Eurovision viewers question why Sweden's Loreen had microphone on as she's hit with fix claims

Eurovision viewers have been left wondering why winner Loreen was wearing a microphone over her ear while speaking into another mic at the event.

Loreen was announced as the winner of Eurovision 2023 tonight (13 May) following a performance of her song 'Tattoo' on behalf of Sweden.

It's the second time the singer has taken the win for the country following her previous success in 2012's singing competition, when she won with her epic club track 'Euphoria'.

Loreen was left feeling nervous and flustered as the gap closed between Sweden, Finland and Italy during the voting results, but some viewers couldn't help but notice that she still had a microphone attached to her ear, despite long having stepped off stage.

The winner of Eurovision typically returns to the stage to perform their track for a second time after being handed the trophy, but fans of the show questioned why Loreen would still need her mic if she didn't know she was going to win.

Some eagle-eyed viewers pointed out that the microphone attached to her head wasn't even in use while she was being interviewed by celebrity host Alesha Dixon, who instead used a handheld mic to ensure Loreen could be heard.

The appearance of the microphone appeared to lead some to believe the result of Eurovision might have been 'fixed', with one writing: "Can someone tell me why Loreen is already wearing a mic?! Does this mean she already knows she won?!"

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Another curious fan commented: "Did they already give Loreen the head mic for her performance? Or is this just for the interview, do they normally double mic people?"

While a third wrote: "Loreen is still wearing the microphone. Ready to get up on stage and sing the winning song already?"

Loreen's win at the event means Sweden will be responsible for hosting next year - which will mark 50 years since Abba wowed the crowds with their performance of the classic track 'Waterloo'.

The upcoming Abba anniversary led many fans to predict that she would be the one to win even before the votes started to come in, with one - now probably very smug - fan writing: "Loreen will win and abba will perform next year in the final as it’s the 50th anniversary of their win."

Though some fans don't seem to be convinced about the voting process, Loreen herself looked stunned as she took to the stage to collect her trophy and admitted that she didn't know how she was going to perform for a second time.

Tyla has contacted the BBC for comment.