In their two years competing at Eurovision, they’ve delivered two flawless performances and were the runner-up in Stockholm. Now the EBU has confirmed that Australia will be back for another year. But who will represent Australia at Eurovision 2017?
In a video statement, Eurovision boss Jon Ola Sand explained that Australia isn’t a permanent member yet. “This is a decision that is a done on a yearly basis by the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group … so we have full support for the choice of Australia. If they will be a permanent member in the future, we don’t know, but for sure they’re in next year, in Kyiv.”
Australia’s broadcaster SBS is still to make a comment on their 2017 participation, but given that Australia are such huge Eurovision fans, they’re no doubt thrilled to be back for another year. Likewise, Australia’s method of selection has not been confirmed, but it’s very likely that they will again use internal selection.
Jessica, Guy, Dami…?
In the past three years, Australia has looked to TV talent shows to select its acts. Guest performer Jessica Mauboy came to fame as the 2006 runner-up of Australian Idol, while Guy Sebastian won the first series of Idol in 2003. He is now in his fifth series as a judge on The X Factor. Dami Im is another X Factor alum, having won the series in 2013.
Last year there was great speculation that singer and The Voice coach Delta Goodrem would be Australia’s act for Stockholm, but that turned out to just be speculation.
This year, attention has turned to twin sister pop duo The Veronicas. Wiwibloggs has long thought the Veronicas would be a good choice for Australia and the duo themselves are keen. Let’s not forget this tweet from 2015, when the sisters declared that “Eurovision would be fun”:
So. #Eurovision ?? would be fun! #YouRuinMe
— THE VERONICAS (@TheVeronicas) February 11, 2015
And they have a readymade single, with their new track “On Your Side”. While SBS would probably prefer a fresh song, it’s still proof that The Veronicas can deliver a Eurovision-suitable number.
But Australia is a big country and it has many other singers who’d be keen to head over to Kyiv. Check out our wishlist of some other big Aussie names we’d like to see at Eurovision, including Sia, Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer and — of course — Kylie.
What do you think of Australia in Eurovision? Who would you like to see represent down under in Kyiv? Share your thoughts below!
As Australia has come to participate in the content, not only have they given us quality entries, but other countries have particularly stepped up their game to match them. I think we need more countries that are passionate about Eurovision like Australia. They really add a breath of fresh air to the contest. And I love their songs!
Please god anyone but Iggy Azalea. That’s a terrible suggestion.
I care.
I don’t think the ability to host should have any bearing whatsoever on the result, I’m just saying that it will be sad to see sixty years of tradition go down the drain. I would hate to see a rotation/bidding system.
And for a third time … fans are asking all over again what the hell are they doing here? Wow …I can feel the excitement in the air …*cough* *cough*
No one expected Australia to do this well, that’s why they keep inviting them. Maybe if Australia does bad they won’t be invited?
What’s the big deal? It’s a singing contest after all.
Not surprised at all. Somehow I also agree with opinions about ‘fixed UK’ 🙂 Now I’m just wondering if this won’t be onerously for them to handle both ESC and eventual asian-pacific contest…
Australia is in its own continent and in that continent lies the country of Papua New Guinea and the easternmost island of Indonesia.
Please tell me how Australia is in either Asia or Oceania.
If Australia submits a song that’s bad and doesn’t make it out of the semi-finals, then I won’t complain if we don’t get invited back in the future, but we’ve come top five two years in a row. If Europe is liking what we’re doing and we’re making the competition better by submitting top 5 entries, then we definitely deserve to be there for as long as that remains true. As it stands, Australia’s entry into Eurovision is decided on a yearly basis by the EBU members. If we’re going to stop coming to Eurovision then it should be on… Read more »
@Jonas Who cares? Its a song contest. Not a hosting contest. A country’s ability to host should have zero to do with thier ability to participate, and even less with their result. If the winner can’t host, then some other country takes up the mantle, with or without the winner’s help. Its not a hard solution. And if Europe is actually filled with people that actually vote for where they want the contest held next year, and not based on the song, then maybe that aspect of the contest needs to go, and get replaced by either a rotational or… Read more »
as much as i adore delta and shes got a great vocal range.. she would not do it… i would suggest anthony callea or maybe the veronicas.
australia get out >:(
#bitter2theend
Honestly, Australia is what the UK should be in the contest: The best English speaking country. Good fresh contemporary entries with equally great performances.They take it seriously and not just as a fun thing.
