Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021

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Eurovision Song Contest 2021
CountryFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 2 April 2020
Song: 4 March 2021
Selected entrant Montaigne
Selected song"Technicolour"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (14th)
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄202020212022►

Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Technicolour" performed by Montaigne and written by Montaigne along with Dave Hammer. Montaigne was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after being 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.

Contents

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 18 May 2021. Performing during the show in position 5, "Technicolour" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final, making it the first time that Australia failed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest from a semi-final since their debut in 2015.

Background

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. [1] 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). [2]

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. [2] 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. [3] 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 12 February 2019, SBS confirmed Australia's participation in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest after securing an invitation to participate until 2023. [4] In 2019, Australia was represented by Kate Miller-Heidke and the song "Zero Gravity". The country ended in ninth place in the grand final with 284 points.

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

Montaigne was confirmed as the artist that would represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 on 2 April 2020. [5] Montaigne's Eurovision song, "Technicolour", was premiered on 4 March 2021 on Triple J, while the digital download release of the full song occurred on 5 March 2021 and the live performance occurred on 6 March 2021 during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2021, broadcast on SBS as well as streamed online at SBS On Demand. [6] [7] The song was written by Montaigne along with Dave Hammer. [8]

I initially started writing the song after a catch-up call with my mum that was really emotional and had me crying on the floor thinking of that first line, 'I want to be close to my mother.' The song became about resilience and the courage that comes from being able to be vulnerable, being able to ask for help, and knowing that in solidarity and togetherness we are stronger as people.

Montaigne about "Technicolour" [9]

At Eurovision

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 in 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. For the 2021 contest, the semi-final allocation draw held for 2020 which was held on 28 January 2020, was used. Australia was placed into the first semi-final, which was held on 18 May 2021, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. [10]

Once all the competing songs for the 2021 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 5, following the entry from Sweden and preceding the entry from North Macedonia. [11]

On 20 April 2021, it was confirmed that due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country as international borders had been closed since March 2020, the Australian delegation would not be able to travel to Rotterdam as it would have to travel from Sydney to Amsterdam via a stopover in either Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Singapore, and they would be subject to 14-day quarantine period upon returning home to Australia. Thus Australia performed via its 'live-on-tape' recording, filmed at SBS's studios in Sydney. [12] [13]

At the end of the show, Australia was not announced among 10 qualifiers of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final, making it the first time that Australia failed to qualify for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest since its debut in 2015.

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with a diversity in gender and age represented. The judges assess each entry based on the performances during the second Dress Rehearsal of each show, which takes place the night before each live show, against a set of criteria including: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. [14] Jury members may only take part in panel once every three years, and are obliged to confirm that they are not connected to any of the participating acts in a way that would impact their ability to vote impartially. Jury members should also vote independently, with no discussion of their vote permitted with other jury members. [15] The exact composition of the professional jury, and the results of each country's jury and televoting were released after the grand final; the individual results from each jury member were also released in an anonymised form. [16] [17]

Points awarded to Australia

Points awarded to Australia (Semi-final 1) [18]
ScoreTelevoteJury
12 pointsFlag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
10 points
8 pointsFlag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania
7 points
6 points
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by Australia

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Australian jury: [16] [17]

Detailed voting results from Australia (Semi-final 1) [18]
DrawCountryJuryTelevote
Juror AJuror BJuror CJuror DJuror ERankPointsRankPoints
01Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 8777109238
02Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 15101411141415
03Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 364574747
04Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 51411455612
05Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
06Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia 12151312121513
07Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 41212488392
08Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 2232221056
09Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 7888910183
10Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 1413156151365
11Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1091113131211
12Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 1355163874
13Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 611610111114
14Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 113109465101
15Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 94915374112
16Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 11231112210
Detailed voting results from Australia (Final) [19]
DrawCountryJuryTelevote
Juror AJuror BJuror CJuror DJuror ERankPointsRankPoints
01Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 5579137414
02Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 25232224242624
03Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 1214142591415
04Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 23222126252523
05Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 91013141610112
06Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 1234111238
07Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 10151523101518
08Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 2462012231292
09Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 8212422182021
10Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 1391718111311
11Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 4182221065
12Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 2716338112
13Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 2181621191926
14Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 22202515222425
15Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 26262610262219
16Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 1625238151883
17Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 61197179216
18Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 1712102081156
19Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 11455665210
20Flag of France.svg  France 1532154774
21Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 20131917212117
22Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 181718162023101
23Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 31661378322
24Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 7244345647
25Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 14181119121620
26Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 19191211141713

