This past weekend, 17-year-old singer Monroe Rigby performed on the biggest stage yet of her rising career.
After years of performing in church choirs, and in opera and theater programs throughout Utah, Monroe took the stage at the 70th annual Eurovision Song Contest to represent France — her mother’s homeland.
Here’s a look at her performance — and how she fared in the prestigious international competition that helped launch the careers of artists including ABBA and Celine Dion.
Watch Monroe’s performance in Eurovision
Monroe has been making a name for herself in France the past few years.
When she was 16, she won the popular French TV competition “Prodiges,” which highlights talented young performers in the fields of instrumental music, opera/classical singing and dance.
That win, cemented with a performance of the classic “Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” landed her a record deal with Warner Classics and put her in touch with the chief of delegation for France at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Now, a year later, her operatic prowess was on full display during her Eurovision performance — which more than 970,000 people tuned in to watch live on YouTube this past Saturday afternoon.
The teenager was the 15th performance out of 25 during the four-hour finale.
For her performance, Monroe — who was also the youngest artist in the competition — stood on the stage in a white dress, surrounded by smoke and several dancers, as she showed off her wide-ranging vocals with a dramatic delivery of the song “Regarde!”
“It’s all about this idea of finding strength and finding love and reassurance within us,” Monroe previously told the Deseret News. “Realizing that even though our lives can be so, so busy, sometimes ... we just need to look around, take a deep breath and see that there’s some strength around us.”
The performance, which received an enthusiastic response from the in-person audience, marked a monumental milestone for Monroe’s young career — “After the Super Bowl, it’s the biggest show,” the teenager previously said.
But Monroe would have to wait a few more hours to learn the results of the competition.
How did Monroe end up doing in Eurovision?
The reveal of the Eurovision results was almost as dramatic as the actual performances.
The first half of the results involved jury voting from all of the 35 countries that competed this year. Jurors are not allowed to vote for their own country, so one by one, a representative from each nation came forward and revealed how they chose to distribute their points.
Monroe’s performance for France was consistently awarded points, and got especially high numbers from Georgia, Finland and the U.K.
By the time all 35 countries had spoken, France was in fourth place with 144 points — 21 points away from Australia and Denmark, which were second and third, respectively.
Bulgaria had a fairly large lead with 204 points.
But that was just a portion of the voting.
Thanks to voting from viewers throughout the world, some countries, like Moldova, Romania and Israel, ended up having a massive jump to the top of the leaderboard.
Monroe’s performance for France received 14 points from audience voting, which ultimately placed the country in 11th place out of 25.
In the end, it came down to a nail-biter between Israel and Bulgaria.
During the final moments, Israel was in first with 343 points. But Eurovision still had to reveal the audience results for Bulgaria.
The numbers started to rise for Bulgaria, and when the total surpassed 343, pop singer Dara began celebrating and jumping for joy.
Bulgaria, who received 312 audience points, won the 70th annual Eurovision Song Contest with 516 points.
As the winner, Bulgaria will host Eurovision next year.
How Utah helped prepare Monroe for Eurovision — and what’s next
Claiming a spot in the Eurovision Song Contest, Monroe previously told the Deseret News, was a true team effort — including the support of influential mentors and programs in Utah.
Growing up near Salt Lake City, she found a strong support system for her musical passions. Michael Ballam, who founded the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre in Logan, was a major influence. At the festival, Monroe observed up close the art of performing and took part in youth programs where she developed her skills with kids her age who shared a similar passion.
“They were the ones that really pushed me ... in getting me to the artist that I am and the artist that I aspire to be as well,” she said. “They were always pushing me.”
In 2024, the singer took part in a Church Music Festival for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, per Church News. She performed "He Is Born, the Divine Christ Child‚“ a hymn recently added to the church’s hymnbook, in the original French.
Monroe has also studied with Thomas Glenn, a Grammy Award-winning tenor who teaches at Utah State University. Glenn was by her side in France when she recorded her first album and also went to Vienna to cheer her on in Eurovision.
Now, plans beyond Eurovision are already in the works.
Monroe, who recently performed Édith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” with Josh Groban during his show in Paris last month, said she will soon go on her own tour performing in churches and cathedrals throughout France.
“You always just keep growing. That’s life, you know,” she told the Deseret News of pursuing music in her early childhood. “I just wanted to do it because I love it. I loved it then, I love it now, and I’ll love it for a lot longer.”
