Numerous drag acts have blessed the stage throughout the years, making the European viewers more familiar with this art form. We have composed a fabulous list which you can check below!

The art of drag has a rich history that started thousands of years ago. One of the best things about drag is that it can exist and entertain in any context.  In particular, drag has always been present in Eurovision, from the 70s till today!

Carlotta Rivello 1973

The very first drag performer to ever appear on the stage was Charlie Rivel in the interval act of the contest held in Luxemburg in 1973. Charlie performed a funny act dressed as a female clown and trying to sing opera using the stage name Carlotta Rivello. 

Sestre 2002

The first drag performers on stage as contestants were the Slovenian Sestre, back in 2002 in Estonia, where they performed their entry, Samo ljubezen. The all male trio dressed as female flight attendants, finished in the 13th place and paved the way for drag acts to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Marie N 2002

That same year, what could be considered as the first drag king appeared on the Eurovision stage. Latvian Marie N sang a big part of her song, I wanna, dressed in male costume and dancing with a female partner. Her enthusiastic performance and her exciting costume changes landed her on the 1st place and brought the victory to Latvia.

DQ 2007

Drag returned to Eurovision during the 2007 contest, held in Finland. The Danish entry Drama queen was performed by DQ, a well known drag performer in Denmark. Although DQ didn’t make it to the Final, she gave the audience an amazing performance and ever since, has been included in many Eurovision parties at the Euroclubs. 

Verka Serduchka 2007

Of course no one could forget Verka Serduchka. The Ukranian artist performed her song Dancing Lasha Tumbai also in 2007 and earned the 2nd place. Her enticing persona and funny delivery of the song made her possibly one of the most memorable contestants ever to participate in Eurovision, and her many reappearances and cameos at the contest in the following years have always been loved by the audience. The 2019 edition of the contest, saw Verka Serduchka appearing during the interval act performing the 2018 winning song from Israel, Toy by Netta.

Conchita Wurst 2014

Finally, the admittedly most popular of all the drag performers in Eurovision is Conchita Wurst. In the 2014 contest, held in Denmark, the Austrian singer made history when she won the competition with her song Rise like a phoenix. Conchita’s magnificent voice and powerful performance showed the world that drag is nothing less than a valid art form. Ever since, Conchita is a memorable entry appearing in Eurovision gigs and cameos, with her latest performance being in 2019 during the interval act where she performed the Swedish winning song from 2015, Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw. 

Undeniably, all the drag performers that participated in the contest offered unforgettable and legendary moments in Eurovision history. Since drag is becoming more and more part of the mainstream entertainment, it’s impossible not to see its influence in Eurovision too!

 

Which is your favourite drag performance on the Eurovision stage? Let us know in the comments!