Italy called for disqualification of the Estonian participant of Eurovision 2025 because of his "offensive" song

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is just a few months away, and the contest is already at the center of a scandal. Italy is calling for the exclusion of Estonian singer Tommy Kesha because of his song Espresso Macchiato, which, according to critics, contains stereotypes about Italians.

The song, which combines English and Italian, is filled with "images" that can be perceived as caricatured, The Guardians reports. In particular, the lyrics include the lines: "Ciao bella, I am Tomaso, a tobacco addict. I love coffee", as well as "That's why I sweat like a mafia man" and "Life is like spaghetti, it's hard until you cook it."

The Italian consumer association Codacons reacted most sharply, appealing to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to reconsider Cash's participation in the contest. In a statement, the organization said that the song "insults the country and the entire community" and "risks spreading misconceptions about Italy, which harms its international image."

"Many citizens have expressed outrage over the song, whose lyrics contain stereotypes about Italy and Italians - the usual clichés about coffee and spaghetti, but above all about the mafia and a show of luxury that conveys a message to a population linked to organized crime," the association noted.

The Italian politician Gian Marco Centinaio, a senator from the far-right League party, also reacted to the situation. He spoke out harshly about the song, posting a post on Instagram with a clip from Cash's video and the caption: "Whoever insults Italy should stay away from Eurovision."

"This singer should come to Italy to see how good people work before writing such stupid songs full of stereotypes," he said.

The controversy only added to the Estonian singer's popularity. Tommy Cash, known for his eccentric style and provocative performances, already has more than a million followers on Instagram.

Estonian journalist Ulle Toode, who heads the Italian Estonian Society, noted that Kesha's song is discussed in the Italian media almost every day, Eesti Rahvusringhääling reports.

"My friends mostly enjoy the song and say that we should laugh at life. But of course, there are many more critical voices," she said on ETV.

She also explained that some Italians might be surprised by the way Cash drank espresso macchiato in his video.

"In Italy, this kind of coffee is usually drunk in classic coffee shops, not in fast food, as shown in the video," she added.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that Dutch singer Joost Klein, who participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024, released a joint track United By Music with Tommy Cash, the representative of Estonia on the international stage of this year's song contest. In the controversial song, the artists scathingly criticized the organizers of the music competition, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and touched upon the topic of Russia's war against Ukraine.

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