Robyn Cartwright represented Australia with pride at Eurovision in Sweden this year.
The fact that Australia has performed so well helps build the fandom, adds 42-year-old Matt Merlino. Seven of the nine Australian contestants have progressed to the final, including Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Kate Miller-Heidke and Jessica Mauboy.
“Many Australians feel connected to Europe because of their cultural heritage,” Merlino says. “Eurovision also has such a strong queer community vibe, which links to Australia’s focus on diversity and acceptance. It’s just hard not to love.”
In fact, Eurovision is so popular among Australians that SBS created a spin-off, Australia Decides, to determine the country’s representative. It ran between 2019 and 2022, and was the reason many followers became “hardcore” fans.
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“We’re so far removed from Europe, so it was the closest many of us could get to going to the contest,” Merlino says. “Supporting our local acts, it was such a special thing to be involved in.”
Australian fans are now planning outfits and deciding whether they’ll travel to Switzerland for Eurovision 2025 in May. If they can’t, Merlino says, there’ll be plenty of celebrations down under to suffice.
Eurovision On Tour plays in Brisbane (The Tivoli) on November 13, Melbourne (The Palais) on November 15, and Sydney (The Enmore) on November 17.
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Publish date : 2024-11-10 10:00:00
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