The Aussies are back! After coming in fifth place at their Eurovision debut in Vienna, Australian broadcaster SBS has confirmed that Australia will also make their debut at Junior Eurovision 2015.
Australia’s entry has been internally selected and the artist and their song be revealed on Friday. It’s thought that the song will be performed in English. This makes Australia – along with Malta – one of two countries able to perform in English.
Australia has been broadcasting Junior Eurovision since it began in 2003. In July, JESC confirmed that Australia had been officially invited to participate in the contest, following their invitation to perform at the grown-up version. This brings the total of participating countries up to 17.
SBS managing director Michael Ebeid told Junior Eurovision:
“We’re delighted to have secured another opportunity to showcase Australia’s amazing vocal and song-writing talent to the world, this time through an incredibly talented young artist. We look forward to giving Australian audiences a surprise second dose of Eurovision fun this year.”
Australians will be able to tune in to watch the show live from 3.30am on Sunday 22 November. However, unlike the ESC broadcast, this time televoting will not be used. We assume this is because there won’t be many Aussie kids awake at 3.30am to vote! Instead Australia’s vote will be made by jury vote alone.
Australia came second in the Wiwi Poll which asked which country you’d like to see debut at Eurovision 2015. 7.53% of voters wanted Australia, with Germany as the top choice.
Check out our three picks that Australia could send to JESC. Who do you think SBS will select for Australia’s debut?
Well I can not tell it was a surprise, I expected it but I was quite astonished to see that it took so long to decide on that matter. Nevertheless, welcome!
Australia is different to other non European nations. ESC has a huge fanbase and they should participate- my only gripe is that they’re automatic finalists.
Israel is not in Europe but they can still participate. And to some Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan aren’t in Europe either.
Why are all the hardcore Eurovision fans so against Australia? The US would never be invited to join Eurovision because there isn’t a sufficient fanbase – in Australia it is televised in primetime and has a significant audience. Plus we have a huge number of European Australians.
Surely our participation only enhances the Eurovision tradition?
As a side note, more Australians got up at 5am to watch the first Eurovision semifinal live than twice the population of San Marino…. just sayin…
I will only (and ONLY) accept this if the excuse is ‘well if we get a one time participation in Eurovision then we should get a one time participation in JESC’
otherwise this is totally uncalled for
BYE FELICIA
One word….NO!
Having them participate “once” in the adult show made sense as it was a celebration of the contests 60 years, but why should that extend to JESC? The Junior edition isnt 60 years old so why was Australia asked to participate? Would it not be better for the EBU to get actual European countries back for JESC? Such as France, Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain and have Germany debut.
This basically confirms that Australia will probably be back in the main ESC in 2016…after all, they are obviously part of continental Europe.
This is so awesome! 🙂
I will miss Croatia, Cyprus and Sweden but Australia taking part is awesome!
The only problem is that we can’t vote. ._.
BREAKING NEWS to all my music friends worldwide & for all VIP Wiwibloggs followers . AUSTRALIA: Australias Preparations for next ESC 2016 participation are in full swing. “IT’S VERY HIGHLY PROBABLE that AUSTRALIA will participate for the very next ESC 2016 again.” – according todays updated comment of a High Board Member of EBU’s Referene Group. “All I can say at this stage is, that the preparations from Australia and SBS-TV (Australian National TV-Broadcaster) are in full swing but we have still to wait for a confirmed written statement from the EBU officials coming up next days,” WOW, that’s really… Read more »
Only for this year, I hope…
Australia has more of an affiliation with the majority of Europe than some do some of the participating nations
surprising… but good to see countries other than eastern european ones for once.
I don’t think the Eurovision people understand that it just isn’t kids that vote for JESC! so glad we are in it just disappointed we can vote (Especially since our jury for ESC 2015 was so out of touch)
Let Australia in once and it’s all down hill from there.
The soul of Eurovision is officially lost forever.
Hello Australia! 🙂
And I hope that they will continue to perform and compete on the ESC. I don’t get why people don’t want Australia in it, why so “nationalistic” all of a sudden. The more, the merrier, I say. Just play fair and everything else will be OK.
On the other side, well, hello Azerbaijan. :/
As many people, I thought it was fun to have Australia in the ESC 2015… As a one off. I’m afraid this will lead to Australia taking part in 2016 in Stockholm, and that this will open the Pandora box to having participating countries like China, the US, Brazil, or whatever. This would dilute the very concept of Eurovision and I am 100% against that. I’d rather see the EBU working to get countries like Luxembourg back and to offer us quality songs from all countries, rather than to bring in countries from the other side of the world (no… Read more »
I am waking up at 3:30 to watch it.
Disappointed that we can’t vote.
But im happy we can participate again XD
Australia to the rescue…there’s no doubt in my mind that Australia is here to stay because the barrier of what was considered unthinkable has finally been lifted when it joined the big contest. The EBU introduced it as a one-off to make it palatable to the detractors, but I’m sure that in the back of their minds they already knew that a precedent was set. It’s a natural progression for the contest at a time when other members are reluctant to participate. I find it especially disconcerting that the Big 5, with the exception of Italy, remain indifferent to the… Read more »
Oh…My mistake…I was confused & posted my previous comment to a wrong wiwi article as it seems…{This has happened to me again before other times in the past} @ Hey Robyn please remove that comment so it won’t seem weird, ok? Thank you.. ————— But to add on the topic about AUSTRALIA 😛 here.. They should still use the televoting as im sure that lots of adult eurofans that will be watching the Junior Vision will want to vote…So they will have enough votes to add on their televoting results.. Yeah,my feelings about Australia participating to our Vision are mixed… Read more »
Really exciting, but a shame we can’t vote…
i dont want australia as a permenant entrant in eurovision ..
i know people will disagree with me but it just creates the complication if they win and who will host ..
only countries we need to get into eurovision / return are luxembourg, slovakia, andorra..
Oh…I did not really expect Australia to participate in the Junior Vision too..
That is surprising…Anyway..
So lets see how it will go..
Yay!