In their first ever national final, Australia have made their decision. And SBS pulled out all the stops to make sure it would be an evening — or European morning — we wouldn’t forget! In the end, Kate Miller-Heidke took the victory with her song, “Zero Gravity”
Kate Miller-Heidke – “Zero Gravity”
With a dress and headpiece like no other — along with her dancer behind her — Kate’s pop and opera mashup won both the jury and televote in a clear decision.
Electric Fields came a strong second place with “2000 and Whatever”, with Sheppard finishing in third.
The result was decided by a split of public votes and jury. The public could vote for their favourite for just under 24 hours, based on the jury show performances and live show. The jury, meanwhile, solely voted based on the performances from last night’s jury show.
Eurovision: Australia Decides Jury Results
One thing that everyone seems to agree on is the quality of the show’s production. Kicking off the show, we had an amazing opener from Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan, who covered Guy Sebastian’s “Tonight Again”.
Dami Im also returned to give a piano version of “Sound of Silence”. Also joining the interval act was America’s Got Talent star Hans, who treated us to an accordion-medley of Eurovision classics.
Hosts Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasy were fun and engaging throughout too. If Australia ever could host Eurovision, we think the contest would be in very good hands down under.
Kate will perform in the second half of the first semi-final in Tel Aviv.
What do you think of Australia’s decision and “Zero Gravity”? Do you think they could have a Eurovision winner on their hands? Let us know all your thoughts down in the comments below.
It starts really nice, but I don’t really like where the opera starts. I don’t think it’s a good choice for Australia. They’re trying to do Estonia from last year but I liked that better than this one.
The sound is a cross between Elena Nechayeva from Estonia last year, Kate Bush and those yodelling puppets from The Sound of Music. Costuming is a cross between Elena Nechayeva from Estonia last year, the Statue of Liberty and a wedding cake. AND I LOVE IT
Go Kate 😀
That description is perfect! Especially the yodeling puppets from the Sound of Music part
Love the baroque pop of Kate. This entry has a lot in common with Kate Bush and is completely bonkers. It’s weird that many of the commenters here have incredibly limited musical references for a competition that is, at its core, about loving music. I hope she amps up the wonderful staging – it makes incredible artistic sense as demonstrating someone battling depression that won’t let you go. I would’ve liked Electric Fields to go through but they had months to prepare and just came out and sung a song. They didn’t seem to understand that Eurovision is also about… Read more »
You can still love music and not like this song. My musical taste has no boundaries…..classical, punk, metal, folk, country……it really doesn’t matter. I like to get rid of genres of music, as there are only two….good and bad, and this falls in the latter. If I had to summarise it, it would be a hot mess.
To be hard honest with you all, I’m also unsure if Electric Fields would be accepted warmly by the general European audience. Bringing cultural heritage outside of the European-Caucasian-Israeli range wasn’t accepted well in the last 10 years, most notably Stella Mwangi in 2011 — she’s a fan favorite, but stayed in the semis. Israel also struggled much when they send songs in Hebrew from 2009-2014. Sending EF to Tel Aviv can be a full target or a death penalty.
Very sad and troubling, if true. I hope that you are mistaken.
The jury were almost unanimous. The public vote went strongly to only two songs… and yet… a litany of whiny, ill-informed and nasty remarks. Electric Fields are not yet ready for the multi-camera behemoth that is ESC. They said that on Friday, that they were finding it challenging working to 8 cameras. Plus, their jury performance was not as good as their public show performance. They will learn from this and come back in a year or two and absolutely… what’s the word Wiwibloggerati like – S L A Y! (Remember, even ABBA had to have a second go before… Read more »
They really need to change the staging! I can imagine her floating in space in a white long gown with a LED screen behind telling her story of depression. Totally pure and white. That’s the direction they should go for, imo. The current staging is too creepy and unorginal.
Australia’s always brought their A game with staging, and I am more than sure their delegation is listening and knowing what the first impression of fans are saying. They’ll come up with something that still harkens to this performance but at the same time change it up to make it even better. You can count on it.
