Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | ||||
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Country | Australia | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Internal selection | |||
Selection date(s) | 7 March 2017 | |||
Selected entrant | Isaiah Firebrace | |||
Selected song | "Don't Come Easy" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | Qualified (6th, 160 points) | |||
Final result | 9th, 173 points | |||
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Don't Come Easy" written by Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci and Michael Angelo. The song was performed by Isaiah Firebrace, who was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Firebrace as the Australian representative and the song he performed, "Don't Come Easy", was announced and presented to the public on 7 March 2017 during an announcement event in Melbourne.
Australia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 by invitation from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as a "one-off" special guest to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision. On 17 November 2015, the EBU announced that SBS had been invited to participate in the 2016 contest and that Australia would once again take part. In 2015, Australia was guaranteed a spot in the final of the contest and was allowed to vote during both semi-finals and the final; however, from the 2016 contest and onwards, Australia would have to qualify to the final from one of two semi-finals and could only vote in the semi-final in which the nation was allocated to compete.
Australia was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 2017. Performing during the show in position 3, "Don't Come Easy" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 13 May. It was later revealed that Australia placed sixth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 160 points. In the final, Australia performed in position 14 and placed ninth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 173 points.
Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) has broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest since 1983, and the contest has gained a cult following over that time, primarily due to the country's strong political and cultural ties with Europe. Paying tribute to this, the 2014 contest semi-finals included an interval act featuring Australian singer Jessica Mauboy. Australian singers have also participated at Eurovision as representatives of other countries, including Olivia Newton-John (1974, United Kingdom), two-time winner Johnny Logan (1980 and 1987, Ireland), Gina G (1996, United Kingdom), and Jane Comerford as lead singer of Texas Lightning (2006, Germany).
Tying in with the goal of Eurovision—to showcase "the importance of bringing countries together to celebrate diversity, music and culture", the 2015 theme of "Building Bridges", and arguing that they could not hold "the world's biggest party" to celebrate the 60th edition of Eurovision without inviting Australia, the EBU announced on 10 February 2015 that the country would compete at that year's edition as a special guest participant. Along with the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), and the host country of Austria, Australia was given automatic entry into the final to "not reduce the chances" of the semi-final participants. On 17 November 2015, the EBU announced that SBS had been invited to participate in the 2016 contest and that Australia would once again take part, however they would have to qualify for the final from one of two semi-finals and could only vote in the semi-final in which the nation was competing. On 1 November 2016, SBS confirmed Australia's participation in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest after securing an invitation for the third year in a row. [1] In 2016, Australia was represented by Dami Im and the song "Sound of Silence". The country ended in second place in the grand final with 511 points.
"Don't Come Easy" performed by Isaiah Firebrace was announced as the entry that would represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 on 7 March 2017. [2] The announcement event was hosted by Mark Humphries which took place at the Paris Cat Jazz Club in Melbourne. SBS streamed the announcement online through Facebook Live. [3] [4] In regards to his selection as the Australian representative, Firebrace stated: "I'm so proud to be representing Australia as our entrant for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. Even though it has been a dream of mine, never did I think for one minute it would be a possibility. To be able to share this news with my family and friends is unbelievable. I can't wait to go to the Ukraine to perform "Don't Come Easy". I will make Australia proud. Thank you to SBS and my label Sony for believing in me and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime." Isaiah Firebrace was also the winner of The X Factor Australia 2016 . [5] The official video and digital download release of the song occurred on the same day. The song was written by Michael Angelo along with the songwriting and production team DNA Songs, which consists of Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci.
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. [6] On 31 January 2017, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Australia was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 9 May 2017, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. [7]
Once all the competing songs for the 2017 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Australia was set to perform in position 3, following the entry from Georgia and before the entry from Albania. [8]
In Australia, both semi-finals and the final were broadcast live on SBS with commentary by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey. [9] [10] The Australian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Australian jury during the final, was the television newsreader Lee Lin Chin. [11]
Isaiah Firebrace took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 4 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May. [12] This included the jury show on 8 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.
