Eurovision Song Contest 2018: Jessica Mauboy left devastated as winner announced
JESSICA Mauboy has paid tribute to the winner of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest after a grand final full of shocks and surprises.
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JESSICA Mauboy has paid tribute to Eurovision winner Netta after the Israeli performer’s stunning victory.
A gracious Mauboy — who was beaming despite her loss — said she knew the Israeli contestant was the frontrunner in the 2018 contest after meeting her in Tel Aviv at a fan party in April.
“She’s such a strong, strong woman and to see her up there so empowered as a female artist, it was just everything,” Mauboy said.
Netta took out the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest after a drama-filled grand final.
The popular performer won with her quirky girl power anthem Toy.
Netta had arrived in Lisbon as the favourite and while she faced fierce opposition from Cyprus, Sweden and then surprisingly Austria at the grand final, she held firm to take the crystal microphone trophy.
But Aussie fans are in shock after Mauboy scored the contest’s lowest public vote and ended in 20th place, despite being one of the most popular performers on the Lisbon stage.
While France, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Germany, Israel and Moldova showed support, most juries ignored Mauboy in their voting.
Mauboy joked that “robbed is a really harsh word” when asked if she felt disappointed in the votes.
The 28-year-old said she had poured all her energies into her vocals, routine and engaging the crowd.
“I really honestly felt like I gave my all and sung my heart out. I just thank everybody who was watching, who was part of the show, putting the event together,” she said.
“Yes, at the end of the day it is a competition but I didn’t feel that sadness, I felt really celebrated.”
The dazzling event got off to an interesting start with a stage invader grabbing the microphone from the UK’s performing artist, SuRie during her big performance.
The pest grabbed the mic and screamed something before being bundled off within seconds. It broke SuRie’s performance but she recovered quickly.
Audience members at the Altice Arena in Lisbon said the strange incident happened in the blink of an eye. “Was so bizarre in the arena. No one flinched!” Blake Steel said.
SBS commentator Joel Creasey didn’t mince his words on air about the invader, calling him “some absolute c...head”.
The BBC reported the crasher shouted “for the Nazis of the UK Media, we demand freedom.”
SuRie opted not to take up the option to repeat her performance. Perhaps Team SuRie’s decision not to retake the stage was influenced by her rapid leap in the grand final betting odds to sixth from relatively nowhere after her stellar effort to shrug off the drama.
Mauboy, who was backstage at the time preparing to perform We Got Love, said she was unaware of the unfolding drama surrounding her friend SuRie.
“I really feel for her. One of the scariest moments for anyone who is up on stage by themselves and someone comes at ya, you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“She grabbed that mic and she just kept singing on. And that’s her courage ... she’s really strong, really brave. I’m really proud of her and as a friend, it’s scary.”
Celebrity pest Vitalii Sediuk famously hijacked last year’s Eurovision contest in Kyiv, wearing an Australian flag as a cape and dropped his pants during the performance of the 2016 Ukrainian winner Jamala.
It is believed Mauboy is already being courted for collaborations with other artists and producers because of the strong impression she made on the Eurovision family.
Working with third place getter Austria’s Cesar Sampson is on the cards.
“I have no idea what is going to come out of Eurovision. I just ran into Cesar from Austria and his first thing was ‘we need to collaborate. We need to write a song together.’ And I was like ‘hell yeah’,” she said.
A statement from the EBU: pic.twitter.com/qiH1Df0MgW
— Eurovision (@Eurovision) May 12, 2018
Organisers released the semi-final results, which they keep secret ahead of the grand final to minimise influence on voting, after Netta was announced the winner.
Mauboy finished fourth in her second semi-final behind Norway, Sweden and Moldova.
While her final placing overall in the grand final is a disappointing result considering the high quality of her performances throughout the competition, the 2018 contest was acknowledged as one of the toughest fields in recent years.
The head of the Australian team, Paul Clarke, said the result was disappointing but that Mauboy was “a total star”.
“It was disappointing that we didn’t score higher with the public vote, as by any standards Jessica was one of the best singers of the night,” he said.
“I’m very proud of her, she couldn’t have represented us better, and I thank her for her generosity of spirit.
“In my eyes and the eyes of Australia she was a total winner, a total star.”
