Eurovision Grand Final: How to watch it, what you need to know

EUROPE’S music night of nights is here. The Eurovision grand final has kicked off, 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.

But the spectacular has gotten off to an interesting start with one fanatic running on stage and grabbing the microphone from the UK’s performing artist, SuRie.

The stage invader in a baseball cap grabbed the mic and screamed something before being bundled off within seconds. It broke her performance and she recovered quickly. Big sympathy votes.

Fans in the arena said the bizarre moment happened in the blink of an eye. “Was so bizarre in the arena. No one flinched!” Blake Steel said.

SBS commentator Joel Creasey didn’t mince his words on air about the invader calling him”some absolute c...head.”

The BBC reported the crasher said “for the Nazis of the U.K. Media, we demand freedom.”

It is yet to be announced whether SuRie will perform her song again because of the interruption.

Celebrity pest Vitalii Sediuk famously hijacked last year’s Eurovision contest in Kyiv, wearing an Australian flag as a cape and dropped his pants during the performance of the 2016 Ukrainian winner Jamala.

The popular event is being live streamed now until 8:30am (AEST) 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.

GERMANY

Michael Schulte, You Let Me Walk Alone

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Ed Sheeran’s curly haired German bro gets the pass-the-tissues votes with his pop ballad inspired by his late father. His staging is simple but effective in bursts of red

lighting and underscoring the lyrics with scribbled graphics similar to Norway. But it’s all about Michael’s voice and genuine emo face as the song builds.

Prediction: top half

SuRie, Storm

SuRie was struggling. And then some idiot stormed the stage and stole her mic. She managed to keep her composure and will probably score a vote surge thanks to that even though Storm sounds like a Celtic inspo-pop song written for an X Factor runner-up.

SuRie is a seasoned, behind-the-scenes Eurovision family member who sang back up for Belgium for the past two years.

Prediction: bottom half.

PORTUGAL

Claudia Pascoal, O jardim

Another contestant sporting the pink hair trend. The host country’s song is another soft piano ballad which meanders along pleasantly enough thanks to her lovely voice but fails lift off.

Still not quite sure why the song’s composer Isaura suddenly appears from nowhere to sing along.

Prediction: bottom half.

NORWAY

Alexander Rybak, That’s How You Write A Song

The general consensus among those of good taste is the trite lyrical premise for this entry is how NOT to write a song. But Norway is armed with a galaxy of graphics — scribbled instruments and notes — and Alexander’s professional practised performance smile and air fiddle is scoring votes.

He won Eurovision 2009 at the age of 22 and looks exactly the same at 31. Good for him.

Prediction: top half.

ESTONIA

Elina Nechayeva, La Forza

If you love opera - and do we really love opera at Eurovision? - then Elina’s power lungs will impress. They could power one of Elon Musk’s Tesla batteries in South Australia. But this number it is ALL about that dress. The psychedelic projection dress. So much for the Portugal’s hosts trying to discourage the LED factor at the 2018 comp.

Unless you are an opera aficionado, how can you judge this one? The dress movie gives her an edge.

Prediction: top half

AUSTRIA

Cesar Sampson, Nobody But You

Eurovision goes scifi with Cesar’s elevated platform prop which looks more oil rig than spaceship. He does however have the Star Trek uniform. And strong phwoar factor. Cesar sounds like Aloe Blacc on less banging Avicii’s Wake Me Up. And he tried to steal Jess Mauboy’s supreme crowd-pulling techniques with a “Lisbon, how you doin’?” Back off, Cesar, that’s our move.

He was a contender but not so much after the jury show performance yesterday.

Prediction: bottom half.

LITHUANIA

Ieva Zasimauskaitė, When We’re Old

This is the 2018 pretty, quiet song. Ieva kicks off her performance picnic-style plonked on the floor with her gown artfully arranged around her before she finds the energy to get to her feet. It’s a bit of a surprise she got this far.

Until you get to the final moment when her husband joins her on stage and lands a tender peck on her forehead. Awwwwww.

Prediction: bottom half.

SLOVENIA

Lea Sirk, Hvala, ne!

The edgiest contemporary song in the competition, with the first blush of pink hair and troupe of ponytailed dancers busting out the hairography. Everyone bounces along with the beat like the Despicable Me minions. The abrupt music cut-out/pretend power fail to get crowd clapping is over-egged.

She wins best strobe lighting. And one of my votes, it’s such a banger. But Lea will struggle to get the numbers behind her.

Prediction: bottom half.

SPAIN

Alfred & Amaia, Tu canción

These romantic lovers are the first of the balladeers to use the stadium as a prop with the audience lighting up their phone torches.

If you’ve been to an Ed Sheeran concert, you know that looks bewdiful.

But the song doesn’t go rise beyond lovey doveyness besides all the building oh oh ohs and string swells.

Prediction: bottom half

UKRAINE

Melovin, Under The Ladder

The 21-year-old Ukrainian artist Melovin, an X Factor winner who sports dual coloured eyes courtesy of a costume contact lens, emerges out of a piano coffin, Transylvanian style.

Most awkward wardrobe change/jacket removal mid-song of the contest.

He may have one of Eurovision 2018’s biggest pyro arsenal but is unlikely to fire up the votes to claim victory.

Prediction: top half

WILL FERRELL A SURPRISE EURVISION GUEST

A surprise Eurovision tragic hanging out in Lisbon this week is Hollywood comedy superstar Will Ferrell.

The perennial funny man detoured from Sweden where he was probably catching up with the family of his wife Viveca Paulin.

Ferrell has confessed to watching the singing Olympics for the past two decades but his presence has sparked plenty of rumours he may be developing a Eurovision-inspired film.

Considering he has mined such iconic competitions as ice skating, basketball and car racing, the Eurovision Song Contest could prove comedy gold in Ferrell’s hands.

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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