Australia may be the newest addition to the Eurovision family, but in five short years, they’ve made quite the impact. And now Australia is set to select is act for Rotterdam with the national final Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020. But who should get the ticket to Rotterdam?
Ten acts will compete at the national final just one week away, on 8 February. They represent a cross-section of contemporary Australian acts, from established stars to newcomers, from mainstream to offbeat, and representing the faces and sounds of modern Australia.
But only one act can win and go on to represent Australia at Eurovision 2020. Who is your favourite to win? Listen to the ten competing entries and vote for your favourite. As always, you can vote for as many acts as you like, but you can only vote once — so choose wisely.
Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020: Competing acts
Casey Donovan – “Proud”
Casey shot to fame at the humble age of 16, becoming the youngest winner of Australian Idol in 2004 before going on to establish a career in the entertainment industry.
Diana Rouvas – “Can We Make Heaven”
A proud representative of her Greek culture, singer-songwriter Diana Rouvas recently won last year’s series of The Voice Australia, after making it to the top eight of the same show back in 2012.
Didirri – “Raw Stuff”
Didirri’s passion revolves around connecting honestly with audiences in a live setting, from intimate shows in living rooms, busking on streets, or performing at festivals.
iOTA – “Life”
New Zealand-born Australian Sean Hape, better known by his chosen name iOTA, is a singer, songwriter, revered stage performer and actor.
Jack Vidgen – “I Am King I Am Queen”
Reality television veteran Jack Vidgen won Australia’s Got Talent as a fresh-faced 14-year-old before launching a successful recording career.
Jaguar Jonze – “Rabbit Hole”
Ticking the alternative box for Australia Decides, Jaguar Jonze is an eclectic mix of culture, inspiration, and musical flavour.
Jordan-Ravi – “Pushing Stars”
Relative newcomer Jordan-Ravi is colourfully described as an “enigmatic soulful singer-songwriter with a chocolate tone and a talent on the guitar.”
Mitch Tambo – “Together”
The Australia’s Got Talent star and First Nations singer blends traditional sounds and language with contemporary beats and production, breathing modern life to a traditional culture.
Montaigne – “Don’t Break Me”
24-year-old Montaigne has made quite the impact on the Australian indie music scene, making the coveted Triple J’s Hottest 100 list, an annual poll of popular-voted favourite songs.
Vanessa Amorosi – “Lessons of Love”
Selling over two million albums in her career, Vanessa Amorosi has proven her versatility across many genres, including, pop, rock, blues, jazz, and gospel.
I finally listened to all the songs and I have to say that Australia once again has a pretty good NF. I still have to completely fall for one of the songs as I did for Aydan and Kate MH last year, but all ten of them are good. The main ”problem” here is that they are all very similar in terms of quality. The rating difference between the 1st and 10th song will probably be the smallest one of all national finals. That’s what makes this finals so hard. But aside that, it’s really interesting. Every song has something… Read more »
Montaigne may be 24 but I’ve known of her talent since 2016, as she was featured on Aria award winning talents track “1955” which rose to number 2 here. In that same year she was touring with Charli XCX and now she common name in Australia’s music festival scene building those live vocals bigger and bolder. Saw her live just over New Years and her stage presence is amazing.
omg 1955 is such a BOPPPPPP
Vanessa’s song is the only one that I could listen all the way through. I almost listened to all of Montaigne too. Not strong selections. Australia could be in trouble of borderline qualifying if they’re not careful. But they’ve always been on point with staging, so who knows!
Some of the best songs this year are from new or emerging artists with not much experience working with tv cameras and big live audiences, so as much as I love Montaigne Don’t Break Me, it worries me that nerves may get to her. So my money is on Vanessa Amorosi as she has the talent, the song, and the experience and she will do Australia proud. I look forward to seeing all artists perform at the Matinee show next Saturday on the Gold Coast.
I am a bit disappointed about the songs this year. Last year the songs in Australia Decides were a lot better. My favourite this year is Pushing Stars, but I don’t think any of these songs have even the slightest chance of winning Eurovision.