The popular event will be screened on SBS again tonight in an encore at 7.30pm (AEST).
Check out our earlier rolling coverage of the big night’s performances below:
ITALY
Ermal Meta, Fabrizio Moro, Non mi avete fatto niente
Another big social conscience message song to end off the night. The performance is essentially two guys singing opposite each other as graphics translate in 15 languages to connect with fans around the world. In English, it means ‘You Didn’t Do Anything To Me’.
Prediction: bottom half
CYPRUS
Eleni Foureira, Fuego
EuroBey has supreme hairography with Eleni defying neck anatomy with her emphatic flips. Another act assisted by a quartet of ponytailed dancers. The front runner for the trophy owns the sexiest costume and if you can tear your eyes from the smoking dance routines, you may notice the clever coloured smoke and fire graphics.
Prediction: top half.
IRELAND
Ryan O’Shaughnessy, Together
The popular singer was another victim of the China semi-final broadcast, dropped because the performance of his beautiful Ed Sheeran lite song features two men doing a lovely dance together symbolising same-sex love. More phone torches light up the stadium for his assured performance which has risen sharply in the voting odds in the past few days.
Prediction: top half.
THE NETHERLANDS
Waylon, Outlaw in ‘em
Did America sneak into Eurovision? This Dutchman sounds like he hails from Nashville with his pastiche country rock song. Then he mind blows the whole yee-haa vibe with his miming guitarists and drummer switching into crumping dancers. Crumping with country. That’s a Eurovision outlaw for ya.
Prediction: bottom half.
ISRAEL
Netta, Toy
The Maneki Neko cats. The faux loop station. The chicken dance. The clucking. The pyro columns. The manic feline dancers. Netta has gone full Eurovision in her bid for the crystal microphone trophy. She has been a firm favourite in the lead-up to the 2018 contest and certainly has the crowd going nuts but has waxed and wane from the No.1 spot as the rehearsal and semi-finals week wore on. Definitely a contender after her grand final performance.
Prediction: top half.
MOLDOVA
DoReDoS, My Lucky Day
This year’s most impressive props concept with windows popping open to reveal naughty clinches between the trio involved in this jazzy pop ménage a trois. Infectiously upbeat and colourful, the two guys and girl are assisted by three lookalikes who help to act out the scenes behind the windows and then pop out front to dance along. This is too much fun.
Prediction: top half.
SWEDEN
Benjamin Ingrosso, Dance You Off.
Co-written bu Australia’s Louis Schoorl, this infectious slice of disco pop has a Daft Punk vibe. It shows off the Swedish cutie’s falsetto which he says is inspired by the Bee Gees. It’s one of the strongest pop tunes this year and could easily land on radio. His staging of red, white and blue light bars looks like a mega music video.
Prediction: top half.
HUNGARY
AWS, Viszlat Nyar (Goodbye Summer)
Screamo metal at Eurovision? Oh yes! If you were struggling to shake off the early morning sluggishness, you just got jolted into awake mode. The perfect cure to pop overdose, this band give their air instrument performance full conviction while the frontman nails the throat shredding and key change. As you would expect from a rock show, there are plenty of pyros.
Prediction: bottom half.
FINLAND
Saara Aalto, Monsters
One of this year’s heaviest prop-assisted performances. A perennial singing contest entrant - who has finished runner-up in various X Factors and the like five times - borrows from the P!nk playbook by opening her act to spin singing upside down while strapped to a large wheel. It spins her back around and then she splits her stage time between dancing and staircase choreography, dramatically finishing with a trust fall into the dancers’s arms.
Prediction: bottom half.
BULGARIA
Equinox, Bones
The five piece power pop choir bring the diversity to Eurovision with four guys - two are American POC singers - and one girl. Her vocals are the strongest but she may have a backing vocalist hidden offstage because a big sustained note kept going when she lowered the mic during the jury show. Their staging is more of a dark nightclub scene and was designed by Sacha Jean-Baptiste, who is also behind the Australia and Cyprus staging.
Prediction: bottom half.
