Eurovision 2025 concluded over the weekend, with Austria taking the win with the song “Wasted Love,” performed by JJ. Rounding out the top five were the countries Israel, Estonia, Sweden, and Italy. The Estonia representative was Tommy Cash, a rapper and singer who sparked all manner of controversy with his song “Espresso Machiato.”
Here’s what you should know.
Who is Tommy Cash?
Tommy Cash is a singer and visual artist who won his country’s Eurovision selection with an impressive 83 percent vote.
Born Tomas Tammemets, Cash has been sharing music since 2012, uploading songs on his SoundCloud. In recent years, Cash’s profile has risen, resulting in collaborations with artists like Charli XCX, Rick Owens, and more.
The Italy controversy, explained
© Getty ImagesCash’s song for Eurovision is called “Espresso Machiato” and is a dance-pop song that’s filled with Italian cliches, like spaghetti, the Mafia, and more. While it helped Cash land in the competition’s top 3, it also sparked some controversy in Italy.
“Is this the idea of European brotherhood that the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have in mind?” wrote Gian Marco Centinaio, a lawmaker with Italy’s far-right league party, on his Instagram.
Cash’s response
© Getty ImagesCash addressed the song’s reaction in an interview. “I love Italy. I love the people. I’m drawn to them because they’re so passionate,” he said, as reported by The New York Times. He shared that taking on accents has always been a part of his music and something he’s done throughout his career.
Over the weekend, as he prepared for his performance, he teased his show and encouraged his followers to vote for him. “Imagine a world where we take a deep breath, sit down together and share a bitter sweet cup of ESPRESSO MACCHIATO. A small act — not to erase our differences, but to begin understanding them,” he wrote.
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