Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|none}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} |
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{{Infobox song contest national year |
{{Infobox song contest national year |
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| Year = 2020 |
| Year = 2020 |
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| Country = Australia |
| Country = Australia |
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| Preselection = ''[[Eurovision |
| Preselection = ''[[Eurovision – Australia Decides]]'' |
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| Preselection date = 8 February 2020 |
| Preselection date = 8 February 2020 |
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| Entrant = [[Montaigne (musician)|Montaigne]] |
| Entrant = [[Montaigne (musician)|Montaigne]] |
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| Song = [[Don't Break Me]] |
| Song = [[Don't Break Me]] |
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| Writer = {{unbulleted list|Jessica Cerro|[[DNA Songs|Anthony Egizii]]|[[DNA Songs|David Musumeci]]}} |
| Writer = {{unbulleted list|[[Montaigne (musician)|Jessica Cerro]]|[[DNA Songs|Anthony Egizii]]|[[DNA Songs|David Musumeci]]}} |
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| |
| Final result = ''Contest cancelled'' |
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| Final result = |
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}} |
}} |
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[[Australia]] originally planned to participate in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2020]] with the song "[[Don't Break Me]]" written by [[Montaigne (musician)|Jessica Cerro]], [[DNA Songs|Anthony Egizii]] and [[DNA Songs|David Musumeci]]. The song would have been performed by [[Montaigne (musician)|Montaigne]]. The Australian broadcaster [[Special Broadcasting Service]] (SBS) organised the national final [[Eurovision - Australia Decides|''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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2019-08-29|title=Australia: Eurovision - Australia Decides to Return in 2020|url=https://eurovoix.com/2019/08/29/australia-eurovision-australia-decides-2020/|access-date=2019-11-08|website=Eurovoix|language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Australia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in [[Eurovision Song Contest 2015|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. |
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Australia was originally drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which would have taken place on 12 May 2020. However, the contest was cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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{{Main|Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest}} |
{{Main|Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest}} |
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[[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 [[Eurovision Song Contest 2014|2014 contest]] semi-finals included an interval act featuring Australian singer [[Jessica Mauboy]].<ref name="smh15">{{cite web|last=Vincent|first=Peter|date=9 May 2014|title=Jessica Mauboy performs at Eurovision Song Contest|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/jessica-mauboy-performs-at-eurovision-song-contest-20140509-zr78z.html|access-date=17 November 2015|website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref> Australian singers have also participated at Eurovision as representatives of other countries, including [[Olivia Newton-John]] ([[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974|1974]], {{Esccnty|United Kingdom}}), two-time winner [[Johnny Logan (singer)|Johnny Logan]] ([[Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980|1980]] and [[Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987|1987]], {{Esccnty|Ireland}}), [[Gina G]] ([[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996|1996]], United Kingdom), and [[Jane Comerford]] as lead singer of [[Texas Lightning (band)|Texas Lightning]] ([[Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006|2006]], {{Esccnty|Germany}}).<ref name="guardian-aus15">{{cite web|last1=Kemp|first1=Stuart|last2=Plunkett|first2=John|date=10 February 2015|title=Eurovision Song Contest invites Australia to join 'world's biggest party'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/10/eurovision-song-contest-invites-australia-to-join-worlds-biggest-party|access-date=3 March 2016|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Australia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in |
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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. For 2016, Australia 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. [[Dami Im]] sang [[Sound of Silence (Dami Im song)|Sound of Silence]] and finished second in the [[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016|2016 contest]]. |
