A member of the band that won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has agreed to take a drug test, the event’s organizers revealed in a statement after video surfaced that raised suspicions of cocaine use.
Damiano David is the lead singer of Italian glam rock band Måneskin, which won the international competition on Saturday. David voluntarily took the drug test after arriving home, HuffPost reported. His band, management and the head of the Italian delegation have said that there were no drugs present in the green room, where David and his band were sitting during the incident in question.
The video in question:
LET'S GO COCAINE #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/KfafSiyuCi
— Nors3.eth ⟠ (@Nors3) May 22, 2021
At a press conference following the band’s win, a Swedish journalist addressed Damiano directly saying, “I have to ask this: there was a sequence during the broadcast when you are seen in the background leaning over the table and seems to be snorting something. And online, people are suggesting that you are taking cocaine. What was it?”
It was then that Damiano pointed towards his bandmate and said, “Thomas break[s] a glass with his leg. I don’t use drugs. Please, guys. Don’t say that, really, no cocaine.”
The EBU confirmed finding broken glass at the table the band was sitting at during an on-site check, supporting David’s reasoning for looking down at a broken glass guitarist Thomas Raggi had broken a glass.
The statement posted today cleared those claims, writing:
“Following allegations of drug use in the Green Room of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday 22 May, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), as requested by the Italian delegation, has conducted a thorough review of the facts, including checking all available footage. A drug test was also voluntarily undertaken earlier today by the lead singer of the band Måneskin which has returned a negative result seen by the EBU.
No drug use took place in the Green Room and we consider the matter closed.
We are alarmed that inaccurate speculation leading to fake news has overshadowed the spirit and the outcome of the event and unfairly affected the band.
We wish to congratulate Måneskin once again and wish them huge success. We look forward to working with our Italian member Rai on producing a spectacular Eurovision Song Contest in Italy next year.”
The EBU’s official Twitter account also confirmed that David was clear:
No drugs were used by Italian winners Måneskin in the Green Room.
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 24, 2021
Read our full statement here 👉 https://t.co/ChPX0C9wTO pic.twitter.com/MQWGyzyxDc
The band also posted their win on their Twitter:
Rock’n’roll never dies, tonight we made history. We love u.@Eurovision #EUROVISION pic.twitter.com/McqdBNPqfX
— ManeskinOfficial (@thisismaneskin) May 23, 2021
Måneskin won the contest with their song “Zitti E Buoni,” against a total of 26 countries that participated in the final of the world’s largest live music event which took place in Rotterdam, Netherland.