What’s not to like?
Let’s imagine Australia won.
Who would host the next year? More importantly, who would pay?
Not SBS.
If there were clear & fair contingencies for this increasingly likely outcome, maybe I could feel a bit better about their participation. For me, a lot of the fun comes from seeing how the winner hosts. It’s a large part of the “prize”. It’s sad to see that element lost.
I guess it is good news as they seem to take the contest seriously but must we endure another year of ridiculous, over-the-top, Aussie-love from the juries? If they get the points that their entries actually deserve, I will be happy with their participation.
The EBU isn’t thinking about what Australia adds to the contest. In my opinion, they do not add anything to Eurovision. Sure they have one of the biggest music industries in the world but this competition I see about Europe and the European music industry. We already have Sweden and United Kingdom, Europes two biggest music industries. Adding value to Eurovision would be these countries and all of the other European countries sending the best they have, which would gain viewership from across the world, rather than having such a random country like Australia compete. Don’t get me wrong, I… Read more »
Welcome back, Australia! Just keep giving us great songs like last 2 years!
Who should represent Australia in 2017? I reckon either Greg Gould or Anthony Callea would be really great choices.
Love it. Oz gave us two of the best songs over the past few years, and they’re bound to do so again.
And now nobody can even whine about “the rules” anymore, since they officially changed them for Australia to be in. This is what competitions do to become better. They change.
Welcome again Austria! Please bring Conchita Wurst back!
lmao
I don’t give a fig whether Australia is “culturally European” or not. That always seems to come up in discussions like this. That’s not any concern of mine, and it’s a bit of a slap in the face to the sizable Asian population in Australia – from which their only two contestants come from…
After a man and a woman… Maybe a Group?
Good news. The more, the merrier! But hopefully EBU won’t try so desperately to make them win like they did with Dami Im. That was like, so blatant.
I’m one of those who strictly believe that Eurovision should stay to what is actually is. A European competition. I don’t want the US or China to compete, becasue that day, the whole idea of the contest will die. HOWEVER: Australia competing is only good for the competition. They have delivered some fresh air to contest in the last two years. (And like Dutchie mentioned, they are doing what UK should do) They were exactly what the contest needed. The aussies has followed the contest for over 30 years and they have a strong relationship with it. Australia is also… Read more »
It doesn’t matter where they are. Only full-time active members of the EBU should be eligible. If they want to pony up full-time fees and participate in the organization as active members, well, maybe…
Although the time-zone difference would still be a big thing. Also the fact they can’t host, due to not only logistics but finances. They get all the fun but none of the responsibility. Not fair.
@Denis
Don’t like pointing out basic geography to people but anyway,
There is no such thing as a Eurasian continent, There is however a huge landmass that consists of THREE continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, all connected but are very different continents just like North and South America. Eurasia is not a continent. Sorry. I would recommend an atlas to you though 🙂 Happy Halloween
Australia is OCEANIA
Anyway, what annoying is that EBU said that it was one-time participation, but now the truth turned out they lied.
@Denis: So now Australia is in Asia? They’ll be happy to learn the news!
To be honest: Finding Romania in the list is more suprising to me, than Australia participating again.
Australia are what the UK could and should be: an Anglophone country that delivers credible, well-produced, current pop music to the Eurovision stage. Their juries also seem to be less focused on the weird and the campy than their British counterparts. I think it’s good for Eurovision that they’re there.
They are not a permanent member but they will take the spot of one in the final lol.
Make them full time members cos announcing their return last and acting all fake is just a very cowardly move on the EBU.
I’m all for it! I love Oz and I don’t like this sudden anti-Australia thoughts.
Europe as such is a part of the larger EurAsian continent, and therefore Australia is more than qualified.