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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.<ref name="guardian-aus15" /> Along with the "[[Big Five (Eurovision)|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.<ref name="eurovision1502">{{cite web|last=Siim|first=Jarmo|date=10 February 2015|title=Australia to compete in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=australia_to_participate_in_the_2015_eurovision_song_contest|access-date=17 November 2015|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union}}</ref> 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 29 May 2019, SBS confirmed Australia's participation in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest after securing an invitation for the sixth year in a row.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Granger|first=Anthony|date=29 May 2020|title=Australia: Eurovision 2020 Participation Confirmed|url=https://eurovoix.com/2019/05/29/australia-eurovision-2020-participation-confirmed/|url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2021|website=Eurovoix|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529205357/https://eurovoix.com/2019/05/29/australia-eurovision-2020-participation-confirmed/ |archive-date=29 May 2019 }}</ref> In 2019, [[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019|Australia]] was represented by [[Kate Miller-Heidke]] and the song "[[Zero Gravity (Kate Miller-Heidke song)|Zero Gravity]]". The country ended in ninth place in the grand final with 284 points. On 29 August 2019, SBS announced that they would once hold a national final to select the Australian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.<ref name=":0" /> |
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In 2019, the country was represented by [[Kate Miller-Heidke]] with "[[Zero Gravity (Kate Miller-Heidke song)|Zero Gravity]]," which was chosen in a [[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019|national selection]]. Australia received ninth place in the grand final with 284 points. |
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== Before Eurovision == |
== Before Eurovision == |
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=== ''Eurovision – Australia Decides'' === |
=== ''Eurovision – Australia Decides'' === |
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{{main|Eurovision |
{{main|Eurovision – Australia Decides}} |
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''[[Eurovision - Australia Decides|Eurovision – Australia Decides]]'' was the national final in order to select the Australian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The competition took place at the [[Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre|Convention and Exhibition Centre]] in [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]] on 8 February 2020, hosted by [[Myf Warhurst]] and [[Joel Creasey]]. Ten artists and songs competed with the winner being determined by a combination of public and jury voting. The show was broadcast on SBS as well as streamed online at SBS On Demand.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 January 2020|title=Join the party as Australia selects its 2020 Eurovision artist|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/article/2020/01/28/how-to-watch-Eurovision-Australia-Decides-2020|url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2021|website=SBS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228131719/https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/article/2020/01/28/how-to-watch-Eurovision-Australia-Decides-2020 |archive-date=28 February 2020 }}</ref> The national final was watched by 334,000 viewers in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Roberts|first=Dale|date=10 February 2020|title=Ratings up for Australia Decides 2020|url=https://www.aussievision.net/post/ratings-up-for-australia-decides-2020|url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2021|website=Aussievision|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929045257/https://www.aussievision.net/post/ratings-up-for-australia-decides-2020 |archive-date=29 September 2020 }}</ref> |
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==== Competing entries ==== |
==== Competing entries ==== |
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On 29 August 2019, SBS announced an open submission for interested songwriters to submit their songs |
On 29 August 2019, SBS announced an open submission for interested songwriters to submit their songs online until 30 September 2019. Songwriters were required to be citizens or permanent residents of Australia and songs were required to be in English or an [[Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander]] language. Minor collaborations with foreign songwriters were permitted as long as the majority of the composers/songwriters were Australian citizens or permanent residents.<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 August 2019|title=Who will represent Australia at Eurovision in 2020?|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/eurovision-australia-decides/article/2019/08/27/who-will-represent-australia-eurovision-2020|url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2021|website=SBS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829180721/https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/eurovision-australia-decides/article/2019/08/27/who-will-represent-australia-eurovision-2020 |archive-date=29 August 2019 }}</ref> Ten songs were selected for the competition from the received submissions and performers of the selected songs were determined by SBS in consultation with the songwriters. The ten competing acts were announced in three sets between 8 November and 16 December 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=First two artists revealed for 'Eurovision – Australia Decides' 2020|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/first-two-artists-revealed-for-eurovision-australia-decides-2020|access-date=2019-11-08|website=SBS News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-19|title=Two more acts revealed for 'Eurovision – Australia Decides' 2020|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/eurovision-australia-decides/article/2019/11/18/two-more-acts-revealed-eurovision-australia-decides-2020|access-date=2019-11-25|website=SBS|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=16 December 2019|title=4 more artists and first song for 'Eurovision - Australia Decides'|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/4-more-artists-announced-first-song-released-eurovision-australia-decides|access-date=17 December 2019|website=Eurovision TV}}</ref> |