Once all the competing songs for the 2017 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Australia performed third in the first semi-final, following the entry from Georgia and preceding the entry from Albania. At the end of the show, Australia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Australia placed sixth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 160 points: 21 points from the televoting and 139 points from the juries. [13]
Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the reverse order the countries appeared in the semi-final running order. Australia was subsequently placed to perform in position 14, following the entry from Croatia and before the entry from Greece. [14] In the unlikely event that Australia should win the contest, the EBU have confirmed that in accordance with the rules, they would co-host the contest in Europe, with Germany announced as the first choice, and United Kingdom the back-up hosts should Germany decline. [15] During the final on 12 May. Australia placed ninth in the final, scoring 173 points: 2 points from the televoting and 171 points from the juries. [16]
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Australia and awarded by Australia in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows: [17] [18]
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The following members comprised the Australian jury: [19] On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Natasha Cuppit had replaced Jordan Raskopoulos as a member of the Australian jury. [20]
Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
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S. Capaldo | L. Durack | J. Loeb | P. Hayward | N. Cuppit | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
01 | Sweden | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 8 |
02 | Georgia | 15 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 17 | ||
03 | Australia | |||||||||
04 | Albania | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | ||
05 | Belgium | 10 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 4 | |
06 | Montenegro | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 7 | |
07 | Finland | 3 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
08 | Azerbaijan | 9 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
09 | Portugal | 8 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
10 | Greece | 4 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
11 | Poland | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 15 | |
12 | Moldova | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
13 | Iceland | 12 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 11 | |
14 | Czech Republic | 7 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 13 | |
15 | Cyprus | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 6 | |
16 | Armenia | 6 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
17 | Slovenia | 14 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 14 | ||
18 | Latvia | 11 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 12 |
Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
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S. Capaldo | L. Durack | J. Loeb | P. Hayward | N. Cuppit | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
01 | Israel | 10 | 24 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 17 | ||
02 | Poland | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 22 | |
03 | Belarus | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 14 | ||
04 | Austria | 20 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 19 | |
05 | Armenia | 19 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 15 | |
06 | Netherlands | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 11 | |
07 | Moldova | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
08 | Hungary | 21 | 13 | 25 | 15 | 23 | 20 | 12 | ||
09 | Italy | 2 | 12 | 21 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 2 | |
10 | Denmark | 6 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
11 | Portugal | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
12 | Azerbaijan | 8 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 21 | ||
13 | Croatia | 24 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 10 | 1 | |
14 | Australia | |||||||||
15 | Greece | 18 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 16 | ||
16 | Spain | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | ||
17 | Norway | 11 | 22 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 15 | 13 | ||
18 | United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 3 |
19 | Cyprus | 22 | 21 | 15 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 20 | ||
20 | Romania | 14 | 4 | 20 | 7 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 10 | |
21 | Germany | 12 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 12 | 17 | 23 | ||
22 | Ukraine | 23 | 23 | 13 | 22 | 16 | 21 | 24 | ||
23 | Belgium | 7 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 4 | |
24 | Sweden | 4 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
25 | Bulgaria | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
26 | France | 16 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 |
Australia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest nine times since its debut in 2015, the second country outside of the Eurasia region to take part in the contest after Morocco in 1980. The country has been in the top ten five times, with their best result being a second-place finish for Dami Im in 2016, followed by Guy Sebastian finishing fifth in 2015 and Isaiah, Kate Miller-Heidke and Voyager finishing ninth in 2017, 2019 and 2023 respectively.
Australia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 by invitation from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as a "one-off" special guest to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision. The country participated with the song "Tonight Again" written by Guy Sebastian, David Ryan Harris and Louis Schoorl. The song was performed by Guy Sebastian, who was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Sebastian was announced as the Australian representative on 3 March 2015 during a press conference in Sydney. The song Sebastian performed, "Tonight Again", was presented to the public on 16 March 2015. The Australian coloratura soprano of Armenian descent Mary-Jean O'Doherty also participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 contest as part of the group Genealogy representing Armenia, but this marked the first time that the country has officially participated.
Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Sound of Silence" written by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. The song was performed by Dami Im, who was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Im was announced as the Australian representative on 3 March 2016 during the Sydney concert of Conchita Wurst, Austria's Eurovision Song Contest 2014 winner. The song Im performed, "Sound of Silence", was presented to the public on 11 March 2016.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Blackbird" and performed by Lasse Piirainen and Leena Tirronen under the name Norma John. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2017 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ten entries were selected to compete in the national final on 28 January 2017 where the 50/50 combination of votes from ten international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Blackbird" performed by Norma John as the winner.
Sweden participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "I Can't Go On" written by David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One" Pirouzpanah and Robin Stjernberg. The song was performed by Robin Bengtsson. The Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) organised the national final Melodifestivalen 2017 in order to select the Swedish entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. After a six-week-long competition consisting of four heats, a Second Chance round and a final, "I Can't Go On" performed by Robin Bengtsson emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from eleven international jury groups and a public vote.
