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 that took home the crown on Saturday night for its song “Zitti E Buoni,” was later asked to explain his peculiar behavior in an awkward news conference exchange with a Swedish journalist. He denied any wrongdoing, but the European Broadcasting Union, the show’s broadcaster, said it would investigate the episode at the request of the Italian delegation. On Monday, the show’s organizers announced that Mr. David 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 organizers to cancel last year’s event.

Source: New York Times May 25, 2021 02:15 UTC