Hate to be a party pooper and I like quirky songs that dare to be different. However it still has to be a good song. This unfortunately isn’t, in fact it’s really awful. I have tried to listen to it for the full three minutes but can’t bear it. I agree with many people who have said that Australia will not qualify for the final…. Truly it’s that bad.
Thanks to this comments section for regaining some of my faith in this fan base. The Eurofandom on twitter has been as absolute disgrace, to the point of threatening anyone who openly likes the song. I’m glad the top voted comments here are saying the right things. Thank you guys, and good luck to Kate in May, where hopefully the eurofans will have got over their disappointment.
Just remember that there is a VERY large portion of Eurovision watchers who don’t know anything about the entries until the semi final night. And then there are a very large portion of Eurovision watchers who are older who don’t use the internet so much. It’s a varied crowd. Can’t rely on what anyone says on the internet to be honest; which is why I hold my breathe everytime someone on here goes “BUT HOW DID X entry not make the final??”
How disappointing! This is a poor man’s version of Estonia last year. Estonia had a better song, a better singer and a better dress.
2000 and Whatever is a HIT. Zero Gravity is weird kitsch. I think SMS voting was not regular. SBS re-think it, you can change it still. Do you want great result? Yes? Send Electric Fields. No? Keep Heindke there. You can change it still…
I loved ELECTRIC FIELDS Song and the simple staging with the charismatic singer… Before i handled that as a possible Eurovision-Winner. So yes, I’m a little heartbroken that they get only the second spot in the running order and finished second, only because of the show Kate makes and the thinking, that you can win Eurovision only when you make a big show. Kate herself was ok (vocals a little flat sometimes) and i liked the accrobat dancing behind her (it has a meaning!). Thats it, the more i see it the more worse it gets for me. Before the… Read more »
Good song and glad the know all Courtney Act didn’t win !
great…the last thing i wanted was a lady singing opera in a gimmicky dress too large to walk in for a second year in a row…
Australia used to be class and quality, but now the popular vote adds the worst of Eurovision to the picture. And by that I mean the whole selection, not this song in particular. This can still do good, once the cringeworthy staging is gone.
I’m from Australia, and there a few reasons why the Australian public chose ‘Zero Gravity’ instead of the track by Electric Fields. 1) The combination of pop and opera is not common to the songs played in radio stations or TV networks. Her style of signing is rather interesting and refreshing to the general audience. She would have the edge here. 2) The giant tower dress is appealing and unique in Australia. I cannot recall any similar performances in Australian soil involving this type of staging. Perhaps to other songs in Eurovision, this type of staging is nothing new –… Read more »
Thanks Ethan! Good luck for Australia 🙂
I like zero gravity but I don’t think it’s a potential winner. But I can see 2000 and whatever in top 3 or win the whole thing. The passion was so real when they’re performing but Kate’s performance left me cold and robotic.
Well said!
Kate, give the trophy to Electric Fields. Eurovision doesnt need next popopera song no. 18, we want the best party song ever, unique, epic, modern, catchy, with ethnic elements, powerfull voice and stunning music. You will make happy fans, Aussies and EBU too. With your song Australia wont qualify to the final, with 2000 and Whatever can win whole competition. Before national final was Australia first in odds (they were thinking EF will win), after your winning is Australia falling down down…
It’s an interesting song and could have potential to do good in Eurovision. But… I’m afraid people might frown upon it like I did :/ it’s unique and there is a bop there, but it’s not my jam right now. We just have to wait till May to see what happens
France is welcoming Australia in the club of countries sending good songs but getting unfairly slandered by the Eurovision fandom.
As an Australian, it does devastate me to see a lot of people being negative. I used to love the song and wanted either this or Electric Fields to win but the negativity is making me wish we had chosen Electric Fields instead (then again, would we still have gotten negativity????). Also another reason for my issues is it looked like Kate was lip syncing. My dad noticed it at first but now I can’t unsee it. It worries me because if Kate was lip syncing, how the heck will she pull off those damn notes at Eurovision??? You can’t… Read more »
Don’t worry about the negative comments. Every Eurovision you see people complaining about songs because those songs aren’t to their personal taste, or their own song lost out to that song. It wouldn’t have mattered what song we chose, some people wouldn’t have been happy with our selection.
