Marry Me (Krista Siegfrids song)

Finland's broadcaster Yleisradio Oy (Yle) organized a 12-entry competition, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2013 consisting of two heats and a semi-final that culminated into a grand final to select its entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. The edition was the second iteration of the contest. The two heats, consisting of six songs each were held on 17 and 24 January 2013, respectively, with the top two songs in each heat moving onto the grand final, with the next three songs in each heat advancing towards the semi-final. The semi-final was held on 31 January, and the top four songs moved onto the grand final with the four songs that had already advanced. The grand final was held on 9 February. The winner of the final was selected by a 50/50 combination of public votes and a panel of four judges.[20]

"Marry Me" was officially announced to compete in the competition on 4 December 2012.[6] It was placed into the second heat, where it managed to place second in the heat, advancing the song directly to the grand final on 9 February.[21] The performance featured Siegfrids in a wedding dress[22] along with two backing singers, three "bridesmaids" that changed costumes midway through her performance, and additional background dancers.[23] In the grand final, she performed a repeat of her heat performance, winning the contest with a jury score of 14.6% and a televoting score of 38.6%, averaging a 26.6% overall vote, winning the Finnish spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.[24]

The Eurovision Song Contest 2013 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden and consisted of two semi-finals held on 14 and 16 May, respectively, and the final on 18 May 2013. According to Eurovision rules, all countries, except the host and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), were required to qualify from one semi-final to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. In a press conference held on 17 January 2013, a special allocation press conference was held to determine which countries would perform in each semi-final. Finland was placed into the second semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[25]

For its Eurovision performance, the song was altered, with minor changes being made in order to accommodate a three-minute time limit that the Eurovision Song Contest sets for each performance. Siegfrids performed the song fifth in the semi-final, after Azerbaijan's Farid Mammadov and before Malta's Gianluca.[26] Changes to Siegfrids' performance were also made; while the two background singers and three "bridesmaids" were kept, the background screen featured a parody of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. In addition, the entire performance was themed after a wedding held in the city of Las Vegas, known for its instant weddings.[27][28] After promising that her Eurovision performance would have a "surprise" at the end of her performance, she kissed a background singer at the end of her performance, which was the first same-sex kiss broadcast in a Eurovision performance.[29] "Rockefeller Street" finished ninth, receiving 44 points and securing a spot in the grand final.[30]

Siegfrids performed a repeat of her performance in the grand final on 18 May. The song was performed in fourth, after Moldova's Aliona Moon and Spain's ESDM.[31] After the results were announced, Siegfrids finished 24th with 13 points, only ahead of EDSM and Ireland's Ryan Dolan.[32] No country gave the song 12 points; the maximum given to the song was four, given by Israel.[33] In response to her result, Siegfrids expressed disappointment, stating, "Europe is not ready for this. It does not feel good."[34]

Siegfrids and a background singer sharing a kiss at the end of their Eurovision performance. The kiss was accused of displaying a political message, which is banned by the Eurovision Song Contest.

During the end of each of Siegfrids' performances in both rehearsals and the live shows, Siegfrids and a female background singer kissed at the end of the performance. According to Siegfrids, the kiss was a message of support for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Finland, which at the time had been illegal, despite same-sex partnerships having been legal in Finland since 2002.[29][35] She first kissed a background singer during the Eurovision In Concert pre-party held in April, with Siegfrids admitting that the kiss had been a "statement".[36] The kiss was seen as a crucial part of a "gay coup" that was supported by host broadcaster Sveriges Television, in an attempt to make the Eurovision Song Contest more LGBTQ+ friendly than in recent contests held in Russia and Serbia.[37]

Numerous broadcasters in response to the kiss banned the broadcast of Siegfrids' kiss and in some cases, both the second semi-final and the grand final itself. CCTV-15, a music broadcasting station of China Central Television, showed Siegfrids' performance but cut off the broadcast of the kiss on a tape delay broadcast shown in October 2013, a decision that angered Siegfrids.[38] The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), who pulled out of the contest in 2013 but initially pledged to air that year's contest, barred the broadcast of the second semi-final. In an official statement that was given out by TRT, the contest was not shown due to "low ratings",[39] although the claim was disputed by pro-LGBTQ+ rights activists and supporters, including Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs and LGBTQ+ rights organization All Out.[40] Andre Banks, the executive director of All Out, stated anger at TRT, stating, "All Out members are not fooled by [TRT's] weak excuse. It is clear to the world that [TRT] pulled the popular Eurovision show simply because two women expressed love through a kiss. Nothing could be more harmless than a kiss between two people."[41] Yle also recorded cases of anti-LGBTQ+ rights activists protesting the song in Georgia, a heavily Eastern Orthodox country.[42]