When Portugal won in 2018 with a soft but brilliant ballad – the standard for winning songs changed. Salvador’s win opened up the door for artists like Duncan Lawrence to enter the contest as hot favorite with this well crafted song that deserved every single point it received.

2018 discovered a true star. This unknown from Israel came onto the stage with a song unlike any other heard on the Eurovision stage with a bang.

A beautiful song, beautifully performed that I was absolutely sure had zero chance of qualifying for the final, let alone cracking the top 10. I was dead wrong.

Did anyone see this coming?!

The Swedish National Final, called Melodifestivalen, is almost as a big a show as Eurovision.

The was most divisive winner in the whole time I've been watching the show. The winner's looks and message got worldwide coverage including in the USA.

This entry from Denmark was one of those songs that was a clear winner from first listen. The tin whistle hook, the catchy chorus, driving beat and eye catching performance, even if I wanted any other song to win.

I loved this. I mean LOVED. I knew this had to win. Everything about this is a yes from me. "Euphoria" was a game changer.

This song didn't seem like a favorite during the run up to the contest. I had focused on completely different songs, so this was a surprise winner.

Yet again, a winner of Eurovision is co-written by an American. Only the second time an American has won the contest, this bubbly pop tune charmed Europe and launched a star.

The first time I heard this song my thought was "well, this is probably gonna win."

There's actually some American interest with the winner in Belgrade. Co-written with Dima Bilan, this song was also written by a guy named Jim Beanz, from my home state of Pennsylvania!

It's amazing when a great song wins and this is a GREAT song.

Who could have predicted this? When Finland announced they were sending a "monster rock" band, it felt like another gimmick in a year filled with them.

I knew this song was one of the favorites of the year but I never paid it much mind. I thought the opening lyric was so cheesy, I dismissed the song.