If Australia would change the staging completely this would look much better.
AND remember that only Eurovisionfans remember previous acts so maybe this is nothing to worry about anyway:) Good luck in May!
Australia chose the right song ! The basic Eurofan is negative because his favorite did not win. But at the end, Zero gravity is a very good song (currently my #1) and I’m sure Australia will do well at Eurovision.
We can see the same negativity towards Bilal Hassani, even if it’s a very good song (my #2).
But you know, Eurofans are often wrong (Germany last year was slandered before the show and it ended in the top 5, Macedonia was very appreciated and it did not qualify, O Jardim finished last……..).
I think Kate isn’t lipsyncing. Watching the winning encore, there are moments when she was distracted, nervous or shaken, and it vocally shows, and also some delays in the outro and cracks all over the operatic part. Seeing the Grand Final performance, I noticed stronger indications. She had to take breath several times during the verses, she even gasped for air in the ‘I’m free…’ part. The first belt had cracking in the end, and when she belted during the bridge, the final belt didn’t star perfect but rather flat. This is quite petty, I know, but I hope I’ve… Read more »
Are you surprised? You could choose really stunning, original, absolutely epic song, and u choosed forgottable, mediocre song. Believe me, 90% of European fans wanted Electric Fields, but you made them sad. Kate should give the trophy to Electric Fields, because she doesnt have any support in Europe.
I’m really fed up, okay? All you can do is to bash Kate’s song and glorifying EF 25/8. What part of a competition don’t you f*cking understand? Someone has to win. If it’s not your favorite, don’t be that sour butthurt b*tch — you know other fans over here are already done with this type of fans. We learned to accept Bilal eventhough we wanted Seemone. Even if EF was selected, when they didn’t win or even didn’t pass the semis would you be this kind of fan that rants and rants, again? Better to rethink things again, you’re also… Read more »
don’t be disheartened. Take all these comments with a grain of salt. We clearly have not chosen a safe song, its risky some people may not like it and as a result we may not leave the semis. So what! So be it! We’re having fun and that’s what this contest should be all about. I definitely don’t think she was lip syncing at all But very true what you say people shouldn’t be saying it won’t qualify before all the songs are out. My favourite song out at the moment is Spain! Good luck Spain and best of luck… Read more »
Everyone forgets about the national final results once it comes time to semi finals anyway
meh
I’m sorry to say this, Australia, but to me this looks like a parody where someone have put alot of details from previous Eurovision-acts together. If this was a act in a comedy-show I would totally buy it. Kind of like Petra & Mons’ “Love, Peace”. Maybe Australia tries too hard to create something that “looks and sounds Eurovision”?
This was a national final, the staging will be different in Tel Aviv. Probably slightly calmer, and certainly more sharp. It needed to stand out in a different way at the Gold Coast than it will need to once it gets to Eurovision.
An interesting choice, a very pleasant song. She sounds a little shrieky at times but it held my attention, once I’d stopped laughing at the ridiculous dress. I like it.
To be taken with a grain of salt, what I’ve learned from the last three ESC is : if it’s a favorite but isn’t controversial enough, it won’t win.
KMH sparking up controversy almost in the level of Netta last year, so… she’s the winner, perhaps? 😛
Good point!
No matter which song we chose, there would still be people who say we made the wrong choice. No song will ever appeal to every single person. Kate and Electric Fields were my two faves, and it was hard to choose between them … but in the end it seemed that my head was saying EF because it was more likely to get a positive reaction (safer) … and yet my heart was saying Kate. Both songs deserved to do well, so I’m happy for both sets of artists.
I seriously have to stop declaring my favourite song after just hearing the studio versions. I had ‘Set me free’ as my favourite song, but after hearing Kate Miller-Heidke perform her song live last night she just blew the competition apart. 30 seconds in i thought oh damn, shes won this. This is so eurovision. Massive stage presence, incredible vocal ability, she can really deliver a song live, very professional. She was the deserved winner. Definitely who should represent us. Go kate!
