Australia Decides: Your guide to Australia’s Eurovision hopefuls
As Eurovision looms, here’s everything you need to know about the Aussie artists singing their hearts out tonight as they vie for your vote to represent our country.
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Australia, our 2020 Eurovision fate is in your hands.
A mind-scrambling, ear-twisting line-up of 10 artists will sing it out at the Eurovision: Australia Decides on the Gold Coast tonight to decide our representative at Rotterdam this year.
This will be Australia’s sixth tilt at the Eurovision Song Contest, that uniquely bonkers singing competition which has enjoyed a fierce and now growing fanbase here since SBS started broadcasting the show in 1983.
So far we have miraculously reached the grand finals every year with Dami Im almost winning it in Sweden in 2016. Guy Sebastian placed fifth in our first outing in 2015, Isaiah came ninth in Kiev in 2017, Jessica Mauboy was robbed to finish 20th in Lisbon in 2018 and Kate Miller-Heidke captured the imagination to soar to ninth last year.
Let’s face it, the Europeans don’t really want us to win it because, shock, we aren’t in Europe and a stubborn bloc of voters still reckon we are gatecrashing their party.
There are plenty of Australians who feel that too, as evidenced by the annual “Why the bloody hell are we at Eurovision?” posts which flood social media every year.
Yet there is a contingent of fans and jury voters who respect the quality of artists Australia has brought to the Eurovision contest. And the other 40 odd singers at the gig really, really like us too.
So now it’s over to you. The Australia Decides jury cast their votes at the non-televised show last night with the public vote after the Saturday broadcast determining our representative for Eurovision 2020.
Eurovision: Australia Decides is on SBS on Saturday from 8.30pm (AEDT).
CASEY DONOVAN – PROUD
Casey Donovan owned the New Year’s Eve concert on the ABC with her showstopping vocals and joyous renditions of Adele’s Rolling In The Deep, Cher’s Believe and the song which best exemplifies her indefatigable spirit I Will Survive.
The Eurovision family in Australia have been banging the drum for Casey to be given the mic since we got invited to the sonic shindig but she hesitated because of her I’m A Celebrity win and commitments with her day job in Chicago.
But the time is right for Donovan and her song Proud, which was submitted to the SBS portal by writer Justine Eltakchi.
“When I first heard it (Proud), it stopped me in my tracks. It was just such a beautiful song, and I sent an email back to my manager and said I love it with like tear face emojis,” Donovan said.
Proud Is a big ballad which gives Donovan plenty of room to flex that epic voice but musically, it doesn’t have the big lift Eurovision demands.
DIANA ROUVAS – CAN WE MAKE HEAVEN
Last year’s winner of The Voice lines up for a shot at Eurovision just seven months after taking the title at the television talent quest.
“‘Can We Make Heaven’ was inspired by the personal lessons we learn in life and how I feel we can choose to be empowered, choose to grow, create, manifest and be the light in the darkness. The last few months have been an incredibly difficult time for so many Australians affected by the bushfires and it has been so inspiring to watch the nation come together to support those in need. It is amazing to see what we can achieve when we all band together and I know our resilient spirits will see us through to find that light again,” Diana explained recently.
Can We Make Heaven was co-written by hitmaker Louis Schoorl and features tight contemporary production but also high notes heavy lifting which could prove tricky to nail live.
JORDAN RAVI – PUSHING STARS
This impressive 20-year-old singer songwriter discovery from Darwin is armed with a killer pop song, co-written by George Sheppard and Tania Doko who both performed at the inaugural Australia Decides last year.
Ravi is likely to corner the young female vote as evidenced by the tens of thousands of hits for Pushing Stars has already generated on streaming platforms.
“It’s a song which really addresses loneliness and feeling lost,” Jordan said.
“We are all going through separate journeys throughout life and I think everyone can relate to a period where they’ve felt lost and lacking direction and lonely.”
This is an all killer, no filler pop song – Sheppard and Doko have smartly pushed all the right buttons with the arrangement and it is a good match for Ravi’s smooth vocals. One of the strongest contenders in the field.
iOTA – LIFE
This unique artist is well known to theatre and cabaret audiences for his brilliant and flamboyant performances and dexterous voice.
While perhaps Australia Decide’s most reluctant candidate simply because he isn’t a mainstream pop kind of guy, he is a natural entertainer who could prove a surprise dark horse at the contest.
“I really like this song … and it’s not my song, it was written by Jesse Watt – but I love it. ‘Life’ is inspirational and energetic, positive, mighty, heartfelt and fun … it’s been a joy to imbue my emotion and vibe into another writer’s song, to make it my own – and hopefully please the listeners,” he said.
Life is the biggest song on offer this year in terms of its musical punch – blaring trumpets, driving percussion and a rock vibe – think The Beatles and Queen mashup.
