La Zarra's Middle Finger at Liverpool

MAY 15 2023 · 12:20

La Zarra · "Évidemment" · France · 2023 Placement: 16 · Score: 104 · Language: French · Composers: La Zarra, Ana Filipa Guerra, Benny Adam, Joaquim Mansanet · Venue: M&S Bank Arena · Host: Liverpool, United Kingdom · Type: scandal · Broadcast: streaming era La Zarra — Moroccan-Canadian chanson pop star — takes the Liverpool stage in a structural white gown atop a gilded pedestal, motionless through the entire song except for sharp head turns. 'Évidemment' is a discotheque-filtered French chanson. 104 points for 16th place. During the points reveal, cameras catch her making what many viewers read as a middle-finger gesture directly at the Eurovision spokesperson after France receives 50 jury points but only 4 from the public televote. Context La Zarra was a pre-contest bookmakers' favorite. The gigantic jury-vs-televote discrepancy (50 vs 4) reflected Eurovision's changed voting structure — juries favored production polish, public voted for emotional spectacle. Her hand gesture was widely screen-capped and became a viral moment. Legacy La Zarra later denied the middle-finger was directed at Eurovision; she said it was a stylized performance gesture. The moment became iconic for illustrating Eurovision's jury-televote split. France's 16th-place result prompted France Télévisions to recalibrate its 2024 selection strategy. La Zarra continued as a French-Canadian pop artist with strong European tour numbers.