Pre-jury show, Electric Fields was the clear leader. After being in the arena during the Jury show, KMH just blew everyone away and the crowd was the loudest cheer of the night. Then even louder in the Final show. Electric Fields might have gone to Tel Aviv if it were later in the running order but hey both were incredible and the clear crowd favorites. Now onto the “, it’s too similar to La Forza…” They are very very different songs. La Forza was purely in the style of opera, Zero Gravity included pop heavily and that’s what made this… Read more »
Oulala….this song is a nightmare ….i dont like the voice
That’s a literal ripoff of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWeOs7wpu70
You can downvote me as much as you want but her staging looks exactly like that character from Nier Automata. You just can’t hide it.
It’s a good ripoff, then.
I like it a lot! Good choice, Australia!
Whilst I appreciate the artistry of this performance, I don’t like the song.
It’s not something that you can listen to over and over. By the time of the actual competition everyone will be sick of this.
I don’t think Australia will be in the final this year. 🙁
We fans might be sick of it, but a probable amount of 170 million eyes who might watch KMH performed for the first time might find it amazing. It’s a matter of perspective.
Good thing then that 90% of people will be hearing the song for the first time at the semi final in May.
As a card-carrying KMH stan I’m obviously thrilled she won, but moreso that Australia’s (finally) picked something risky instead of taking the safe road. The staging obviously needs a rethink for Tel Aviv – a song with opera elements in a gigantic dress is not going to work for obvious reasons – but other than that, she’s a great pick. She’s a delight in person and has a cracking sense of humour (refer Insta-threat to kneecap Courtney Act) so should be a lot of fun on the promo trail.
This sounds and looks like a Eurovision song that could win. Fix the camera angle showing the bendy pole though!
They’ll rethink it; Australia will listen and change things up of course rather than falling stale and repeating what they did in the national performance. It will change when we get to May 🙂
I remember last year when Elina was hyped up and everybody said she would be the winner and that there was no competition. Yeahh..
she still got a great place though
I think we Aussies understand it will be a while before we ever win Eurovision. Some people are still only coming to terms with us even being in it lol. But that is totally ok. I do not mind not winning, I just want us to be a part of the celebration, and hopefully get a respectable result as often as possible.
Even if the track record effect doesn’t exist, a top 10 for the Baltic is considered a huge success, so she kind of “won” in a sense.
1- Albania
2- Spain
3- Australia
4- United Kingdom
–
5- Czech Republic
–
–
–
6- France
Sorry but I can’t with the French Song , Bilal’s Vocal are catastrophic , I still don’t know why he is representing France…
Lake Malawi will not pass the Semi , this song is more a Radio pop song.
respectable ranking, I quite like the Czech Republic song, but yeah for some reason like you said it could be a song that wouldn’t get through, if the vocals aren’t on point.
I think a lot of people will like Czech Republic’s song. But there is a thought in my head that it could be like Poland last year :/
I honestly and wholeheartedly believe this is the first genuine contender this year for Eurovision Glory! Great Choice Australia!
No final for sure. The comment section of the song says it all. Very few people like this so it’s not even divisive.
Yet australia is now 5th in the odds!
The odds are a joke. Just vote and wait for the a trial results, not some money-grabbing scheme that acts like a magic eight-ball.
really 5th so far impressive whilst the UK are 27th, haha, so yeah Australia are ones to watch out for it looks like.
They were three when Electric Fields is the favorite in the bookies. It’s been dropping heavily since Zero Gravity won. It will be like France in a short period of time.
Actually now they are 4th, by overtaking Italy!
You should wait for all of the songs to come out before you look at the odds. But the odds aren’t always right…
lets be honest, Australia is going to be a constant qualifier for a looooooong time and aside from that Zero Gravity is amazing
This comment section does not matter nor do the comments right now on social media as 90% of people will be hearing the song for the first time at the semi final in May.
This is very true
Good entrance finally from Australia. I think it will be middle table. top 1o-15th
Can we just cancel Eurovision and give the glass microphon directly to Kate? #Masterpiece
Calm down , she wont be anywhere near a win.