VANESSA AMOROSI – LESSONS OF LOVE
Another of Australia’s queens of the big gig, Amorosi has been another favourite Eurovision candidate among the hardcore fanbase here.
The Absolutely Everybody singer’s enduring popularity has her in front of the pack, with the song scoring tens of thousands of plays since she was announced for Australia Decides.
“Last year watching Kate Miller Heidke was what really lit the flame for me,” she said.
“I’ve seen Eurovision over the years, it’s a really big thing over there, but I just love how artist based it was. The performance, the whole visual of it and the song and the meaning behind the song, is what made me go, ‘hang on, I want to be a part of this, this is really cool’.”
Lessons Of Love is a thoroughly modern pop song with big production and a classic soaring vocal finish. Could be the winner.
DIDIRRI – RAW STUFF
One of the Triple J squad contending Australia Decides in the quest to grab the alternative music-loving youth vote, Didirri has amassed hundreds of thousands of fans with his raw lyrics and stunning melodies, described as music for “lovers and overthinkers.”
“Raw Stuff is a personal song that I almost gave up on. It is a moment for reflection,” he said.
“It’s for anyone else who is trying to process what’s happening in their life. It’s a song about a time when two people are so close but unable to open up to each other. Songwriting really helps me express things that I may otherwise be without words to explain. Performing Raw Stuff cuts close to the bone for me.”
This gorgeous, raw piano ballad which builds with swelling strings will cast a spell on those who love Rufus Wainwright.
JAGUAR JONZE – RABBIT HOLE
Deena Lynch, the artist known as Jaguar Jonze, is the enigmatic indie artist who won instant fans when she uploaded her eclectic tunes to Triple J Unearthed.
The captivating performer chose to join the Eurovision contest to kickstart a conversation about PTSD, having suffered the mental illness due to childhood trauma.
A complex citizenship battle when her parents separated meant she had to live in foster homes for several years before her Taiwanese mother was able to secure entry to Australia.
“It’s kind of me understanding that rabbit hole that I do get into when a little bit of fear or distress comes into play, and making sure I don’t fall into it and heighten that situation in my head … really making sure I keep grounding myself, look at the situation and go ‘No Deena, you’re actually safe’,” she said.
Rabbit Hole might be too alternative for the Australian audience but they would be wise to consider the European voters tend to react against the sound which won the previous year – last year was an earnest piano ballad – and Jaguar Jonze will deliver a dynamically different performance on that stage.
MITCH TAMBO – TOGETHER
The Gamilaraay singer, songwriter and social worker provoked a social media campaign to get him into Eurovision contention after his inspirational performances on Australia’s Got Talent, including his indigenous language version of You’re The Voice.
Mitch Tambo’s song Together features both Gamilaraay and English lyrics underpins his life mission to promote unity, indigenous people and inspire youth at risk.
“I love singing in language, that’s where my heart is and it’s a different mindset to sing in English with those epic vowels,” he said. “I have chosen to do it in combination to help get the song to as many people as possible.
“I want to unite and encourage people to be proud of who they are and where they come from, and it doesn’t whatever culture they belong to, sexuality, gender.
“It’s not a corny message, it’s something I really believe in.”
Eurovision audiences celebrate songs in native language and the contest has a long history of celebrating non-English songs with cultural relevance and meaning. this power pop song has that made-for-Eurovision sound but Tambo’s passionate expression of his identity through Together would stand out on the Netherlands stage.
MONTAIGNE – DON’T BREAK ME
ARIA Award-winning artist Montaigne penned the song with the DNA Songs team of David Musumeci and Anthony Egizii who are the Eurovision songwriting dream team and also worked on Dami Im’s Sound of Silence, Isaiah Firebrace’s Don’t Come Easy and Jessica Mauboy’s We Got Love.
“Don’t Break Me is a depiction of the enough is enough phase of a relationship breakdown, where one person feels like they are putting much more time, energy and resources into the relationship than the other person and becomes frustrated and resentful. I wrote it while reading Co-dependent No More by Melody Beattie, which really informed the qualities of the character and the relationship dynamic.”
The epic, dark power ballad which showcases her unique, powerful vocals has the all drama Eurovision audiences crave.
JACK VIDGEN — I AM KING, I AM QUEEN
Jack loves a singing contest. He launched his career via winning Australia’s Got Talent when he was 14 and made a comeback to singing as a semi-finalist on The Voice last year. He was also a competitor on America’s Got Talent: The Champions last month.
“I adore my song I Am King I Am Queen, which I co-wrote with Andrew Lowden. It’s a real representation of me and everything I stand for and I think that everyone, young and old, will be able to relate to and take inspiration from this song.”
The message about acceptance is strong but this power ballad, which has a similar feel to Isaiah’s Eurovision song from 2017, doesn’t quite take off and he may struggle to hit some of the big top notes if nerves hit his Australia Decides performance.