Editiorial: Who could represent Australia?

After the surprising announcement that Australian broadcaster SBS would be given a ‘wildcard’ into this year’s Eurovision Song Contest Final, ESCDaily.com has decided to look a little deeper into who it just may be singing for Australia in Vienna!

Whichever artist(s) gets this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity of representing Australia on the Eurovision stage, will not in fact be the first time an Australian has performed competitively at the contest. The United Kingdom was represented by Australian’s Olivia Newton John and Gina G, Ireland can attribute three of their seven victories to Melbourne-born Johnny Logan and most recently in 2006, Australian Jane Comerford sang lead vocals for the group Texas Lightning who represented Germany.

So far, there has been hot debate in the Australian media, social media and between local Eurofans as to who should get the invite from SBS. Australia boasts a large fan community, partially thanks to SBS’s coverage of the contest for over 30 years and it’s diverse and multicultural society. In addition to broadcasting the event, SBS has produced various Eurovision related programs including; ‘The Eurovision Quiz Contest’, ‘The A-Z of Eurovision’, Julia Zemiro’s ‘The Heart of Eurovision’ and the ‘Road to Eurovision’.

All the Australian broadcaster SBS has said so far is that it will select the representative with assistance from production partner Blink TV. Today, Australian commentator Julia Zemiro confirmed on Australian television program ‘The Project’ that SBS will announce the Australian representative during the first week of March, 2015. Additionally, Zemiro stated that Australia has no intention to send a ‘novelty’ act to Vienna.

Here is who we speculate may represent Australia at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest!

So; Who could it be now?

Tina Arena; The top choice?

Likely to be on top of SBS’s wish-list is Tina Arena, one of Australia’s most prolific, well known and respected artists. Born into a family of Italian immigrants in Melbourne, Arena has flourished in the arts and to date has sold over 10 million records worldwide. Arena speaks fluent English, Italian and French, and additionally has recorded songs in Spanish. The highlight of Arena’s career came in the year 2000, when she performed “The Flame” during the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.

Arena’s career took off in France in 2005 and she enjoyed success with the release of two French language albums. Arena was awarded the “Knighthood of the Order of National Merit” in 2009 by the President of the French Republic at the time, Nicolas Sarkozy. Besides her music repertoire, Arena has had a working relationship with SBS for several years, appearing on Rockwiz (2014) with Australian commentator Julia Zemiro and on an episode of “Who Do You Think You Are”? (2010).

In 2013, Arena was voted as Australia’s all-time greatest female singer. In the past Arena admits she rejected Eurovision proposals from the French broadcaster, so it is quite possible she will reject a proposal from SBS as well. She has also expressed her feelings towards the contest on BBC radio, stating that she sees Eurovision as an opportunity for an upcoming act, not for someone established like herself.

Kylie Minogue; The Fan Favourite

One of the biggest names in Pop music hails from Melbourne on the Eastern side of Australia. Simply known as Kylie, she rose to fame on the TV soap opera ‘Neighbours’ and to date, has sold over 70 million albums worldwide. Alike Tina Arena, Minogue has European heritage, stating she has English and Welsh roots. A petition has already began in support of Minogue representing Australia, and it’d be unlikely that SBS would not consider Minogue as a candidate.

“Kiss Me Once Tour”
Adding fuel to the fire is looking at Minogue’s commitments for 2015. It can be pointed out that currently, there’s a clear gap in her tour obligations between a show in Brisbane on March 21st and her next planned show in Denmark on June 12th, 2015. She will be a popular choice if SBS are to in fact approach Kylie about participation in May.

Outsiders:

Jessica Mauboy:
After her performance during the second semifinal last year in Copenhagen, SBS would no doubt consider Mauboy as an option for this year’s representative. Mauboy rose to fame when she was just sixteen years old on Australian Idol in 2006. Coming second, she enjoyed success on the local charts which eventuated into a duet with American hip hop heavyweight Flo Rida in 2008. Being an obvious choice, it is likely that SBS will be giving the chance to perform on the Eurovision stage to someone else.

Sia
Currently one of Australia’s most popular musical exports, Sia Furler, is another fan favourite to represent Australia in Vienna. Having penned several smash hit songs, including Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’, and taking part in several collaborations with French DJ David Guetta, she is a popular choice with Eurofans. However, it seems likely she will not perform during the final in Vienna, as she rarely performs publicly. She may however be available as a songwriter.

Gotye
Belgian born Australian artist Wouter De Backer, known by stage name Gotye, is also a name being thrown around by Eurofans. Wouter shot to international fame in 2011 with the success of his duet “Somebody That I Used To Know” alongside New Zealand artist Kimbra, where he won three Grammy awards. However, Gotye has been musically quiet of late, and wouldn’t be a favourite for selection.

Other honourable mentions: 5 Seconds of Summer, Gina G, Iggy Azalea, the John Butler Trio, Nick Cave, Olivia Newton-John, Ricki Lee, Shannon Noll & Yothu Yindi (list from sbs.com.au).

So who will it be? What do you think? Who would you like to represent Australia in Vienna?