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==== |
====Final==== |
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The final took place on 8 February 2020. The combination of public votes (50%) and a five-member jury (50%) selected "[[Don't Break Me]]" performed by [[Montaigne (musician)|Montaigne]] as the winner. The jury consisted of Josh Martin (Head of the Australian Eurovision Delegation), [[Kate Miller-Heidke]] ([[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019|2019 Australian Eurovision entrant]]), [[Måns Zelmerlöw]] (winner of the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2015]] for [[Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest|Sweden]]), Milly Petriella (Director of Member Relations of [[Australasian Performing Right Association|APRA]]) and Paul Clarke (Director of Blink TV and Creative Director of ''Eurovision – Australia Decides'') who each distributed points from 1–8, 10 and 12 during the preview show on 7 February 2020 and had a total of 290 points to award.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 2020|title=Eurovision: Australia Decides 2020: guide|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/02/eurovision-australia-decides-2020-guide.html|access-date=7 February 2020|website=TV Tonight}}</ref> Viewers were able to vote via SMS and the total votes were divided by 290 to determine the quota that would equal to a single point. The number of votes each song gained was then divided by the quota and rounded up to the nearest integer to determine the points an entry would be awarded.<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 January 2020|title=How to vote: 'Eurovision - Australia Decides' 2020|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/eurovision-australia-decides/article/2020/01/30/how-vote-eurovision-australia-decides-2020|url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2021|website=SBS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228131717/https://www.sbs.com.au/programs/eurovision-australia-decides/article/2020/01/30/how-vote-eurovision-australia-decides-2020 |archive-date=28 February 2020 }}</ref> In addition to the performances of the ten competing entries, [[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016|2016 Australian Eurovision entrant]] [[Dami Im]], Kate Miller-Heidke and Måns Zelmerlöw performed as the interval acts.<ref>{{cite web|date=24 January 2020|title=Eurovision royalty to grace Eurovision – Australia Decides – Gold Coast 2020|url=http://www.mygc.com.au/eurovision-royalty-to-grace-eurovision-australia-decides-2020/|access-date=31 January 2020|website=MY GC}}</ref> |
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The Jury voted based on the performance of each act from a special preview show, which will occur the night prior to the main broadcast. <ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.mygc.com.au/eurovision-royalty-to-grace-eurovision-australia-decides-2020/| title= Eurovision royalty to grace Eurovision – Australia Decides – Gold Coast 2020| website= MY GC| date= 24 January 2020|accessdate=31 January 2020}}</ref> The jury consisted of<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/02/eurovision-australia-decides-2020-guide.html|title=Eurovision: Australia Decides 2020: guide |website=TV Tonight|date=February 2020|accessdate=7 February 2020}}</ref>: |
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*Josh Martin – SBS Commissioning Editor for Entertainment and Australia's Head of Delegation at Eurovision |
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*[[Kate Miller-Heidke]] – winner of [[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019|''Australia Decides 2019'']] |
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*[[Måns Zelmerlöw]] – winner of [[Eurovision Song Contest 2015]] |
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*Milly Petriella – [[APRA AMCOS]] Director of Member Relations |
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*Paul Clarke – Director of Blink TV and Creative Director of Eurovision and ''[[Eurovision - Australia Decides]]''. |
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For the televote, Australia's total votes cast by the Australia public was divided by 290 to determine the number of votes that would equal 1 point. The vote total of each act was divided by this value to determine and be rounded up to the nearest whole number to determine the points received by each act. This rounding could result in slightly more than 290 points being awarded by the public. |
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In the event that there is a tie in point totals, the tie will break in favour of the act with the higher number of votes from Australia’s vote. In the unlikely event the vote number from Australia’s Vote be identical, the Jury’s vote is used as the further tie-breaker. |
