( CNN ) -- At first glance the Eurovision Song Contest may seem like any old talent show . Singers perform live on TV , the public and special juries vote , and at the end of the night a star is born . But do n't call this `` X Factor '' or `` American Idol '' . This is reality TV on steroids . Every year around 40 nations from Spain to Azerbaijan field a musical act , each singing an original song in front of a huge television audience . As part of the European festival of kitsch , some contestants sashay across the stage in barely-there dresses , and shriek into wind machines with the force of hurricanes . Pyrotechnics , fire , and massive LED screens are de rigeur . It 's a big draw . In 2013 more than 180 million viewers in 45 countries tuned in to the action . This year 's final takes place on May 10 in Copenhagen , Denmark . Although officials describe Eurovision as a non-political event meant to unite Europe through song , politics inevitably colors the voting and the performances . William Lee Adams , a Eurovision expert and the editor-in-chief of Wiwibloggs.com , the popular Eurovision website , has been in Denmark for the buildup since late April . `` Eurovision is about music , but it 's also about identity and nation branding , '' he says . `` The artists and their songs become symbols of the countries they represent . '' This year is no different . Tensions over Crimea are already coloring the perception of acts from Russia and Ukraine . During the semi-finals on May 6 , some of the audience inside Copenhagen 's B & W Hallerne booed the Russian act , a pair of 17-year-old twins called The Tolmachevy Sisters . `` Months of frustration over Russia 's illegal annexation of Crimea and Putin 's anti-LGBT laws have left Europeans angry , '' Adams says . `` The booing was a release , a statement of solidarity with Ukraine and Russia 's sexual minorities . '' It does n't help that Russia 's love song features lyrics that some see as hinting at a border incursion : `` ... living on the edge , closer to the crime , cross the line , one step at a time ... maybe there 's a day you 'll be mine . '' In the past , Russia has relied on support from voters in the former Soviet bloc . Those votes seem less certain this year . Russia 's loss could be Ukraine 's gain . Mariya Yaremchuk , this year 's Ukrainian act , will sing a song about love called `` Tick-Tock . '' Her act features a man running inside a giant hamster wheel . The act is not explicitly political , but in press conferences Yaremchuk has stressed that her goal is to show that art is stronger than politics , and that music lasts longer than warring politicians . It 's not all about Russia and Ukraine . During the semi-finals , the act from Poland featured women in traditional dress churning butter and washing clothes as a woman rapped about Slavic women : `` Cream and butter taste so good /We will prepare for you delicious food/ Our beauty is famous all over the world/ You got ta see it for yourself and then you will know . '' `` Poland , one of Eastern Europe 's economic success stories , is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the European Union , '' Adams says . `` Their song is a brilliant parody of Polish stereotypes , and a rebuke to all those who view Poland as backwards and behind-the-times . '' In the past officials have disqualified songs with explicit political messages . In 2009 , the Republic of Georgia was forced to pull its entry `` We Do n't Wan na Put In . '' It was a clear poke at Russia 's President Vladimir Putin in the wake of the 2008 South Ossetia War . Creative license allows other songs with political messages to slip through . In 2011 the Portuguese entry , which translated as `` The Struggle is the Joy , '' was a call for Portuguese to fight against the government 's planned austerity measures . It became an anthem of protest during the financial crisis . Political leaders , particularly those in the East , see the Eurovision results as a matter of international standing . Last year , when Azerbaijan failed to give any points to its political ally Russia , the Azeri president ordered a vote recount and the foreign ministers of two countries convened a meeting in Moscow . Riding a wave of sympathy , Ukraine has emerged as one of the bookies favorites to win this year . That wo n't sit well with authorities in Moscow . Nor will the reality that televoters in Crimea may still be counted as Ukrainian by their mobile phone companies . `` When the points are counted and the hair extensions come off , one government is going to be very disappointed , '' Adams says . `` This is n't just a song contest . It 's a battle in the war . '' Opinion : The soft politics of Eurovision .
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most watched non-sporting events in the world . Every year around 45 nations from Azerbaijan to Spain participate in the competition . May 6 tensions over Eurovision could spillover into the contest . In the past officials have disqualified songs with explicit political messages .