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Australia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest nine times since its debut in 2015. The Australian participant broadcaster in the contest is the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) who received special approval from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to participate. Australia is the only country outside the European Broadcasting Area to have ever competed in Eurovision.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, held in Vienna, Austria. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Anita Simoncini and Michele Perniola with "Chain of Lights" to represent the nation in the contest. Both Simoncini and Perniola had previously represented San Marino in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest on separate occasions. The 2015 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was promoted through the creation of a music video, a tour that included a stop in Moscow and a contest on social media that awarded prizes to winning participants. San Marino performed third in the second semi-final, held on 21 May 2015, and placed 16th with 11 points, failing to qualify for the final.

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.

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 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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 2021</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the 2019 contest with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the 2020 contest, before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcasters Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and AVROTROS, the contest was held at Rotterdam Ahoy, and consisted of two semi-finals on 18 and 20 May, and a final on 22 May 2021. The three live shows were presented by Dutch television presenters and singers Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit, and Dutch YouTuber and make-up artist Nikkie de Jager.

Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Greek-Dutch singer Stefania was internally selected by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) to represent the nation with the song "Last Dance", written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Arcade, and Sharon Vaughn. Stefania was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Supergirl" before that event's eventual cancellation. The visual content for the performance was created by Asterman, contributing to the staging and artistic direction of the performance.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) internally selected Elena Tsagrinou as its representative with the song "El Diablo". "El Diablo" was written and composed by Thomas Stengaard, Laurell Barker, Oxa, and Jimmy Thörnfeldt. Cyprus performed 8th in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, held on 18 May 2021, and placed 6th, receiving 170 points. The entry qualified for the final held four days later, where the nation placed 16th with 94 points.

Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "You" written and performed by Tornike Kipiani, who was internally selected in March 2020 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Take Me as I Am" before the event's cancellation. The Georgian entry, "You", was presented to the public on 15 March 2021.

Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, having internally selected Lesley Roy as their representative with the song "Maps". She was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Story of My Life" before the event's cancellation. "Maps" failed to qualify for the grand finale, placing last in the semi-final with 20 points.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) internally selected Senhit as their representative with the song "Adrenalina" featuring Flo Rida. Senhit was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Freaky!" before the event's eventual cancellation and had also served as the nation's 2011 entrant. "Adrenalina" was written and composed by Thomas Stengaard, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy Thörnfeldt, Kenny Silverdique, Suzi Pancenkov, Malou Linn Eloise Ruotsalainen and Chanel Tukia, along with Senhit and Flo Rida themselves. While Flo Rida had provided vocals for the track, his participation in the performance of the song on the Eurovision stage was only confirmed on the day of the second semi-final due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

The Czech Republic participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Omaga" written by Ben Cristóvão and Filip Vlček. The song was performed by Benny Cristo, which is the artistic name of singer Ben Cristóvão. Benny Cristo was announced by the Czech broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) on 13 May 2020 as the Czech representative for the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Kemama" before the 2020 event's cancellation, while the song "Omaga" was presented to the public on 16 February 2021.

Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Amen" written by Tobias Carshey, Ashley Hicklin and Jonas Thander. The song was performed by Vincent Bueno. On 26 March 2020, the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) announced that they had internally selected Vincent Bueno to compete at the 2022 contest in Rotterdam, the Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Alive" before the event's cancellation, while "Amen" was presented to the public on 10 March 2021.

Italy participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Italian broadcaster RAI announced in October 2020 that the winning performer(s) of the Sanremo Music Festival 2021, later turning out to be Måneskin with "Zitti e buoni", would earn the right to represent the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Måneskin eventually became the sixty-eighth winner of the Eurovision Song Contest and the first Italian entry to win the contest in 31 years. Italy received a total of 524 points, winning the public vote with 318 points and coming at fourth place in the jury vote with 206 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technicolour (song)</span> 2021 song by Montaigne

"Technicolour" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Montaigne. The song represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after being internally selected by the national broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). Montaigne co-wrote the song with songwriter and producer Dave Hammer. Montaigne stated that the song "makes you want to cry, makes you want to dance, makes you want to take on a malignant corporate power". The song did not qualify for the final.

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.

Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "One Milkali " performed by Electric Fields. The Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) internally selected the Australian entry for the contest.

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