Eurovision Rants

[Rant] King of Eurovision

(Oh boy, this will probably gain a whole lot of controversy because of the stans, an't it? Oh well.)
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So, the fellow europals which watch this contest for quite a while might know about the "King of Eurovision" title which is often attributed to Alexander Rybak.

And to make myself clear from now before some stan of his might start judging the hell out of me just for a simple opinion:

I don't hate Rybak as a person, nor as a musician. Fair enough, he's a talented guy all in all, and I can't deny that.
(Hell, I gotta admit I like some of his songs too.)

But in all honesty, this guy is overrated in the Eurovision community, and apparently some Eurovision fans call him already the "King of Eurovision"...

Okay, first of all, hold up a second.

King of Eurovision? Isn't it quite too much to actually begin with?

Because last time I checked, Eurovision spans for over 60 years, and yet a recent act is crowned in such a manner?

Like I said, no offense to Rybak, or his fans by this matter, but I think some people went overboard with this. By a lot.

So, what's up with him though?

Alexander Rybak won the edition of 2009 with the highest score in the old voting system, 387 points, gaining the 3rd Norwegian victory in the contest since its debut. The last time Norway won the contest was in 1995.

He gained a lot of notoriety because of his kindness towards fans, his violin skills and abilities, and of course, his voice.

And presumably if you were into Eurovision back in those days, he would've been your first Eurovision crush, just as it happened with a lot of fangirls.

Now, going to the actual question:
Does Rybak, in your opinion, deserve this title that most people seem to attribute him with?

The answer? Not really.
(I'd understand as Prince of Eurovision if his fans really want to give him a royal title related to the contest, but king? No.)

Like previously said and pretty much repeated throughout some chapters in this book, Eurovision Song Contest spans over 60 years and it's still ongoing.

Hell, Lys Assia is often considered as the actual Queen of Eurovision Song Contest and clearly deserved as such.
(May the queen rest in peace now though.)

To be labeled as "the king" of some notable competition is quite a title, and I honestly doubt that a young act like Rybak would be deserved of such a title when we had more male acts which influenced greatly the contest.

I'd still give Rybak a shoutout for having the highest score in the old voting system - but that's the only notable thing he'd pull it off in Eurovision, aside small cameos.

I think the "king of Eurovision" title should go to someone which actually managed to do the impossible in that era. I don't say that the new winners should not gain any kind of notoriety - but it's all about the legacy they leave behind.

I'd personally give the title to Johnny Logan, even if he's often named "Mister Eurovision". He basically won twice by himself (1980, respectively 1987) and once indirectly by composing the winning song in 1992.

I mean, he's literally the most successful artist in the entire contest, and he made history with these wins.

He could easily fit into this category, doesn't he?

Rybak won the edition of 2009 indeed, but he didn't win twice (he still participates in the edition of 2018 for Norway though, who knows where he's placing this time?), but he did try his best to return back as composer for multiple occasions (although his composed acts didn't pass the national selections).

If you try, it's alright.
But it's all on how Europe perceives it.

Alexander Rybak still gets a lot of hate as much as he receives a lot of support from his fanbase. Which proves that being popular doesn't necesarily escape you from the wave of hate and trolling on social media.

Kebab's overall conclusion?

Although I understand why he became so popular and so adored by a lot of fans, I feel like the Eurovision fanbase are putting him way too high on the scale. Fairytale isn't a bad song, but certainly not the best he can offer, and don't get me into the 2018 song...

But topic inside, I believe he's talented and all, and he's a nice guy. But giving him such a title is a bit too much, to be honest. I can still take the "Prince of Eurovision" part if that would gladly please the fandom. But I'm not seeing him as the "King of Eurovision" by any meaning.

And I never saw him as such, probably I was a very odd child back in the day, girls my age would swoon over him. Oh well.