Russia influenced my vote.
Dianna’s voice is amazing and Can We Make Heaven started off so strong , but the chorus is simply not that good. So many songs these days struggle with the same issue…
I have to say Australia has one of the strongest NF this year. My four favourites didn’t dissapoint as they have really interesting songs. The four have made it into my personal National Final Season Top 10. This is my top for Australia Decides: 1. Montaigne – “Don’t Break Me” (8). Definitely a song I would listen to. Her voice is very interesting. The verses and the prechorus sound really good, maybe the chorus is a bit weaker. Anyway, one of the best songs revealed so far for Eurovision. The instrumental is soft and ethereal while still powerful. 2. Jaguar… Read more »
Vanessa has the biggest fan base so her fans have probably voted for her though doesn’t mean that she will win Aust Decides. Last year Sheppard had the biggest fan base but they didn’t win. I agree with your top 2. It will either be Montaigne or a Jaguar Jonze. I would be very happy if either won. I will be at the Jury show next a Friday and can’t wait to see these 2 live.
A few other artists on the poll have more Instagram followers than Vanessa.
Not eurofans underrating the clear winner just like last year.
Vanessa is going to win easily.
I feel like Jaguar is the clear stand out here. All the other songs are either boring or feel like safe entries that will disappear at Eurovision. I would rather send something that sounds fresh and current and cool and which really represents the local music scene in Australia and the type of music you would hear on Triple J. That’s why it either has to be Jaguar or Montaigne and I think Jaguar stands out way more in this group and would stand out more at Eurovision in general.
Initial bettings odds have been released and they were quite surprising.
Jaguar, Didirri and Jordan-Ravi have all been quite popular in the comments section here but this isn’t reflected at this point.
What an awful selection of songs. None of these have a chance of qualifying. Bye bye Australia! Thankfully they’ll be out of the final this year and I can’t wait to see them out of the contest altogether in a couple of years. Good riddance! It’s called Eurovision, not Euroceaniavision.
You apparently hate them no matter what they send. So your comment is pointless.
And where would such a narrow minded comment come from? Sounds a tad jealous if you ask me. Just suck it up and accept the fact that the Aussies are in and bring quality to the competition unlike some other unmentioned countries.
Bring quality? Well, they haven’t participated so many times. I’d like to see if they always bring quality when they have 50 entries in their account. By the way, Mauboy and Isaiah were quite average (to avoid saying they were bad)…
Jealous much? I’d rather have them than the overrated Sweden. Dami and Kate alone can be in the history of Eurovison with their performances and they have only been here for 5 years.
So then, Ernest, why is Israel in Eurovision, Lebanon nearly in with an entry (Quand Tout S’enfuit), and Morocco participating once? It’s called Eurovision, not Euroarabiavision or Euroafricavision, and yet I am happy and proud that these countries were and are able to participate. So stfu, this fandom wants none of your narrow-mindedness and bad attitude. Go find another hobby and leave the Eurovision fans who love diversity and inclusion alone.
What a beautiful selection, the most interesting so far! My picks are:
iOTA
Jaguar Jonze
Casey Donovan.
Montaigne is the best for me. Jaguar Jonze would be a decent entry too, though.
I’m all in for Jaguar Jonze. Didirri as a close second.
Live performance may change things. But I doubt it. Rabbit Hole is a very cool song.
I voted for Didirri’s Raw Stuff as the best song. But actually I’m happy to support whoever delivers the best performance in Australia Decides. Maybe there’s not the two stand-outs like last year but overall the standard of entry is higher. There’s nothing I hate. All have their pluses. I think that SBS will be thrilled to have this interesting selection of artists and songs to offer the public.