San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, held in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Sammarinese singer Valentina Monetta and American singer Jimmie Wilson with "Spirit of the Night" to represent the nation in the contest. Monetta had previously represented San Marino as a solo artist on three previous occasions. The 2017 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was promoted through the creation of a music video and promotional performances in Tel Aviv, Amsterdam and Madrid. San Marino performed 10th in the second semi-final, held on 11 May 2017, and placed 18th with one point, failing to qualify for the final.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Lights and Shadows" written by Rory de Kievit and Rick Vol. The song is performed by the group O'G3NE, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. O'G3NE's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 29 October 2016, while the song, "Lights and Shadows", was presented to the public on 3 March 2017.
Croatia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "My Friend" written by Jacques Houdek, Tony Roberth Malm, Siniša Reljić, Arjana Kunštek, Ines Prajo and Fabrizio Laucella. The song was performed by Jacques Houdek, who was selected internally by the Croatian broadcaster Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) on 17 February 2017 to represent Croatia at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. His song "My Friend" was presented to the public on 2 March 2017 during the radio programme Svijet diskografije broadcast on the HR 2 station.
Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine, with the song "World" performed by Lindita Halimi. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2016. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 13 times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and live performances in Israel, the Netherlands and Spain. Albania was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 9 May 2017. Performing as number fourth, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's seventh non-qualification in the contest.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Keep the Faith" written by Anri Jokhadze and Tamara Gachechiladze. The song was performed by Tamara Gachechiladze, who was due to represent Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 as part of Stephane and 3G with the song "We Don't Wanna Put In" before the nation's withdrawal in protest of the Russo-Georgian War. Songwriter Anri Jokhadze represented Georgia in the 2012 contest where he failed to qualify to the final with the song "I'm a Joker". The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the submission of twenty-five entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 20 January 2017. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an international jury resulted in the selection of "Keep the Faith" performed by Tamara Gachechiladze as the Georgian entry.
Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "This Is Love" written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Romy Papadea and John Ballard. The song was performed by Demy, who was internally selected by the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent Greece at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Demy was announced at the Greek representative on 13 January 2017, while a national final was held in order to select the song she would perform. Three songs competed in the national final on 6 March 2017 and a combination of international jury voting and public voting selected "This Is Love" as the winning song.
Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) collaborated with the commercial broadcaster Keshet and Tedy Productions which organised the reality singing competition HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion to select the singer. The winner of the Israeli national selection was Imri Ziv and a committee of the Israeli broadcaster internally selected for him the song "I Feel Alive" written by Dolev Ram and Penn Hazut. The song was presented to the public on 13 March 2017.
Romania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Yodel It!" written by Mihai Alexandru and Alexandra Niculae. The song was performed by Ilinca and Alex Florea. In October 2016, the Romanian broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their forced withdrawal in 2016 due to repeated non-payment of debts to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). TVR organised the national final Selecția Națională 2017 in order to select the Romanian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The national final consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. Fifteen entries were selected to compete in the semi-final on 26 February 2017 where a five-member jury panel selected ten entries to advance to the final. The ten qualifiers competed in the final on 5 March 2017 where "Yodel It!" performed by Ilinca and Alex Florea was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
"Don't Come Easy" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Isaiah Firebrace. The song was released as a digital download on 8 March 2017 through Sony Music Australia. The song represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.
Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "We Got Love" written by Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci and Jessica Mauboy. The song was performed by Jessica Mauboy, who was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Mauboy was announced as the Australian representative on 11 December 2017. The song Mauboy performed, "We Got Love", was presented to the public on 8 March 2018.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "For You" written by Davit Malazonia, Mikheil Mdinaradze and Irina Sanikidze. The song was performed by the Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao, which was internally selected in December 2017 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The Georgian entry, "For You", was presented to the public on 13 March 2018.
Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Zero Gravity" written by Kate Miller-Heidke, Keir Nuttall and Julian Hamilton. The song was performed by Kate Miller-Heidke. The Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) organised the national final Eurovision - Australia Decides in order to select the Australian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ten artists and songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected by a public and jury vote.
Australia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Don't Break Me" written by Jessica Cerro, Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. The song would have been performed by Montaigne. The Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) organised the national final Eurovision – Australia Decides in order to select the Australian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Ten artists and songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected by a public and jury vote.
Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Technicolour" written by Montaigne and Dave Hammer. The song was performed by Montaigne, who was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Montaigne was announced as the Australian representative on 2 April 2020 after they were due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Don't Break Me" before the 2020 event's cancellation. The song Montaigne performed, "Technicolour", was presented to the public on 4 March 2021.
Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. The Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) selected Sheldon Riley with "Not the Same" to represent the country, after he won Eurovision – Australia Decides on 26 February 2022.