Eurovision 2017 Winner: Portugal Wins For the First Time in Decades With Salvador Sobral

Portugal won this year’s Eurovision, a first in the competition’s history. The victory came as a surprise to some, as the song was much simpler than usual flashy Eurovision displays.

Salvador Sobral, 27, won with his love ballad “Amar Pelos Dois,” which was written by his sister. He narrowly beat Bulgaria and Moldova in the grand final.

Sobral said on receiving the trophy: “We live in a world of fast food music. This is a victory for music… music isn’t fireworks, music is feeling.”

Sobral, who has a serious heart condition that saw him miss the first week of rehearsals, reprised his song at the end of the show and was joined by his sister Luisa for a duet.

Their song, which translates as “For the Both of Us,” won top marks from both from the televoters and the countries’ professional juries, getting 758 points altogether. This dwarfed Jamala’s win last year for Ukraine with 534 points.

As Sobral collected the trophy, Graham Norton – who provided the commentary for the ceremony – noted that the singer looked as “nonplussed now as he has throughout this competition” despite not being touted as a favorite throughout this week’s semi-finals.

Lucie Jones, representing the UK with “I’ll Never Give Up on You”, came 15th.

Last year, the UK came 24th with duo Joe and Jake’s song “You’re Not Alone” picking up 62 points – better than 2015’s effort, “Still in Love with You” by Electro Velvet, which won just five points.