This is Australia's third year in the Eurovision Song Contest and I think they're here to stay.
Like Australia's other two entrants, Firebrace was selected internally by the Australian broadcaster SBS to represent them in Kyiv. Like the other two entries, Firebrace has also one a major televised singing completion, in his case the 2016 edition of X Factor Australia.
Isaiah Firebrace "Don't Come Easy"
There's no denying that Firebrace has a good voice (although he has a nasty case of unnecessary melisma for no reason that comes from performing in singing competitions). The song is structured to showcase his soulful voice. In other words, the framework has been built to create a very competitive Eurovision performance.
I am looking forward to seeing how this is staged and the song should qualify for the final.
As the rehearsals are going on in Vienna, I now get to the fun part of my blog--choosing my favorite songs.
Read on and enjoy
10th place:
Lisa Angell "N'oubliez pas" France
France is always a great country when it comes to Eurovision, and I'm a sucker for chanson. Naturally Angell's song was going to be high on my list.
9th Place:
Electro Velvet "Still In Love with You" United Kingdom
I love the out of left field choice of the UK. It's weird and most of all fun. Fun is something missing in this year's contest and I hope Electro Velvet are going to bring a little bit of joy.
8th Place:
Guy Sebastian "Tonight Again" Australia
Australia is sending a commercially successful song that is a catchy as hell.
7th Place:
Nina Sublatti "Warrior" Georgia
There are a lot of moody young women singing dark dramatic songs at Eurovision this year. This is the only one that hasn't been overworked to death.
6th Place:
Elina Born & Stig Rästa "Goodbye to Yesterday" Estonia
I cannot deny that this is one of the best songs in the contest. I can understand why it's one of the favorites.
5th Place:
Aminata "Love Injected" Latvia
Latvia has finally come to win, not place last in the semifinal. It's delightful to see.
4th Place:
Daniel Kajmakoski "Autumn Leaves" Macedonia
I must confess that Kajmakoski's work on reaching out to the Eurovision fan base has worked on me. If you haven't checked out his cover of Yugoslavia's 1983 entry, Džuli, you really should. It's made me go back and take a listen to his entry that I wrote off back at the beginning of my tour through the 2015 songs. It's popped up to the top of my replay list.
3rd Place:
Monika Kuszyńska "In The Name of Love" Poland
I'm surprised by the fact I keep playing the Polish entry over and over again. Simple songs sung well always hook me. I don't know if it will qualify, but for me it works.
2nd Place:
Ann Sophie "Black Smoke" Germany
If Eurovision songs won on sheer memorability, "Black Smoke" would be my winner hands down. This song has been stuck in my head since I first heard the darn thing, and it's a great one to have on the car stereo with the volume cranked up. It also doesn't hurt that it's in my vocal range. Hello new karaoke song.
1st Place:
Maraaya "Here For You" Slovenia
Hands down my favorite song in the contest, and they're going to be the group I'll definaletly follow in the future, joining a small list like Anouk and Patricia Kaas. Have you heard their other versions--the remix with the students of their music school? Or the remix with the a capella choir? This song has legs and Maraaya has the musical chops.
You read that right. I didn't mistype Austria. Australia, which is about as far away from Europe as you can get, has been invited to participate in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
Australia has been broadcasting Eurovision since 1983 and it's become something of a national institution there, garnering large ratings and a major following. Because of the contest's popularity, the Australian broadcaster SBS has been treated more and more like a normal Eurovision member. In recent years the EBU has allowed them a broadcasting booth, unofficial televoting privileges, and even participation with an interval act in Copenhagen.
Jessica Mauboy "Sea of Flags" 2014
So naturally, the next step was actually to have a song compete in an actual final, and as a nod to the theme of this year's contest "Building Bridges" and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision, Australia was allowed to participate in the competition this year.
Guy Sebastian "Tonight Again"
And Australia is in it to win it.
Guy Sebastian is a winner of the singing contest "Australian Idol" and has had some international success--here in the US and in Europe as well. So he does have the singing chops.
The song, an pop tune heavily influences by classic R&B, is tailor made to make an impact on the stage of Vienna. it's upbeat, instantly catchy, and fun. It's going to stand out.
I like it and am so looking forward to the staging when Sebastian hits the stage in the national final.