And why not! They do take it seriously but not as overproduced as Russia or Azerbaijan! This is how UK should take the contest too..
Eurovision is a live event. In Australia, it airs in the dead of night/early morning. Nobody watches, except for a tiny amount of die-hards. This takes away from the communal feel of the show – it’s supposed to be a shared experience. Not to mention the impact on the televote, which can not possibly truly reflect the will of the people. In the article, you say “Given that Australia are such huge Eurovision fans”…but that is demonstrably untrue, or at least a wild exaggeration. It’s broadcast on a minority channel, and is still a cult thing. When you compare the… Read more »
Wake up and smell the coffee EBU been bribed by SBS with a sack of cash to let them in Australia yes and Kazakhstan no is the most daft thing ever seen if this not corruption then ill never know what its is
@DR: “If the majority of people had a problem with it, the EBU wouldn’t let Australia continue after the 60th”
lol… Since when does the EBU give a damn about what the people like?
I’m happy with Australia being part of ESC.
I hope they’ll stay permanently. It is in fact already happened 😉
I like their entries.., they take the contest serious, in a good way, not in a serious- twisted way of Azerbaijan.
I have no problem about Australia participating in the contest. So long as they are not officially joining the Big 5, then I’m good with it. Just like what others have said before, participating in Eurovision helped them to become serious and that they are no longer treating the contest as a joke as they are now doing their best to seek talented artists and make quality songs. So far, look at the results because I am really liking what they are showcasing to us all
happy that Australia is back. it takes Eurovision seriously. welcome back bitcheeeez
I get bored with the same anti-Australian bullsh*t each year. They are part of the family now. Get used to it. It’s only Eurovision cos of the European Broadcating Union. Not because of who partipates. Get used to it. If the majority of people had a problem with it, the EBU wouldn’t let Australia continue after the 60th.
“Sound of Silence” is much better than “Tonight again” and the whole Europe agreed with that when you see the votes and chart performance. I’m so happy they’re back again! Send Delta Goodrem!
@Bradley
I think that would only work if the Big 5 actually cared about Australia’s participation. Obviously they don’t.
Cyrus Villanueva could be their choice for Kyiv.
Hopefully they send a much better song this year – Sound of Silence was bad compared to Tonight Again.
So I guess we have have our first qualifier to the final, after all, it wouldn’t be EUROvision without our neighbours from Southwest Asia taking part, how on Earth did Eurovision ever manage without them for 59 years and their guaranteed top 5 placings that nobody at all seems to think is suspicious.
I can’t wait for Lee Lin Chin’s next quirky fashion statement…besides, Eurovision without Australia is unthinkable. After making the impossible possible, there is no going back and there’s no need to litigate Australia’s case after 34 years of airing the contest religiously plus considering the economic and PR value it brings to the Eurovision brand.
yay, such a good news! Aussies have many great artists:)I would like to see Josef Salvat competing, but unfortunately this is not likely to happen 😡
it would be interesting who they choose for Eurovision 2017, who ever they choose they will have very big shoes to fill, they would need to win to get past Damis achievement that should never be forgotten. But good luck, never liked the veronicas, but europeans would like there irreverent manner, as to Delta, she has nothing to prove and would only do it for fun and a nice pay check.
So how much money have SBS bribed the EBU this time Big 5 really should consider taking their funding away and leave the contest until EBU wakes up it’s a European competition
Ho boy, this was definitely coming, but I’m not sure how we’ll be able to deal with this. On the bright side, the announcement this year has been made earlier, so I’m hopeful that SBS has a good plan up their sleeves. Regardless of what people thought of Dami, she scored really well and it’ll be hard to beat that score. So, some artists on my ESC wishlist. Won’t be everyone’s taste, I’m sure, but whatever it’s my list so I’ll do what I want with it. 1. Matt Corby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpFG7DdjTbo The likelihood for this is, uh… almost nonexistent, but… Read more »
Wow again? And here I was thinking that this year was just to allow me to make up for sleeping in on last year’s grand final and missing the vote, as well as allowing me to vote for jamala.
Troye Sivan!