Three Aussies, two countries and one big battle for Eurovision glory in 68th annual song contest in Sweden
With 37 countries competing, can Australia repeat its finals success but go all the way this time? We have two chances. Here’s all you need to know about Eurovision.
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The Australian singers aiming for grand final glory at the music Olympics this year face a tough battle to make it to the 2024 Eurovision grand final.
South Australia electronic duo Electric Fields will represent the country at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, and began rehearsals on Thursday, while 17-year-old Sydneysider Silia Kapsis is competing for Cyprus.
Both acts will perform in the first semi-final on May 8 and are desperate to impress diehard public voters who will determine the 10 countries to make the cut for the grand final.
Australia has competed in the grand final every year since we were invited to the join the party in 2015 with the exception of 2021, when our singer Montaigne was forced to submit a video entry due to Covid-19 border restrictions.
Prog synth metal outfit Voyager placed ninth last year while our best result came courtesy of Dami Im in 2016, when she almost won the whole thing with her flawless vocals on Sound of Silence.
Electric Fields, starring singer Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross, will be the first act in the history of Australia’s presence at the event to spotlight Indigenous language at the contest.
Fielding will sing parts of One Mikali (One Blood) in Yankunytjatjara; an Aboriginal language of the Anangu peoples.
In a spectacular rehearsal in Malmo, Fielding wore a stunning white frock on a stage illuminated by one of Fielding’s artworks.
The painting, titled ‘Paraulpi’, inspired the vision for the LED display.
Kapsis is showcasing her acclaimed choreography skills on her pop banger Liar. The Nickelodeon personality is the second Australian artist to be tapped by Cyprus to compete at Eurovision, following Andrew Lambrou last year.
The talented teen has pursued her dreams of a global pop career since she was four years old thanks to the strong entertainment genes of her Cypriot singer father Giorgos and mum Despina, a former dancer.
The planets aligned when Dimitris Kontopoulos, the producer of Liar, found Kapsis on Instagram.
“He said there was a chance I could represent (another) country at Eurovision but when we went to Greece to record the song, Mum and I were 50/50 about it happening,” Kapsis said.
“So it was a huge surprise for us, for everyone, when it came out (that I was selected) because I didn’t think they would pick another Australian after Andrew last year.”
It is likely both Electric Fields and Kapsis will improve their rankings among the fan polls as the rehearsals kick up a level this weekend; most artists strategically keep plenty in the tank until the semi-final to outfox their rivals.
But here are the other artists Eurovision fans are predicting have a shot at claiming the crystal mic trophy on May 12.
THE 2024 EUROVISION CONTESTANTS TO WATCH
These are the artists who have made Eurovision one of the most watched television shows in the world with an audience of more than 162 million people over the semis and grand finals.
There can never be enough crazy and kitsch and this year features four standout acts to break-up all the sad boy ballads and generic dance pop songs.
CROATIA, IRELAND: BABY LASAGNA, BAMBIE THUG
First up is Croatia’s Baby Lasagna – the name itself piques your curiosity. His hilarious lyrics and hard rockin’ synth pop number Rim Tim Tagi Dim will test your tongue-twister skills.
Next up is Ireland’s Bambie Thug, a goth Barbie whose Doomsday Blue verses channel Billie Eilish and shimmering chorus recalls Peach PRC.
FINLAND, NETHERLANDS: WINDOWS95MAN, JOOST KLEIN
Finland’s Windows95Man and the Eurohouse on acid track No Rules is peak Eurovision, with a smoke bomb obscuring the open crotch of his denim short shorts and the broadcasters blurring the famous Windows logo on his shirt and cap.
And the final favourite from the silly squad is potential winner Joost Klein from the Netherlands with the madcap ’90s dance-pop Europapa destined to become this year’s Eurovision party anthem.
FRANCE, BELGIUM: SLIMANE, THOMAS MUSTIN
For some inexplicable reason, France’s Slimane and his overwrought piano ballad is figuring highly in top 10 predictions. It’s musical wallpaper.
As the rehearsals continue in Malmo this week ahead of the semi-finals, the Frenchman is likely to be outclassed by Israel’s soaring song Hurricane by Eden Golan.
But trumping them both should be When The Party’s Over by Belgium’s Mustii. This song is a grower and its polished production – and Mustii’s theatrical performance – should make this a top 10 grand final finisher in a year when there aren’t that many big ballads.
UKRAINE, SWEDEN: ALYONA AYLONA, MARCUS & MARTINUS
Ukraine’s 2024 song Teresa and Maria is a collaboration between two of the war-torn country’s most popular artists.
Rapper alyona alyona is also the co-founder of the local major label that signed 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra and her song with Jerry Heil is reminiscent of their winning song Stefania.
Another duo to watch out for is Marcus & Martinus and Unforgettable, which is a dance pop earworm. The identical twins are actually Norwegian but, after burning out from childhood fame in their homeland, have been trying to reboot their career in Sweden.
GREECE, ITALY & SWITZERLAND: MARINA SATTI, MANGO, NEMO
There are a LOT of unremarkable dance pop song among the 37 entries this year.
But a few quirky offerings stand out including Greece’s Marina Satti’s song Zari, which sounds like an ethnic Greek mash-up with reggaeton.
Italy’s pop princess Angelina Mango has been getting a lot of love from contest pundits for La Noia, which sounds like the Italian version of the Greek song. It’s Eurovision formulaic.
Leading the predictions is Switzerland’s Nemo, who looks nothing like a cartoon fish but delivers an absolute banger with The Code, a bold tempo-shifting slice of pop which may remind you of Mika’s Grace Kelly in style.
HOW TO WATCH EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024
The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest first semi-final airs on SBS and SBS On Demand on May 8 at 5am and is repeated in prime time on May 10 from 7.30pm.
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Originally published as Three Aussies, two countries and one big battle for Eurovision glory in 68th annual song contest in Sweden
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