When Perth-based synth-metal group Voyager got the nod this year to perform at “the greatest show on Earth” – the Eurovision Song Contest – it made history.
It became the first band to represent Australia in the 37-nation competition.
You may not have heard of Voyager, but the world soon will – with Eurovision broadcast live to a global audience of 200 million people.
Voyager has 8200 Instagram followers, who say their boys will blast the stage “with their fun machines”.
The five-member group has toured the world and released seven albums. It has been trying unsuccessfully for eight years to perform at the world’s biggest live TV competition.
Why? What’s our obsession with the contest, and, given we’re not a European country, why are we even included?
And why don’t Americans, Canadians and New Zealanders get as excited as we do?
The truth is, they do.
Americans living in the UK hold parties around Eurovision time, and last year they even adopted the concept and developed their own statewide version, the American Song Contest.
Last year, Canada was officially invited to join the Eurovision family, and will host its own version, Eurovision Canada, with a broadcaster to be announced in coming weeks.
Forbes reported “many Americans” experienced Eurovision through the eyes of Netflix’s pandemic hit Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, starring Will Ferrell and Canadian Rachel McAdams.
“The film happens to be Ferrell’s most successful in years,” it wrote.
A ‘wacky’ competition
Voyager’s drummer Ashley Doodkorte told ABC Breakfast on Wednesday band members were massive fans when they found out Australia was officially included in Eurovision in 2015.
He said a standout moment for him was the performance of Moldovan band, Zdob şi Zdub: “If you can imagine some human-size garden gnomes with hats as tall as their bodies, playing a punk tune, while someone plays a trumpet riding around on a unicycle?
“To me that carnival atmosphere … that indescribable quality … makes the show.”
He said the song Voyager will perform, Promise, works for heavy metal fans, it’s coated in a bit of pop, and it’s easily digestible: “There’s going to be sewing sequins onto jackets … lots of choreography.
“I like to think of us as a pop band disguised as a metal band (or the other way around),” he said, adding they like chunky grooves and heavy rhythms.
Indeed, Eurovision itself describes the competition as “wacky”.
SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said the internal selection of Voyager – which was runners-up last year – brings together her “love for the ’80s and catchy lyrics that you can’t stop singing”.
“Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them,” she said.
The director of SBS production partner Blink TV, Paul Clarke said: “From the very first listen I knew it was something special – an epic, cinematic track that will take listeners on an anthemic rock voyage all the way to the Eurovision stage.”
Why are we in it?
Australia was invited to get involved as a gesture of goodwill for the show’s 60th anniversary, which had a Building Bridges theme, in 2015.
But it wasn’t as straightforward as that.
Aussievision, an Australian website and podcast [made up of 20 volunteers from all heritages, ages and gender], and devoted to covering all things Eurovision, says there’s a “myriad of reasons” why we’re still in the competition.
“The contest isn’t actually a ‘European’ one. The competition is run by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and to be a member you must be in the European broadcasting area which includes much of North Africa and the Middle East,” it wrote.
It doesn’t include the United States or Canada, but headline stars including Celine Dion, Justin Timberlake, Boyzone and Madonna have taken to the stage as guest performers over the years.
“SBS started broadcasting the contest to its audience in 1983 using BBC commentary … [and] we sent our own commentary team to Russia in 2009.
“At this point our obsession exploded, with Eurovision album sales and ratings both soaring in Australia.”
SBS is an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and was invited for the first time to the contest in 2015.
SBS introduced “mock” voting for its coverage and Eurovision hosts began acknowledging Australia in the broadcast with a special ‘hello’ or ‘Good morning’ to fans watching in Australia.
“This acknowledgement hit the big time when we were invited to be the interval act at 2014 in Copenhagen (the Princess of Denmark is an Australian) and that trial run saw us get the special invite to compete in [the] 60th anniversary in 2015,” it wrote.
Aussievision has done its homework, pointing out UK representatives from Australia included Olivia Newton-John in 1974 and Peter Doyle and Marty Kristian of the New Seekers in 1972.
Australian artists have also represented Germany, Armenia, Denmark and Switzerland, and even two-time Eurovision winner Johnny Logan was born in Australia.
We’ve ‘earned our spot’
So the history books will show Australian singer Guy Sebastian came fifth in the contest in 2015, Dami Im came second in 2016, and in 2017 we were back in the top 10.
“We rocked up to Lisbon in 2018 with Australian fans buying more tickets than almost any other nation and made the final yet again.
“In 2019, we introduced a national final, Australia Decides, with Kate Miller-Heidke taking out the title and pulling off one of the most audacious staging concepts in Eurovision history.”
Aussievision says while there are many factors as to why Australia is in it, there is one factor that makes a compelling argument as to why “we’re staying”.
“It is a television show run by the EBU and if they believe we have earned our spot, that’s all that matters.”
Especially for Voyager.
“As a band we’ve been proactively throwing our hat in the ring to perform at Eurovision since Australia announced their participation and to think we’ve finally made it is both surreal and absolutely mind-blowing to us,” it wrote.
Eurovision will be held from May 9 to 13 at the ACC Liverpool after the UK was named runner-up at the 2022 event with Sam Ryder.
The EBU concluded Ukraine could not host the event due to the Russian invasion, despite its entrant, Kalush Orchestra, coming first.