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====Results==== |
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{| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" |
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" |
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⚫ | |||
! colspan="9" |Final – 8 February 2020 |
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|+ ''Eurovision – Australia Decides'' – 8 February 2020 |
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|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" |
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⚫ | |||
!Draw |
! Draw |
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!Artist |
! Artist |
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!Song |
! Song |
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!Language |
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!Songwriter(s) |
! class="unsortable" | Songwriter(s) |
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!Jury |
! Jury |
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!Televote |
! Televote |
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!Total |
! Total |
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!Place |
! Place |
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|- |
|- |
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| 1 |
| 1 |
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| align="left" | [[Iota (singer)| |
| align="left" | [[Iota (singer)|Iota]] |
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| align="left" | "Life" |
| align="left" | "Life" |
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| align="left" | [[English language|English]] |
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| align="left" | Jesse Watt |
| align="left" | Jesse Watt |
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|19 |
| 19 |
||
|13 |
| 13 |
||
|32 |
| 32 |
||
|9 |
| 9 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| 2 |
| 2 |
||
| align="left" | Jordan-Ravi |
| align="left" | Jordan-Ravi |
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| align="left" | "Pushing Stars" |
| align="left" | "Pushing Stars" |
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⚫ | |||
| align="left" | English |
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| 11 |
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⚫ | |||
| |
| 12 |
||
| |
| 23 |
||
| |
| 10 |
||
|10 |
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|- |
|- |
||
| 3 |
| 3 |
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| align="left" | Jaguar Jonze |
| align="left" | [[Jaguar Jonze]] |
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| align="left" | "Rabbit Hole" |
| align="left" | "Rabbit Hole" |
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| align="left" | |
| align="left" | [[Jaguar Jonze|Deena Lynch]], Aidan Hogg |
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| 18 |
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| align="left" | Deena Lynch, Aidan Hogg |
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| |
| 28 |
||
| |
| 46 |
||
| |
| 6 |
||
⚫ | |||
|- |
|- |
||
| 4 |
| 4 |
||
| align="left" | [[Jack Vidgen]] |
| align="left" | [[Jack Vidgen]] |
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| align="left" | "I Am King I Am Queen" |
| align="left" | "I Am King I Am Queen" |
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| align="left" | |
| align="left" | [[Jack Vidgen]], Andrew Lowden |
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| 19 |
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| align="left" | Jack Vidgen, Andrew Lowden |
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| |
| 15 |
||
| |
| 34 |
||
| |
| 8 |
||
⚫ | |||
|- |
|- |
||
| 5 |
| 5 |
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| align="left" | [[Vanessa Amorosi]] |
| align="left" | [[Vanessa Amorosi]] |
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| align="left" | "Lessons of Love" |
| align="left" | "Lessons of Love" |
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| align="left" | |
| align="left" | [[Vanessa Amorosi]], [[Aleena Gibson]], [[Trevor Muzzy]] |
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| 42 |
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| align="left" | Vanessa Amorosi, [[Aleena Gibson]], [[Trevor Muzzy]] |
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| |
| 40 |
||
| |
| 82 |
||
| |
| 3 |
||
|3 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|6 |
| 6 |
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| align="left" | [[Diana Rouvas]] |
| align="left" | [[Diana Rouvas]] |
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| align="left" | "Can We Make Heaven" |
| align="left" | "Can We Make Heaven" |
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| align="left" | |
| align="left" | [[Diana Rouvas]], [[Louis Schoorl]] |
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| 24 |
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| align="left" | Diana Rouvas, [[Louis Schoorl]] |
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| |
| 18 |
||
| |
| 42 |
||
| |
| 7 |
||
|7 |
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|- |
|- |
||
|7 |
| 7 |
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| align="left" | [[Mitch Tambo]] |
| align="left" | [[Mitch Tambo]] |