1. Didirri; 2. Jaguar Jonze; 3. Casey Donovan. None are *bad*, but those three appeal the most to me.
As a very proud Aussie and big Eurovision nerd I’m slightly disappointed in the video/ recorded versions of these songs. They are all a little bit – meh .I listened to them once but would never listen to them again in this version.I am so hoping they can all improve their songs in the live version on the night of the NF. These songs at the moment don’t seem to have caught my attention as much as last years NF songs – especially last years top 3 . I hope they will improve on them because as they are they… Read more »
It has to montaigne ,didirri , iOTA ,jordan or jack . Maybe even diana . I think last years selection was better . But still this one has its gems . Im not too much into jaguar’s genre and vanessa seems okay . Either i cant really vote in real so just opinion s 🙂
I don’t really get what the criticism about the lineup is all about because I actually think it’s slightly better than 2019. For me, the standouts are Montaigne and Jaguar Jonze. Either of these would easily get a top 10 in ESC. Not really sure why Vanessa Amorosi is so far ahead in the poll – is it just her status as an established artist?
Her fanbase is quite big. Not surprised at all.
I personally think Vanessa song will be the best at getting jury votes since it is so radio friendly but will suffer from public voting.
For me it’s Montaigne, Vanessa or Jaguar Jones. I’m so excited to see them live! Please let me know which one you like bc I’m genuinely interested to see what people think!???
The only real stand out is Vanessa. It’s not a surprise she is most bookies faves and winning this poll.
I doubt that we get out of the semi with Vanessa’s song.
Agreed. To me the song builds but never goes anywhere. It feels like it’s lacking something. It also feels very dated, like something I would have listened to in the car ride to school in 2006 rather than something I would listen to today.
This is so difficult for me. I have been a fan of Montaigne for a while now, so I voted for her. But being more honest to my heart, the two songs that reach me the most are from Didirri and Jack Vidgen. Both have total opposite styles of songwriting, yet both songs reach me. I also really like the First Nations sounds in Mitch Tambo’s song. Casey Donovan and Vanessa Amorosi also bring solid entries. (I told ya this was difficult!) I should point out that based on YouTube views alone per video, Jack Vidgen has a rather large… Read more »
Jack’s song has been out for ages.
Ah, right. Thanks.
It has to be Montaigne. I don’t like Vanessa’s new version of her song even tho it was my winner, but now Montaigne has really blown me away with that vocal power she has
Didirri all the way for me, no flashy moves, just him and the piano, and yet still different from Duncan last year, he really gives you a sneak peak into his heart and it’s so refreshing to see!
I really dont want lessons of love to win – it’s too ballady to likely appeal to the jury and it’s not a banger. I don’t have any strong yeses at this stage, hopefully something will come at the live show though. At the moment I’d be happy for life, dont break me, together, or rabbit hole to go.
Quite unpredictable. I was already under the impression that in Australia Decides, just like it happens in Melfest, staging will be always decisive, sort of a “Zero Gravity” legacy. By re-listening to the previous released tracks, I’ve noticed that most of the entries are in a similar level. I would prefer the winner coming from the indie group (Jaguar, Montaigne, Didirri and iOTA), but there’s a group of great vocalists with songs tailored to showcase their skills (Vanessa, Casey, Diana and Mitch). From this group, I would pick “Lessons of Love”.
Montaigne – “Don’t Break Me” has the best combination of originality and broad appeal that makes it my winner.
Just like what I think.
Jaguar can you please slay this live and take us down the rabbit hole?
They saved the best for last this year. Last year I dare to say that there were only good songs (or a majority) with some standouts like “2000 and Whatever”, “On My Way” and later “Zero Gravity” once the rehearsals started. “Rabbit Hole” and “Don’t Break Me” have given life to this year’s field where I think most of the songs are good, just nothing I would cheer for although I did like Mitch Tambo and Casey Donovan’s songs. Let’s wait for the live shows but now I’m for Jaguar or Montaigne to win, and if it the staging is… Read more »
Jaguar Jonze is the only winner for me the rest kinda basic
Montaigne and Didirri. They can have a moment in Rotterdam. Don’t get the hype of Rabbit Hole and Lessons Of Love. Rabbit Hole can end up really bad in Eurovision with this type of song. On the other hand, Lessons Of Love can at least impress the jury.
Lessons of love is extremely basic , i won’t do well with the televoting, i’m kinda waiting for the live performances because i have the feeling that Jaguar will put a really unique staging and in combination with her song i think she will appeal to both jury en televote.
