The Eurovision Song Contest has officially started on Tuesday with former Cyprus contestant Eleni Foureira kicking off with Fuego featuring back-up dancers all in black and her in a sparkly outfit.

While Eric Saade, who represented Sweden in 2011, performed Popular and Chanel took to the stage to belt out SloMo.

Saade, who was wearing what appeared to be a Palestinian symbol on his arm, had earlier seemed to hit out at the boycott around flags from the country.

He wrote on Instagram questioning if freedom is "controversial" and why people keep asking if it is "political".

Malin Akerman and Petra Mede are hosting tonight's show.

Petra Mede is a Swedish comedian, dancer, actress, and television presenter. She hosted Eurovision 2013 in Malmö and Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm.

Malin Akerman is an actress living in Los Angeles. She was born in Stockholm and raised in Canada.