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| align="left" | "Together" |
| align="left" | "Together" |
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| align="left" | English, [[Gamilaraay language|Gamilaraay]] |
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| align="left" | [[Robby De Sá|Roberto De Sa]], Isabella Kearney-Nurse, Andy Hopkins |
| align="left" | [[Robby De Sá|Roberto De Sa]], Isabella Kearney-Nurse, Andy Hopkins |
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|24 |
| 24 |
||
|33 |
| 33 |
||
|57 |
| 57 |
||
|5 |
| 5 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|8 |
| 8 |
||
| align="left" | [[Casey Donovan (singer)|Casey Donovan]] |
| align="left" | [[Casey Donovan (singer)|Casey Donovan]] |
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| align="left" | "Proud" |
| align="left" | "Proud" |
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| align="left" | English |
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| align="left" | Justine Eltakchi |
| align="left" | Justine Eltakchi |
||
|40 |
| 40 |
||
|60 |
| 60 |
||
|100 |
| 100 |
||
|2 |
| 2 |
||
|-style="font-weight:bold;background:gold;" |
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:gold;" |
||
|9 |
| 9 |
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| align="left" | [[Montaigne (musician)|Montaigne]] |
| align="left" | [[Montaigne (musician)|Montaigne]] |
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| align="left" | "[[Don't Break Me]]" |
| align="left" | "[[Don't Break Me]]" |
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⚫ | |||
| align="left" | English |
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| 54 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| |
| 53 |
||
| 107 |
|||
|53 |
|||
| |
| 1 |
||
|1 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
| 10 |
| 10 |
||
| align="left" | Didirri |
| align="left" | Didirri |
||
| align="left" | "Raw Stuff" |
| align="left" | "Raw Stuff" |
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| align="left" | English |
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| align="left" | Didirri Peters, Oscar Dawson |
| align="left" | Didirri Peters, Oscar Dawson |
||
|39 |
| 39 |
||
|24 |
| 24 |
||
|63 |
| 63 |
||
|4 |
| 4 |
||
|} |
|} |
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== At Eurovision == |
== At Eurovision == |
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According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "[[ |
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "[[Big Five (Eurovision)|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. On 28 January 2020, 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 12 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.<ref name=allocation>{{cite web|last=Groot|first=Evert|title=Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/host-city-insignia-exchange-semi-final-allocation-draw-2020|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|access-date=28 January 2020|date=28 January 2020}}</ref> However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was cancelled. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Eurovision Song Contest 2020}} |
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2020}} |
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[[Category:Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020]] |
[[Category:Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020]] |
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⚫ | |||
[[Category:2020 in Australian music|Eurovision]] |
[[Category:2020 in Australian music|Eurovision]] |
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[[Category:2020 in Australian television|Eurovision]] |
Latest revision as of 13:37, 15 May 2024
Eurovision Song Contest 2020 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Country | ||||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Eurovision – Australia Decides | |||
Selection date(s) | 8 February 2020 | |||
Selected entrant | Montaigne | |||
Selected song | "Don't Break Me" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) | ||||
Finals performance | ||||
Final result | Contest cancelled | |||
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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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.[1]
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 originally drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which would have taken place on 12 May 2020. However, the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
[edit]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.[2] 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).[3]
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.[3] 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.[4] 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 29 May 2019, SBS confirmed Australia's participation in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest after securing an invitation for the sixth year in a row.[5] 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. On 29 August 2019, SBS announced that they would once hold a national final to select the Australian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.[1]
Before Eurovision
[edit]Eurovision – Australia Decides