AUSTRALIA
Jessica Mauboy, We Got Love
Our Jess has perfected her pocket Tina Turner choreography so focus is now firmly on those pristine power vocals. She gets the crowd roaring as she arrives on stage before the music even kicks in. With one of the biggest audience engagements of the year, other contestants have started copying her “sing it!” moments to pump up the crowd. The pulsing light bars are cleverly choreographed to We Got Love’s big beats and her considerable live experience has given her the freedom to ad-lib some epic notes during the final. Strong wind machine, pyro and hair whip action. She owned it and that beaming smile on her face showed why she has been one of the most popular contestants in this year’s contest.
Prediction: top half.
DENMARK
Rasmussen, Higher Ground
Big favourites among the Australian media contingent in Lisbon, the Viking hipster and his Game of Thrones squad strike blue-steel fierce. But Rasmussen has a not-so-secret past as an ABBA tribute band singer. How Eurovision. That nondescript pop voice doesn’t quite marry with his Nordic strongman presence but you have to love his wind machine game lifting those L’oreal shampoo commercial-worthy locks in the song’s final choruses.
Prediction: top half.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Mikolas Josef, Lie To Me
Finally a pulse after a lethargic first half with the unfortunate exception of the stage invader during the UK performance. How can you not love a trumpet hook, a strong pop prince vocal and a dodgy white boy rap? Mikolas plays the pop culture card with a spot of backpack kid dance. And there’s bum wiggle choreography which he has struggled to synchronise until the business end of the contest after constant fails in rehearsals. He nailed a backflip to tumultuous cheers after an earlier attempt during one of the first rehearsals put him in hospital when he stacked it.
Prediction: top half.
FRANCE
Madame Monsier, Mercy
This song has won hearts for spotlighting the plight of refugees and was inspired by the birth of a baby Mercy on a boat in the Mediterranean whose parents were seeking asylum in Europe. It is a stirring pop ballad and while the duo nail the singing bit, the staging is a bit of a snorefest.
Prediction: top half
GERMANY
Michael Schulte, You Let Me Walk Alone
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Ed Sheeran’s curly haired German bro gets the pass-the-tissues votes with his pop ballad inspired by his late father. His staging is simple but effective in bursts of red lighting and underscoring the lyrics with scribbled graphics similar to Norway. But it’s all about Michael’s voice and genuine emo face as the song builds.
Prediction: top half
ALBANIA
Eugent Bushpepa, Mall
Finally, a rock anthem with a “band” going ape even though they are energetically miming those riffs. Eugent brings the Van Halen scream notes and commits to the rock. His performance in the first semi was dropped from the broadcast by the official Chinese channel Mango because he has tattoos. Which you can barely glimpse through his jacket. So China was banned from broadcasting the rest of the competition. You edit Eurovision, Eurovision edits you.
Prediction: bottom half
UK
SuRie, Storm
SuRie was struggling. And then some idiot stormed the stage and stole her mic. She managed to keep her composure and will probably score a vote surge thanks to that even though Storm sounds like a Celtic inspo-pop song written for an X Factor runner-up. SuRie is a seasoned, behind-the-scenes Eurovision family member who sang back up for Belgium for the past two years.
Prediction: bottom half
safe to say it’s not gonna be in portugal again next year #POR
— kickthePJ (@kickthepj) May 12, 2018UK
Wouldn't it be great if the UK won and the first thing we did after Brexit was invite ALL OF EUROPE over to sing? #EUROVISION
— Danny Wallace (@dannywallace) May 12, 2018
PORTUGAL
Claudia Pascoal, O jardim
Another contestant sporting the pink hair trend. The host country’s song is another soft piano ballad which meanders along pleasantly enough thanks to her lovely voice but fails lift off. Still not quite sure why the song’s composer Isaura suddenly appears from nowhere to sing along.
Prediction: bottom half
safe to say it’s not gonna be in portugal again next year #POR
— kickthePJ (@kickthepj) May 12, 2018
NORWAY
Alexander Rybak, That’s How You Write A Song
The general consensus among those of good taste is the trite lyrical premise for this entry is how NOT to write a song. But Norway is armed with a galaxy of graphics — scribbled instruments and notes — and Alexander’s professional practised performance smile and air fiddle is scoring votes.
He won Eurovision 2009 at the age of 22 and looks exactly the same at 31. Good for him.
Prediction: top half
Norway: 'That's how you write a song.'
— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) May 12, 2018
The world: 'No it isn't.'
