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Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017

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Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Country Australia
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)7 March 2017
Selected artist(s)Isaiah Firebrace
Selected song"Don't Come Easy"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (6th, 160 points)
Final result9th, 173 points
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2016 • 2017 • 2018►

Australia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Don't Come Easy" written by Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci and Michael Angelo. The song was performed by Isaiah Firebrace, who was internally selected by the Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) to represent that nation at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Firebrace as the Australian representative and the song he performed, "Don't Come Easy", was announced and presented to the public on 7 March 2017 during an announcement event in Melbourne.

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 drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 2017. Performing during the show in position 3, "Don't Come Easy" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 13 May. It was later revealed that Australia placed sixth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 160 points. In the final, Australia performed in position 14 and placed ninth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 173 points.

Background

Main article: Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest

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. 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).

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. 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. 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 1 November 2016, SBS confirmed Australia's participation in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest after securing an invitation for the third year in a row.[1] In 2016, Australia was represented by Dami Im and the song "Sound of Silence". The country ended in second place in the grand final with 511 points.

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

"Don't Come Easy" performed by Isaiah Firebrace was announced as the entry that would represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 on 7 March 2017.[2] The announcement event was hosted by Mark Humphries which took place at the Paris Cat Jazz Club in Melbourne. SBS streamed the announcement online through Facebook Live.[3][4] In regards to his selection as the Australian representative, Firebrace stated: "I'm so proud to be representing Australia as our entrant for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. Even though it has been a dream of mine, never did I think for one minute it would be a possibility. To be able to share this news with my family and friends is unbelievable. I can't wait to go to the Ukraine to perform "Don't Come Easy". I will make Australia proud. Thank you to SBS and my label Sony for believing in me and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime." Isaiah Firebrace was also the winner of The X Factor Australia 2016.[5] The official video and digital download release of the song occurred on the same day. The song was written by Michael Angelo along with the songwriting and production team DNA Songs, which consists of Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci.

At Eurovision

Isaiah Firebrace during a press meet and greet

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.[6] On 31 January 2017, 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 9 May 2017, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[7]

Once all the competing songs for the 2017 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Australia was set to perform in position 3, following the entry from Georgia and before the entry from Albania.[8]

In Australia, both semi-finals and the final were broadcast live on SBS with commentary by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey.[9][10] The Australian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Australian jury during the final, was the television newsreader Lee Lin Chin.[11]

Semi-final

Isaiah Firebrace took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 4 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May.[12] This included the jury show on 8 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.

Once all the competing songs for the 2017 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Australia performed third in the first semi-final, following the entry from Georgia and preceding the entry from Albania. At the end of the show, Australia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Australia placed sixth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 160 points: 21 points from the televoting and 139 points from the juries.[13]

Final

Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the reverse order the countries appeared in the semi-final running order. Australia was subsequently placed to perform in position 14, following the entry from Croatia and before the entry from Greece.[14] In the unlikely event that Australia should win the contest, the EBU have confirmed that in accordance with the rules, they would co-host the contest in Europe, with Germany announced as the first choice, and United Kingdom the back-up hosts should Germany decline.[15] During the final on 12 May. Australia placed ninth in the final, scoring 173 points: 2 points from the televoting and 171 points from the juries.[16]

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Australia and awarded by Australia in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:[17][18]

Points awarded to Australia

Points awarded by Australia

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Australian jury:[19] On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Natasha Cuppit had replaced Jordan Raskopoulos as a member of the Australian jury.[20]

