EUROPE’S music night of nights is almost here. The Eurovision grand final is just hours away, and Australia’s Jessica Mauboy will be fiercely competing to edge out her rivals and take a winning spot in the popular global music competition.
The popular event will be live streamed from Sunday May 13 at 5am AEST until 830am on SBS and SBS On Demand in Australia. It will also be screened again in an encore at 7.30pm AEST.
Traditionally, six countries are automatically pre-qualified for the Grand Final. The so-called ‘Big Five’ — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — and the host country, Portugal.
This is what we know about the 2018 contest so far:
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
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