The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest's winning act - Måneskin – has been forced to take a break from celebrating their triumph to deny a flurry of accusations that lead singer Damiano David was caught on camera supposedly taking drugs during the live broadcast.
Måneskin, consisting of lead singer Damiano David, guitarist Victoria De Angelis, musician Thomas Raggi and drummer Ethan Torchio, had been seated together alongside other contestants in the live final on 22 May in Rotterdam's Ahoy arena.
As Malta contestant Destiny is seen in footage speaking to one of the show’s hosts, the cameras zoom in on the table hosting Måneskin.
In a video clip that went viral on social media, 22-year-old Damiano David lowers his head behind a bucket of drinks, sparking speculations among some viewers that he was snorting a line of cocaine.
In an effort to clear up the incident at a subsequent press conference, Damiano David said:
“I don't use drugs… Tomas broke a glass with his leg… I don't use cocaine… please don't say that."
The lead vocalist argued that he had simply been bending down to help clear up the wreckage.
On their Instagram stories the band later said that they were "ready to get tested because we have nothing to hide".
"We are really shocked about what some people are saying about Damiano doing drugs. We really are AGAINST drugs and we never used cocaine," reads the statement by the rock outfit.
Netizens had a field day with the viral footage involving the Italian band that started out their journey to stardom by busking in the streets of Rome.
Some were aghast at the possibility that the singer had been taking drugs during the event.
Other netizens took the whole incident with a pinch of salt.
May suggested people should not “jump to conclusions”…
Maneskin, which is Danish for moonlight, in a nod to guitarist De Angelis' home country, claimed the top prize with “Zitti e buoni”, scoring a total of 524 points, ahead of French entry “Voila” by Barbara Pravi.
Referring to the fact the music festival was cancelled last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Damiano David said at the press conference:
“We think that the whole event was a relief. We think that we were really thankful ... to have had the chance to be part of this huge event.”
Italy’s entry had been the bookmakers' favourite, and for a while during the voting by national juries trailed Switzerland, France and Malta. However, it was the votes from the international audiences that propelled the rock band to victory.