The soulful crooner from Portugal, Salvador Sobral, 26, has taken the 2017 Eurovision crown.
The winner came as a surprise after Italy’s entry had topped most major betting odds for over a month. Though many experts sensed Portugal had this in the bag, following Sobral's strong Semi Final 1 performance.
Portugal's odds were ranked within the top five during most of the competition, moving the second place following the second Semi Final.
The win means even more to Sobral, who has been battling a heart condition during the contest, and attended the competition shortly after surgery.
The song was written and staged by Sobral's sister, Luisa, who also filled in for her brother during the first and second rehearsals due to his heath conditions.
Luisa also joined her very excited brother on stage during the winners performance, turning the solo number into a sibling duet.
Portugal competed with 25 other countries, including the Big 5 who automatically qualify for the finals without going through a Semi Finals voting round.
The Big Five include Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and the UK, all of whom contribute the most financially to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) each year.
Australian entrant, who had also qualified for the Grand Final following Semi Final 1 on Wednesday ranked 9th over all.
This year’s Eurovision was by Ukraine in its capital Kyiv, following the win of 2016 Ukrainian entrant, Jamala, last year.
Source: EBU
The 2017 Eurovision Grand Final airs tonight on SBS at 7:30pm and will be simulcast streamed via SBS On Demand.
