Madonna’s Eurovision Performance Left Fans Confused and Divided

Madonna’s performance at Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv Saturday night may have been highly anticipated in the days leading up to it, but it ultimately left many fans underwhelmed.

The American superstar took the stage at the annual Eurovision Song Contest, which saw the Netherlands snag the winning title, on Saturday night, adding an American flare to the European singing competition with a performance of her classic hit “Like a Prayer” and her newest track, “Future.”

Although the performance had many fans sitting on pins and needles in the day leading up to it, once the last note was sung into the microphone, Twitter erupted with a mixed bag of reactions.

The pop icon’s performance also drew political flak after she ended the rendition with a call for peace between Israel and Palestine. At the climax of the performance, two of the singer’s dancers turned around to embrace and reveal the Israeli and Palestinian flags on their backs.

“Not everyone is coming to the future/not everyone is learning from the past,” she said, whispering “wake up” into the microphone.

The seemingly well-intended message of peace not only drew backlash online, but from Eurovision Song Contest organizers, who claimed that the singer had not cleared that part of the act with broadcasters and “was advised as to the non-political nature of the event,” according to the Associated Press.

Madonna later defended her choices on Twitter, stating that she is “grateful for the opportunity to spread the message of peace and unity with the world.”