the trophy for his boat trip themed performance of the song.
At a press conference, the 24-year-old called for spreading “love”, adding: “Forget hate, love is the strongest force, and be active. Use your voice.”
When asked how he felt being the third “queer” artist in a row, after Swiss singer Nemo, and Sweden’s Loreen, the Austrian said the wins meant there was “amazing acceptance and equality for everyone, I’m so so so happy that I’m representing this amazing community”.
Despite much speculation that former Swiss winner and Canadian singer Celine Dion might give a performance at Eurovision, she did not appear at the final on Saturday.
The singer did send a message during Tuesday’s semi-final in which she called her win at the 1988 edition in Dublin with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, when she was just 20 years old, “life changing”.
The 57-year-old, who has had health issues, recently made a return to the stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics during the closing ceremony from the Eiffel Tower where she sang Edith Piaf’s L’Hymne A L’Amour.
