Nonbinary Irish musician Bambie Thug donned a costume featuring the colors of the transgender flag while performing in Eurovision's semi-finals in Malmö, Sweden on Tuesday.
Thug, the first nonbinary artist to represent Ireland in Eurovision, expressed a desire to make young queer individuals feel more at ease with themselves. Their performance on Tuesday secured Ireland a spot in the Eurovision final, a significant achievement for the country since 2018.
Thug's performance, set to a pop and industrial metal song titled “Doomsday Blue,” began with the self-described “ouija pop” artist wearing a black feathered tutu and antler-like hair. Surrounded by candles and sitting in the middle of a pentagram, they then mimicked the conjuring of a demonic spirit: a shirtless, tattooed man with horns and sharpened fangs wearing tattered leather pants and blue body makeup.
Trained in ballet, Thug and the man performed a seductive dance before Thug removed their black outfit to reveal a skimpy, torn bikini in the pink, white, and blue colors of the trans flag. The audience erupted into cheers, strobe lights flashed, and flames shot up from the stage as the couple finished their dramatic and screeching performance.
the world needs to make Bambie Thug the WINNER this SATURDAY, THIS PERFORMANCE IS INSANE pic.twitter.com/gyymDpsL9t
— zaripapa 🇬🇷🇳🇱🇮🇪 (@averageviewer) May 8, 2024
Thug mentioned that their Eurovision performance was inspired by Conchita Wurst, the Austrian drag performer who won Eurovision 2014 while performing in an elegant gown and beard. Thug told PinkNews Thug expressed the hope of inspiring others by “being authentically themselves and not really caring” about others' opinions.
Bambie mentioned the significance of representation and its impact on individuals. They highlighted the importance of representation in an unsafe world for non-binary and trans people, and for the entire community.
Thug shared that parents have reached out to them about their own non-binary or queer children. They emphasized receiving impactful messages from young queer individuals who felt more comfortable in their own skin by having a representative like them.
“I always say that culture starts within the queer community. We definitely deserve more visibility. To have numerous nonbinaries in the competition, it’s an amazing feat,” Thug continued.
Thug's outfit for the semi-finals initially included the words “Freedom for Palestine” and “Ceasefire.” However, the European Broadcasting Union required them to remove the words. Some individuals have called for countries to boycott Eurovision this year due to Israel's participation amidst a deadly military campaign against Palestine, causing significant casualties. reportedly This prompted the European Broadcasting Union to have the words removed from Thug's outfit for the semi-finals.
Certain conservative broadcasters in Ireland have opposed Thug's involvement in the international singing competition, accusing them of promoting “Satanism” due to their performance and music incorporating witchcraft themes.
However, in a press statement on January 29, the singer stated, "If you don't want to be part of the Haus Of Thug, you are not required to join me on this journey. Don't waste your life being obsessed with hate. And don't be upset because I still enjoy play, fun, and creation, and you don't.
"I enjoy being part of an exciting rising queer community," Thug also mentioned in an interview with Gay Times. "I didn't have that kind of community when I was young, so it's crucial to have people you can connect with and music that resonates with you and gives you more freedom to express yourself—more queer voices are what the world really needs.