[edit]Eurovision – Australia Decides was the national final in order to select the Australian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The competition took place at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gold Coast on 8 February 2020, hosted by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey. Ten artists and songs competed with the winner being determined by a combination of public and jury voting. The show was broadcast on SBS as well as streamed online at SBS On Demand.[6] The national final was watched by 334,000 viewers in Australia.[7]
Competing entries
[edit]On 29 August 2019, SBS announced an open submission for interested songwriters to submit their songs online until 30 September 2019. Songwriters were required to be citizens or permanent residents of Australia and songs were required to be in English or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language. Minor collaborations with foreign songwriters were permitted as long as the majority of the composers/songwriters were Australian citizens or permanent residents.[8] Ten songs were selected for the competition from the received submissions and performers of the selected songs were determined by SBS in consultation with the songwriters. The ten competing acts were announced in three sets between 8 November and 16 December 2019.[9][10][11]
Final
[edit]The final took place on 8 February 2020. The combination of public votes (50%) and a five-member jury (50%) selected "Don't Break Me" performed by Montaigne as the winner. The jury consisted of Josh Martin (Head of the Australian Eurovision Delegation), Kate Miller-Heidke (2019 Australian Eurovision entrant), Måns Zelmerlöw (winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 for Sweden), Milly Petriella (Director of Member Relations of APRA) and Paul Clarke (Director of Blink TV and Creative Director of Eurovision – Australia Decides) who each distributed points from 1–8, 10 and 12 during the preview show on 7 February 2020 and had a total of 290 points to award.[12] Viewers were able to vote via SMS and the total votes were divided by 290 to determine the quota that would equal to a single point. The number of votes each song gained was then divided by the quota and rounded up to the nearest integer to determine the points an entry would be awarded.[13] In addition to the performances of the ten competing entries, 2016 Australian Eurovision entrant Dami Im, Kate Miller-Heidke and Måns Zelmerlöw performed as the interval acts.[14]
Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Jury | Televote | Total | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iota | "Life" | Jesse Watt | 19 | 13 | 32 | 9 |
2 | Jordan-Ravi | "Pushing Stars" | Mattias Lindblom, Tania Doko, George Sheppard, Martin Eriksson | 11 | 12 | 23 | 10 |
3 | Jaguar Jonze | "Rabbit Hole" | Deena Lynch, Aidan Hogg | 18 | 28 | 46 | 6 |
4 | Jack Vidgen | "I Am King I Am Queen" | Jack Vidgen, Andrew Lowden | 19 | 15 | 34 | 8 |
5 | Vanessa Amorosi | "Lessons of Love" | Vanessa Amorosi, Aleena Gibson, Trevor Muzzy | 42 | 40 | 82 | 3 |
6 | Diana Rouvas | "Can We Make Heaven" | Diana Rouvas, Louis Schoorl | 24 | 18 | 42 | 7 |
7 | Mitch Tambo | "Together" | Roberto De Sa, Isabella Kearney-Nurse, Andy Hopkins | 24 | 33 | 57 | 5 |
8 | Casey Donovan | "Proud" | Justine Eltakchi | 40 | 60 | 100 | 2 |
9 | Montaigne | "Don't Break Me" | Jessica Cerro, Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci | 54 | 53 | 107 | 1 |
10 | Didirri | "Raw Stuff" | Didirri Peters, Oscar Dawson | 39 | 24 | 63 | 4 |
At Eurovision
[edit]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. On 28 January 2020, 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 12 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[15] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was cancelled.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Australia: Eurovision - Australia Decides to Return in 2020". Eurovoix. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ Vincent, Peter (9 May 2014). "Jessica Mauboy performs at Eurovision Song Contest". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ a b Kemp, Stuart; Plunkett, John (10 February 2015). "Eurovision Song Contest invites Australia to join 'world's biggest party'". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- ^ Siim, Jarmo (10 February 2015). "Australia to compete in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (29 May 2020). "Australia: Eurovision 2020 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Join the party as Australia selects its 2020 Eurovision artist". SBS. 28 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Roberts, Dale (10 February 2020). "Ratings up for Australia Decides 2020". Aussievision. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Who will represent Australia at Eurovision in 2020?". SBS. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "First two artists revealed for 'Eurovision – Australia Decides' 2020". SBS News. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Two more acts revealed for 'Eurovision – Australia Decides' 2020". SBS. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "4 more artists and first song for 'Eurovision - Australia Decides'". Eurovision TV. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "Eurovision: Australia Decides 2020: guide". TV Tonight. February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "How to vote: 'Eurovision - Australia Decides' 2020". SBS. 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision royalty to grace Eurovision – Australia Decides – Gold Coast 2020". MY GC. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2020.