Sweden won the Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday, as singer Loreen beat out 25 competitors in the finale of the world's biggest live music event, hosted by Britain on behalf of Ukraine.
France, which was represented by the Quebec singer La Zarra, only managed 16th place, well below the bookmakers' predictions.
She follows the Breton group Alvan & Ahez, which came 24th and second last last year. France has not won Eurovision since 1977 with Marie Myriam.
La Zarra still wowed the audience with her electro-disco track Evidemment.
For her performance, she was dressed in a 4.5-metre long black dress, "which took a hundred hours of work", Alexandra Redde-Amiel, the head of the French delegation to Eurovision, told 20 minutes.
Historic Swedish win
Sweden's Loreen,however, was the toast of the evening. A previous victor in 2012, Loreen is the first woman to win the competition twice and only the second person to do so after Johnny Logan for Ireland in the 1980s.
It is a record-equalling seventh Eurovision crown for Sweden, and means the Scandinavian nation will host next year's contest on the 50th anniversary of ABBA's win.
Loreen - real name Lorine Talhaoui - told reporters that her victory with dance-pop track, Tattoo, felt "surreal" and "so beautiful", and had left her "seriously overwhelmed".
Berber origins
Born in Sweden to parents of Moroccan Berber origin, the 39-year-old's win for Sweden over 25 other countries competing in the final was celebrated in her homeland.
"It feels wonderful," she said.
She narrowly triumphed over Finland's Kaarija after the public and jury votes were combined following an evening of typically eclectic musical acts in Liverpool.
Third place went to Israel, with Noa Kirel's "Unicorn", as more than 160 million estimated viewers watched on television around the world.
Last year's runner-up Britain selected Liverpool - home of The Beatles - to stage the Europop music festival after organisers ruled it was impossible for 2022 victors Ukraine to do so amid Russia's ongoing invasion.
During the glittering spectacle in northwest England, reports emerged that Moscow was unleashing a fresh barrage of bombs on Ukraine.
The attack included Ternopil, the hometown of Ukraine's entry this year.
Band Tvorchi were performing electro-pop offering "Heart of Steel", which was inspired by the siege of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
(newswires)