Rabbit Hole may impress the audience but I don’t know about the jury. Montaigne is still my ultimate favorite.
According to you. I think it will do really well.
Funny how Didirri and Jaguar Jonze were the last ones to release their entries, they literally are the only entries in this year’s selection that I care about at all.
Only one option to stand out : rabbit hole !!!
What a great collection of songs, bravo Australia!
I particularly love iota and Jaguar Jonze, but to be honest, I didn’t find a dud here.
And I also think I found my first wow moment of the season – Jack Vidgen – what an amazing song!
Can whoever comes second represent the UK?
I had exactly the same thought! We have such a shared history and cultural connection with Australia, how come they can come up with such a great collection of songs and we serve up utter dross.
The only standouts for me are ‘Rabbit Hole’ and ‘Life’. I like Vanessa’s song to an extend, but it feels realy unauthentic. The song itself seems bland shoutingpop, and the fact that she slighty changed her song makes me question if she believes in her own products. Which doesn’t convince me at all.
On IOTA tho, I’m so surprised he is in last place. Its so creative
I agree with you. IOTA is the only one of these songs which grabs my attention. Why so low????
The revamp is more impactful. When she sings “I am” instead of “I’m”…
Australia has the chance to send two really good songs and artists that stand out: Didirri – “Raw Stuff” and Jaguar Jonze – “Rabbit Hole”
If they don’t take them, please give one of them to Germany so that we could make it into top 10 😉
Love Casey but I wonder if the song is strong enough. It doesn’t showcase her talents enough. Vanessa probably has a good chance although I don’t like the arrangement or production.
It’s a great pity Jack Vidgen didn’t have a better song.He has an incredible voice.
Vanessa 4 Rotterdam
It has to be either Vanessa or Jaguar Jonze. The only songs with a bit of life and personality
I’m surprised iOTA is in last place. I dunno, I don’t really love any of these. Maybe…first non-qualification?
Oh dear, what do i know?
In what seems to me to be nowhere near as interesting as last years edition, the only act in this years Australia Decides that grabs my attention is IOTA and “Life”…….i see it is last in the readers poll!.
As i said, what do i know?????
Life is soooo boring. We will come last in the semi if we send that
iOTA is one of the more artistically creative of the acts, I predict his staging will be memorable.
Hi. You’re wrong. xo
Realistically, based on the quality of the songs and chances of doing well at Eurovision, it will be either Jaguar Jonze, Montaigne, Didirri or Vanessa that will win Australia Decides
AGREED
Hi Robyn. Are you coming to the Gold Coast next week?
Disapointed, None of them really stands out for the moment… sorry..I guess nostalgia wins with Vanessa Amorosi. With a good staging maybe it could bring something.
Do you think this might lead to Australia’s first non-qualification?
im hoping so badly that Montaigne will be the winner
I see I’m not the only one as an Aussie I have to say these guys are brilliant artists . The songs as they stand are -blah if they stay this way . My hope is they put their on spin on them to improve these songs though that dirge by Didirri needs a lot more work I fell asleep listening to it and it’s 6pm Aussie time as I write this – I snored and woke myself up .
For me the clear winner is Casey Donovan with “Proud”. She’s on another level, her voice is amazing !
Yeah, I think I agree. She could easily win because she’s more endearing than Vanessa, has maybe an even more spectacular voice – but if she does win, it won’t be because of the song.
Proud is boring as hell. It won’t even come close to winning Australia Decides
Judging on the studio cut: Mitch or Vanessa. But luckily Australia Decides has a live show, so we’ll see who’s best live 🙂
I feel like the selection this year is not so diverse as last year’s. After listening to them all, there is not one song that really sticks with me like Kate or Electric Fields last year. But nevertheless, the quality is good no matter which song they choose.
It’s hard to say tbh.. could possibly be Vanessa
20 years after seeing her preform at olympics it could be Eurovision
I actually love Together!! Such a nice song that would perform well in Eurovision!