You are right! She won’t be near the 1st place, she will be the 1st place herself 😀
i dont see this leading to a success for australia in tel aviv.
I would have preferred Electric Fields, but I’m actually happy with this choice too. It’s fun, weird, has a great message and it stands out. I’m glad Aus didn’t play it safe this time, and for sure I like it better than last year’s song.
Usually not a huge fan of this pop opera stuff but for me it did stand out amongst everything else, 2000 and whatever is a better song but the whole performance felt a bit messy. Honestly have no idea how this will do at eurovision.
The song is not bad. It is a bit descontructed like Kate Bush’s songs and I like that about this entry. But all that camp would really not be necessary and is so distracting.
I don’t love the song but I’m so happy that Australia aren’t going generic pop like they usually have.
seriously!?
i am from romania and i have a question for you wiwibloggers.. if my country will send laura bretan dear father.. what do you choose.. australia or romania
I think Romania has a very strong chance to win if you send Laura. At the Eurovision after party I went to yesterday, a lot of people already knew who she was; there’s clearly a buzz around her song and vocal talent. She is surely a good bet for Top 5 in the Grand Final.
Bella is fun too, but after watching her live performance, I think Army of Love is more likely a Top 10 in the Grand Final.
What do you think florinho?
her rehearsal today was incredible. tomorow night will be something amazing
Ohhh that is such a difficult answer to give! I love both songs in different ways.
Kate’s song I would love to perform myself, as it is self-empowering and I can relate to the situation of wanting to be free.
Laura’s song is so special to her and is iconically her own, although it’s about something I have not personally felt. Her voice and pure musicality are extraordinary though.
It’s very difficult. Can I let you know in May? 😛
i want to know now:))
Yeah, just to follow Purple’s comment, I clearly found deciding between Laura and Kate too hard and flipped the question to a comparison between Laura and Bella 🙂
My personal choice between Laura and Kate is still undecided and right now I also feel like I’d have to judge it on the final live performance. As for the televote more generally, my sense is that Laura/Romania would beat Kate/Australia.
Romania
Neither
Both are in the same league IMO.
If I’m eligible to vote ( sad, I know ) I’ve to admit I’ll still choose Kate. It’s more show-stopping for me.
I really liked the song. Good luck from Israel 🙂
Wasn’t everyone saying how great this song was before the selection? I love how everyone has suddenly changed their minds after it won. I liked Electric Fields too, and I think either one could represent Australia really well, but I think Kate is the best choice for Australia. Anyway, Australia is my #2 as of right now, behind Albania. I hope Kate can make the Grand Final and do really well in May 😀
(I can already smell the down votes from here)
I gave you a +1 at least 🙂
I agree with you, if a person’s no 1 favourite didn’t win they don’t have to rain on the parade of anyone else. I adore Electric Fields and what they’re doing: their song Nina is awesome; Shade Away and Don’t You Worry, fabulous. Pukulpa, fun and endearing. At the same time, I think Kate is also very talented, really fun, gave a strong performance and is a worthy winner.
If people spent half as much energy being positive as they do being negative…how much more we might achieve.
i’ve always hated it
I like, 12 points.
I hope, someone will find that Zero Gravity is plagiarism. They will disqualify her, will send Electric Fields in Tel Aviv and everyone will be happy!
This actually might not qualify. The juries will probably save Australia again though.
My top 6 so far
1. Albania
2. Czech Republic
3. Spain
4. UK
5. Australia
6. France
Wow, what a show! 🙂 I thought all 10 performances were strong, and Australia delivered a phenomenal Eurovision experience. Electric Fields and Kate were obvious stand outs for me. I love the music that Zach and Michael are making together and I’m so glad to have been introduced to them, I hope they’re back next year. I thought they really served it up in their live performance, on such a big stage. I’m delighted Kate won, I’m also glad to be introduced to her music. I thought her vocal and the staging was fabulous, it was like an Australian Alice… Read more »
Great backing vocals, the rest is utter shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit …. yikes.