ESTONIA
Elina Nechayeva, La Forza
If you love opera - and do we really love opera at Eurovision? - then Elina’s power lungs will impress. They could power one of Elon Musk’s Tesla batteries in South Australia. But this number it is ALL about that dress. The psychedelic projection dress. So much for the Portugal’s hosts trying to discourage the LED factor at the 2018 comp.
Unless you are an opera aficionado, how can you judge this one? The dress movie gives her an edge.
Prediction: top half
When you started your #Eurovision party at 10am this morning. #Estonia #Est pic.twitter.com/TKyhCYmQQD
— BBC Eurovision 🇬 🇧 (@bbceurovision) May 12, 2018
AUSTRIA
Cesar Sampson, Nobody But You
Eurovision goes scifi with Cesar’s elevated platform prop which looks more oil rig than spaceship. He does however have the Star Trek uniform. And strong phwoar factor. Cesar sounds like Aloe Blacc on less banging Avicii’s Wake Me Up. And he tried to steal Jess Mauboy’s supreme crowd-pulling techniques with a “Lisbon, how you doin’?” Back off, Cesar, that’s our move.
Prediction: bottom half
First POWERFIST OF EMOTION of the night. Not the last. #Austria #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/6yRpw5odf6
— BBC Eurovision 🇬 🇧 (@bbceurovision) May 12, 2018
LITHUANIA
Ieva Zasimauskaitė, When We’re Old
This is the 2018 pretty, quiet song. Ieva kicks off her performance picnic-style plonked on the floor with her gown artfully arranged around her before she finds the energy to get to her feet. It’s a bit of a surprise she got this far.
Until you get to the final moment when her husband joins her on stage and lands a tender peck on her forehead. Awwwwww.
Prediction: bottom half
Lithuania unfortunately melted. Probably something to do with sunlight or something. #draweurovision pic.twitter.com/KpYGAcv5Dp
— Dan Berry (@thingsbydan) May 12, 2018
SLOVENIA
Lea Sirk, Hvala, ne!
The edgiest contemporary song in the competition, with the first blush of pink hair and troupe of ponytailed dancers busting out the hairography. Everyone bounces along with the beat like the Despicable Me minions. The abrupt music cut-out/pretend power fail to get crowd clapping is over-egged.
She wins best strobe lighting. And one of my votes, it’s such a banger. But Lea will struggle to get the numbers behind her.
Prediction: bottom half
She's so into vogueing right now... #Slovenia #eurovision pic.twitter.com/zS4Lz1a2uF
— BBC Eurovision🇬🇧 (@bbceurovision) May 12, 2018
SPAIN
Alfred & Amaia, Tu canción
These romantic lovers are the first of the balladeers to use the stadium as a prop with the audience lighting up their phone torches.
If you’ve been to an Ed Sheeran concert, you know that looks bewdiful.
But the song doesn’t go rise beyond lovey doveyness besides all the building oh oh ohs and string swells.
Prediction: bottom half
Spain driving me rapidly towards a second glass already.... #eurovision
— Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) May 12, 2018
UKRAINE
Melovin, Under The Ladder
The 21-year-old Ukrainian artist Melovin, an X Factor winner who sports dual coloured eyes courtesy of a costume contact lens, emerges out of a piano coffin, Transylvanian style.
Most awkward wardrobe change/jacket removal mid-song of the contest.
He may have one of Eurovision 2018’s biggest pyro arsenal but is unlikely to fire up the votes to claim victory.
Prediction: top half
You know it's #Eurovision when there's a flaming staircase on stage! @_MELOVIN_ #ESC2018 #AllAboard #UKR pic.twitter.com/xRhEtUYSRm
— Eurovision (@Eurovision) May 12, 2018
WILL FERRELL A SURPRISE EUROVISION GUEST
A surprise Eurovision tragic hanging out in Lisbon this week is Hollywood comedy superstar Will Ferrell.
The perennial funny man detoured from Sweden where he was probably catching up with the family of his wife Viveca Paulin.
Ferrell has confessed to watching the singing Olympics for the past two decades but his presence has sparked plenty of rumours he may be developing a Eurovision-inspired film.
Considering he has mined such iconic competitions as ice skating, basketball and car racing, the Eurovision Song Contest could prove comedy gold in Ferrell’s hands.