  • Steven Capaldo (jury chairperson) – university music education lecturer, conductor, composer, CD producer
  • Lucy Durack – performer, actress
  • Natasha Cuppit – voice coach, performer, conductor
  • Jackie Loeb – singer, comedian, actor
  • Peter Hayward – music teacher, music director, creative director
Detailed voting results from Australia (Semi-final 2)[17]
Draw Country Jury Televote
S. Capaldo L. Durack J. Loeb P. Hayward N. Cuppit Rank Points Rank Points
01  Sweden 1 2 4 6 9 3 8 3 8
02  Georgia 15 12 6 16 6 12 17
03  Australia
04  Albania 17 17 16 17 17 17 16
05  Belgium 10 7 15 14 15 15 7 4
06  Montenegro 16 16 17 15 16 16 4 7
07  Finland 3 5 12 4 5 4 7 9 2
08  Azerbaijan 9 10 13 7 4 8 3 10 1
09  Portugal 8 4 2 8 8 5 6 2 10
10  Greece 4 13 11 10 12 10 1 8 3
11  Poland 5 1 5 2 1 1 12 15
12  Moldova 2 3 7 1 2 2 10 1 12
13  Iceland 12 14 9 5 7 9 2 11
14  Czech Republic 7 6 1 9 13 7 4 13
15  Cyprus 13 11 10 11 14 14 5 6
16  Armenia 6 9 3 3 11 6 5 6 5
17  Slovenia 14 15 8 12 3 11 14
18  Latvia 11 8 14 13 10 13 12
Detailed voting results from Australia (Final)[18]
Draw Country Jury Televote
S. Capaldo L. Durack J. Loeb P. Hayward N. Cuppit Rank Points Rank Points
01  Israel 10 24 18 19 22 19 17
02  Poland 13 11 11 11 7 9 2 22
03  Belarus 17 15 16 16 13 16 14
04  Austria 20 5 12 3 8 8 3 19
05  Armenia 19 8 10 10 11 10 1 15
06  Netherlands 15 9 2 4 6 7 4 11
07  Moldova 3 2 5 6 3 2 10 1 12
08  Hungary 21 13 25 15 23 20 12
09  Italy 2 12 21 13 14 13 9 2
10  Denmark 6 10 8 1 10 6 5 3 8
11  Portugal 9 3 1 5 9 4 7 4 7
12  Azerbaijan 8 14 14 18 4 11 21
13  Croatia 24 16 24 24 19 24 10 1
14  Australia
15  Greece 18 20 19 23 20 22 16
16  Spain 25 25 23 25 25 25 25
17  Norway 11 22 9 12 21 15 13
18  United Kingdom 1 1 3 2 2 1 12 8 3
19  Cyprus 22 21 15 21 24 23 20
20  Romania 14 4 20 7 17 12 2 10
21  Germany 12 18 17 20 12 17 23
22  Ukraine 23 23 13 22 16 21 24
23  Belgium 7 19 7 14 18 14 7 4
24  Sweden 4 6 6 9 5 5 6 5 6
25  Bulgaria 5 7 4 8 1 3 8 6 5
26  France 16 17 22 17 15 18 18

References

  1. ^ SBS Guide (7 March 2017). "Australia to compete in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. ^ Dwyer, Genevieve (7 March 2017). "'Don't Come Easy': Australia's Eurovision 2017 entrant revealed". sbs.com.au. SBS. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  3. ^ Dwyer, Genevieve (7 March 2017). "X Factor winner Isaiah Firebrace to represent Australia at 2017 Eurovision song contest". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  4. ^ Mercereau, Damien (7 March 2017). "Eurovision 2017 : Isaiah Firebrace, l'espoir de l'Australie" (in French). Le Figaro. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. ^ Escudero, Victor (7 March 2017). "Isaiah is Australia's representative for Kyiv". eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ Jordan, Paul (25 January 2017). "Semi-Final Allocation draw to take place in Kyiv". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  7. ^ Jordan, Paul (31 January 2017). "Results of the Semi-Final Allocation Draw". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  8. ^ Jordan, Paul (31 March 2017). "Semi-Final running order for Eurovision 2017 revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  9. ^ Guide, SBS (2 March 2017). "Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang farewell The Eurovision Song Contest". Special Broadcasting Corporation (SBS).
  10. ^ "SBS's new Eurovision hosts are…". SBS Guide. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  11. ^ Knox, David (1 May 2017). "SBS appoints Eurovision jury 2017". tvtonight.com.au. TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Press". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 May 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "First Semi-Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  14. ^ Jordan, Paul; Nilsson, Helena (12 May 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Running order for the 2017 Grand Final released!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (13 May 2017). "What happens if Australia wins the Eurovision Song Contest?". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Grand Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d "Results of the First Semi-Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d "Results of the Grand Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  19. ^ Jordan, Paul (29 April 2017). "Who will be the expert jurors for Eurovision 2017?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  20. ^ Granger, Anthony (9 May 2017). "ESC'17 changes to juries in five countries". eurovoix.com. Euroviox. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
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