Vietnam’s Duc Phuc wins Intervision, Russia’s family-friendly answer to the Eurovision

By Frederik Pleitgen, CNN

(CNN) — With cheering crowds, glowing lights, a hint of political intrigue and a winning act in Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc, Russia’s answer to the Eurovision song contest – “Intervision” – gave off similar vibes as the competition that inspired it when it returned to Moscow on Saturday.

Fans dressed in their national colors thronged the streets outside the “Live Arena” on the outskirts of Moscow as 23 acts from countries across the world, including China, India and Brazil, competed for a cash prize of 30 million roubles ($360,000). And there was no shortage of fans for the eventual winner, whose act saw him deliver a powerful ballad against a projected backdrop of a giant solar eclipse.

“I’m shocked, thank you so much … I couldn’t even imagine that I would win such a large-scale (competition),” the delighted singer told reporters after the competition final. “It’s a surprise to me that I’ve gained so many fans here … I’m very grateful to all the viewers,” he said.

Russia launched its international song contest at President Vladimir Putin’s behest, with a Soviet-era name and acts intended to promote “traditional family values,” after being banished from Eurovision – and as a spectacle, it didn’t disappoint.

But, like the European competition, which has become notorious for perceptions of political-bloc style voting, there was a hint of politics when the expected US contestant – electronic music artist “Vassy,” a 42-year old dual US-Australian citizen – dropped out at the last minute.

“For reasons beyond the control of the organizers and the US delegation, caused by unprecedented political pressure from the Government of Australia, singer VASSY (a citizen of the United States and Australia) will not be able to perform in the final show of the contest,” a statement from Intervision’s organizers said.

That announcement dampened Moscow’s insistence that politics had no place at the competition, even as the organizers were quick to point out that the US remained a “full participant” of the contest with former “Deep Purple” vocalist Joe Lynn Turner sitting in the jury.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who was present at the event, was quoted as insisting: “We are not striving for any political effect. We want the original purpose of a person and his or her identity to be respected and realized in free interaction with others, enriching one another through the exchange of spiritual values.”

But that whiff of political intrigue only served to underline the origin of Intervision, which is a revival of the Soviet-era song contest by the same name that was held between 1965 and 1980. That iteration of Intervision was meant to be a vehicle for the Soviet Union to display its soft power, but also an answer to Europe’s popular Eurovision song contest which was created in 1956.

After Russia was kicked out of the Eurovision competition in 2022 for its full-on invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials began to plan for a revival of Intervision and in February of this year Putin signed a decree formally giving the go-ahead for the event.

“I am confident that the competition will become one of the most recognizable and beloved worldwide, because through dialogue, mutual respect, and the strengthening of trust between cultures, we become spiritually richer,” Putin said in a video statement that was played in the venue at the beginning of the concert.

Unlike the Eurovision, which is largely made up of European countries, Intervision drew on acts from 23 countries across the world – mostly nations allied with Russia, including Brazil, China, Cuba and Venezuela but also former Soviet Republics such as Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikisatn and Uzbekistan.

And many of the participants were quick to give glowing reports.

“The stage was so powerful that it ate me fully and I couldn’t control my imagination and gave my best on the stage,” Tajikistan’s participant, Farrukh Hasanov, told CNN shortly after his performance.

His rival from the United Arab Emirates, Saif Al Ali, praised what he called the unifying character of the event.

“We have 23 countries performing here today. Music is the language of the community,” Al Ali told CNN.

Euro-pop vibes, but no pride

While a lot of the music had Euro-pop vibes similar to Eurovision, there was a major difference between the competitions: while Eurovision often celebrates LGBTQ+ diversity, there were no rainbow flags or other pride symbols at Intervision as displays of such symbols are forbidden in Russia.

Instead, the event had a clear “anti-woke” agenda. Moscow has insisted that the competition is about showcasing the “traditional values” of the home countries of the contestants.

“Heterosexualism is very important to us,” one fan of the Russian participant “Shaman,” bluntly told CNN outside the concert venue.

Intervision aims to “promote universal, spiritual, family, cultural, ethical, and religious traditions of different nations,” according to the song contest’s official guidelines.

But Russia’s Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said the competition was not meant to be about politics.

“The Intervision competition is about talented people, not political decisions. It is very important that the best, the most talented and the brightest performer who would conquer the hearts of the audience wins,” Lyubimova told Russia’s state news agency TASS.

As the massive show drew to a close and the jury voted Duc Phuc of Vietnam the winner, there was time for one last announcement: Intervision will return again next year, when it will be hosted by Saudi Arabia.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.