WHO’S UP WHEN?
The running order is as follows:
1. Ukraine
2. Spain
3. Slovenia
4. Lithuania
5. Austria
6. Estonia
7. Norway
8. Portugal
— break position
9. United Kingdom
10. Serbia
11. Germany
12. Albania
13. France
14. Czech Republic
15. Denmark
16. Australia
— break position
17. Finland
18. Bulgaria
19. Moldova
20. Sweden
21. Hungary
22. Israel
23. The Netherlands
24. Ireland
25. Cyprus
26. Italy
HOW VOTING WORKS
Each act must sing live, while no live instruments are allowed.
After all songs have been performed, each country will give two sets of 1 to 8, 10 and 12 points; one set given by a jury of five music industry professionals, and one set given by viewers at home.
Only those countries who take part in the respective Semi-Final vote, along with three of the six pre-qualified countries. Which countries take part and vote in which Semi-Final is determined by the so-called Semi-Final Allocation Draw in late January.
In the Grand Final, juries and viewers from all 43 participating countries can vote again, after the 26 finalists have performed.
Once the voting window has closed, the presenters will call upon spokespersons in all 43 countries and ask them to reveal their jury points live on air.
Next, viewers’ points from all 43 countries will be added up, and revealed from the lowest to the highest, culminating into a climax that will eventually reveal the winner of the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest.
The winner will perform once again, and take home the iconic glass microphone trophy. The winning country will traditionally be given the honour of hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
WHY IS AUSTRALIA IN EUROVISION?
Since 2015, singers from the other side of the world have been taking part in Eurovision.
Australia was invited to take part in a gesture of good will for the show’s 60th anniversary, which had a ‘Building Bridges’ theme.
Guy Sebastian was welcomed as a special guest. He came fifth with his song Tonight Again, but when former Australian X Factor contestant Dami Im took part in 2016, eyebrows were raised.
She came second with her song Sound of Silence. Then Isaiah Firebrace performed in 2017. He came ninth.
Australia’s host TV broadcaster SBS is part of the European Broadcasting Union, otherwise known as the EBU. This is a qualification requirement for entering the Eurovision Song Contest.
WHO WROTE JESS MAUBOY’S EUROVISION SONG?
Emotionally shaken by heartbreaking events including the Florida school shooting and sexual assault of a two-year-old girl in Tennant Creek, Mauboy said she wanted to write a healing song.
She penned the soaring made-for-Eurovision pop anthem with the DNA hitmakers David Musumeci and Anthony Egizii who composed the contest songs for Dami Im in 2016 and Isaiah Firebrace last year.
Mauboy and the SBS team behind our Eurovision campaign not only wanted an uplifting song but one which would connect with the all-important voters in Europe.
It had to have a simple lyric which would resonate with the non-English speaking fans.
“We needed something that someone who doesn’t speak English would be able to understand so as simple as it sounds, it could still mean so much more to them,” she said.
WHO ARE AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST RIVALS?
Mauboy faces a monumental challenge to win the contest with Cyprus’s fiery Eleni Foureira, Norway’s polished pop prince Alexander Rybak and Israel’s quirky loop queen Netta the popular frontrunners.
Rivalling Rybak for the young female vote is Sweden’s Benjamin Ingrosso, who cites the Bee Gees as the inspiration for his falsetto disco number Dance You Off.
Other strong contenders from Mauboy’s second semi included Denmark’s Viking hipster Rasmussen and his hairy men with the rousing Higher Ground and Moldova’s DoReDos with their hyper Eurovision moment which combined window props and comedic cheekiness.
IS AUSTRALIA THE ONLY NON-EURO COUNTRY IN IT?
Israel has been competing regularly since 1973 — and has won three times.
The exception is made because the Israel Broadcasting Authority is a member of the Eurovision governing body.
Azerbaijan and Morocco have also competed in the past, while Tunisia and Lebanon have both been considered for the run-up.
AUSTRALIA’S EUROVISION BY THE NUMBERS
Participations: 4 — Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Isaiah Firebrace and Jessica Mauboy
Victories: none
Best result: Dami Im coming second in 2016
Originally published as Eurovision Song Contest 2018: Jessica Mauboy left devastated as winner announced
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