Estonia’s Tommy Cash says Italians aren’t in a froth over his Eurovision song ‘Espresso Macchiato’

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — One song generating a lot of froth at the Eurovision Song Contest is “Espresso Macchiato,” a dance-pop ditty by Estonian rapper and visual artist Tommy Cash.

Estonia’s entry in the pan-continental pop competition, which holds its grand final on Saturday in Basel, Switzerland, is a playful dance-pop track that reels off a string of Italian cliches — including references to spaghetti and “sweating like a mafioso” — before a singalong chorus: “Espresso macchiato, macchiato, macchiato.”

The song has some fans singing it in the streets of Basel. But it raised a few eyebrows in Italy, where a consumers’ association branded it offensive and complained to Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union.

Cash said that he’s seen media articles about a backlash, but “I see only the love.”

“Everyone coming to me is like ‘I’m from Italy, you’re a legend there and we’re so happy to have your song,’” he told The Associated Press on Friday amid rehearsals for the Eurovision final.

Cash said that if U.S. singer Sabrina Carpenter can have a hit about espresso in her Grammy Award-winning 2024 hit of that name, he too should be able to sing about coffee.

“She should be singing about Big Gulps,” he joked. As Europeans, “we’re the OGs. (Coffee) originated from Italy.

“The thing is, coffee is for the world,” he said. “Everyone can drink coffee. Americans, Europeans, and this brings us together.”

Italian themes are in vogue at Eurovision this year — another competitor is Italian DJ Gabry Ponte, representing tiny San Marino with “Tutta L’Italia.”

Many Italians have embraced the cheery catchiness of “Espresso Macchiato,” even though most would never dream of adding milk to espresso, widely considering macchiato a tourists’ drink.

“We Italians are nice and we laugh at these things,” said Francesco Malferrari, enjoying an espresso — no milk — in a Rome cafe. “Yes, there are some stereotypes, but we in Italy are used to it, so in reality we smile.

“But this year we have to root for Lucio Corsi,” the glam rocker who is Italy’s Eurovision competitor. “Because we are for Italy, so let’s root for Lucio Corsi. But let’s have an espresso and laugh it off.”

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Jill Lawless first covered Eurovision in Athens in 2006, when it was won by masked Finnish metal band Lordi with “Hard Rock Hallelujah.” She has been a fan ever since.

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Dario Artale contributed to this story from this Rome.