The “Gay Olympics” are in full swing as the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off its international broadcast with part one of its semifinals yesterday, live from Malmö, Sweden.
As ever, the competition is full of pop bangers and campy performances, making it catnip for queer audiences across the globe, but there are also a number of talented LGBTQ+ artists in the mix, too, from Australia’s queer electro-pop duo Electric Fields to Ireland’s non-binary witchy wonder Bambie Thug to Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander, repping for England.
Still, the gayest thing to happen during the first half of the semifinals? It wasn’t on stage at all—it was in the audience.
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Call it the “BLOOP” heard ’round the world…
At one point during the festivities, co-host Petra Mede (a Swedish comedian, sharing hosting duties with actress Malin Åkerman) ventured out among the hordes of in-studio fans to give a demonstration of the Eurovision app, selecting an audience member’s phone at random.
As Mede pulls the cell toward her, you can tell its owner maybe wasn’t quite ready to have his screen shared with millions of viewers. Notice how he holds on to it for just a second too long? See how he nods along nervously and keeps his eyes glued to the phone as the host gives her app walkthrough?
Yeah, he was not at all ready to have someone else swiping through that thing, was he?
Sure enough, Mede’s spiel gets swiftly interrupted by an all-too-familiar sound: The chipper “bloop!” of a Grindr notification. And then another…. And then another! Unsurprisingly, the LGBTQ+ social/dating/hookup app appears to be just as active in Malmö during Eurovision as it does in the Olympic Villages every other year.
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“Ooh! I don’t know what that was,” Mede said, attempting to steer things back in the right direction. “Download this Eurovision app,” she continued on before getting interrupted by another notification.
“Okay, I’ll just give you the phone back,” the host cracked. “It seems like you’re having a wonderful week here in Malmö.”
And just like that, Mede taught the world a valuable lesson: Never grab a gay man’s phone unprompted—at least give him the courtesy of a few seconds to silence things and move a few photos to the “Hidden” folder.
A clip of the moment quickly made its way to X and went viral with tens and thousands of views and interactions, with plenty of fans knowing the fear that audience member felt all too well:
I woulda been like gurl lemme see i might need to go douche
— carlos (@carlosalvarezpz) May 8, 2024
Crying real tears rn at her “oh okay I will just give you the phone back”
— taylor (@tayausjax) May 8, 2024
Even Grindr chimed in, clearly proud that their trademark notification sound is universally recognizable at this point:
clocked worldwide
— Grindr (@Grindr) May 8, 2024
Now, we hate to be the spoil sport, but even out of context it’s pretty obvious this was a planned bit. Notice how clearly that audio notification comes through over the sound system? Or how Mede feigns confusion, only to seconds later imply she knows exactly what that app is for? And we’re pretty sure a live telecast wouldn’t allow audiences members to have their phones in-hand—and un-silenced no less!
But that is all to say: Touché, Grindr! An incredibly savvy marketing move right there. They sure do know their user base well, and they clearly understand there’s a lot of crossover with the Eurovision audience. Whoever hatched this scheme? Give them a raise, stat!
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Bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst reflects on her unforgettable gender-bending Eurovision performance 10 years later
10 years ago, Conchita Wurst’s Eurovision victory was a beacon of hope for the global LGBTQ+ community.
Notably, that wasn’t even Grindr’s first appearance on the Eurovision broadcast…
Last year, during a special commemorative performance, Ukrainian artist Alyosha covered Duran Duran’s classic “Ordinary World” with British singer Rebecca Ferguson, spreading a powerful message of hope as her home country remains at war with Russia.
During the number, the large digital screen behind them portrayed a number of text bubbles in blue and yellow—the colors of the Ukrainian flag. But, as TikToker @itsdylanwagner pointed out, those also happen to be the colors used in Grindr’s chat feature:
@itsdylanwagner Tell me im wrong 😭 #fyp #eurovision #eurovision2023 #eurovisionsemi #eurovisionsemifinal #music #europe #lgbt #gay #bi #grindr ♬ original sound – Dylan ✪
“They know the Eurovision viewers,” one user wrote in the comments. “Clearly an homage to the gays, the biggest [fans] of Eurovision,” added another.
Which begs the question: At this point, shouldn’t Grindr just be an official sponsor of the Eurovision Song Contest? It just makes sense!
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Get ready because Grindr is about to get even better… or worse… depending on how you look at it, and how you feel about artificial intelligence. After announcing recently that it was hoping to shift away from hookups and casual encounters by adding features “focused on long-term dating, travel, and professional networking,” the popular dating […]
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