Spain
The basics Full country name Kingdom of Spain Capital Madrid Facts First participation 1961 (Conchita Bautista) Victories 1968 (Massiel) 1969 (Salomé) Hosts Madrid 1969
Spain first appeared in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. Spain debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, in Cannes in neighbouring France, and came back to every contest since then, becoming the country to participate the most number of times in a row since their debut without skipping any edition.
Spain won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1968 with the song La, La, La and Massiel. She wasn’t meant to be performer in Eurovision in London that year. The Catalan singer Joan Manuel Serrat was the original artist choice, but a couple of weeks before the contest he confessed his intentions to sing the song in Catalan instead of Spanish, something that was banned by the Franco-regime in Spain. He was quickly replaced and the young female rising star Massiel was rushed to the Royal Albert Hall where she pipped the UK home entry at the post, Cliff Richard’s Congratulations, by only one point.
Spain became the first country to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice in succession in both 1968 and 1969. Spain hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in the capital Madrid in 1969.
