Eurovision winner tests negative for drugs

GENEVA • The vernacular of rock 'n' roll frequently revolves around drugs, but when the winning band's lead singer hunched over a table in a sniffing motion during this year's Eurovision Song Contest, the showcase was shaken by speculation of cocaine use.

The singer, Damiano David of Maneskin, the Italian glam-rock band who took home the crown last Saturday night for its song Zitti E Buoni, was later asked to explain his peculiar behaviour in an awkward news-conference exchange with a Swedish journalist.

He denied any wrongdoing, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the show's broadcaster, said it would investigate the episode at the request of the Italian delegation.

On Monday, the show's organisers announced that David, 22, had voluntarily taken a drug test and passed it.

It punctuated a tumultuous few days for the Eurovision Song Contest, the long-running musical spectacle that was supposed to herald a triumphant return to in-person cultural events in Europe after the coronavirus pandemic forced organisers to cancel last year's event.

"No drug use took place in the green room and we consider the matter closed," the EBU said in a statement. "We are alarmed that inaccurate speculation leading to fake news has overshadowed the spirit and outcome of the event and unfairly affected the band."

About 200 million people watched this year's contest, which was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and was broadcast live in 39 countries and on YouTube, according to the organisers.

It culminated in viewers and national juries voting Maneskin as the winners, a source of national pride in Italy, one of Europe's hardest-hit countries during the pandemic.

But the band's moment of nirvana quickly devolved into controversy.

While he was seated with the band's other members on a couch offstage in a green room, David, the band's tattooed frontman, briefly bent his face towards the table in front of him, footage showed.

David's face was obstructed by a tub with bottles of beer and other beverages in it. The band member seated to his right appeared to nudge him and he quickly sat back up.

The footage swiftly ricocheted across the Internet and prompted an awkward exchange between an unidentified Swedish reporter and David, who had just finished dousing his bandmates with champagne.

"Online, people are suggesting that you were taking cocaine," the reporter said. "What was it?"

David denied the speculation, saying he bent down because another band member had broken a glass.

"I don't use drugs, please, guys," he said. "No, please don't say that. Don't say that, really. No cocaine. Please, don't say that."

The EBU said in a statement on Sunday a broken glass had been found after a check of the site.

French singer Barbara Pravi finished second at Eurovision.

NYTIMES