While long-time fans have continually argued about whether Australia should even be part of the Eurovision Song Contest, there is one thing we can all agree on; our nation has stumbled into something truly unique.
And when Aussie Jessica Mauboy stepped onto the circle stage for her semi-final jury performance, she proved she is as loved across the globe as she is on home soil.
The Darwin-born star received a loud cheer from the audience when she belted out her hit song, “We Got Love”. Feeding off the crowd’s energy, the 28-year-old encouraged fans to sing along to the chorus as she spun and stamped in time to the music.
Could this be an indication of what’s to come?
Could Jess be the one to take home the gong for Oz?
It is a high possibility, but we mustn’t count our chickens. Ten countries have already secured a spot in the Grand Final.
Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland and Cyprus have all made it through to the final round.
Meanwhile, Jess will find out whether she’ll nab one of the remaining spots this Friday. The semi-final public vote, which airs on SBS live at 5am (or 7.30pm encore), Friday, May 11, has ten places to fill.
She faces stiff competition against popular Swedish crooner Benjamin Ingrosso who wowed the crowd with his track, “Dance You Off”. Other countries in contention are Denmark, Poland and Slovenia.
Host country Portugal and The Big Five – UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain are also in the Grand Final.
Meanwhile, the pyrotechnics and light displays have been in full force for the 10-day lead up to finals. Most contestants have opted to use fireworks for their performance. However, others have chosen a more hazardous route.
Melovin from Ukraine turned up the heat – literally – by setting his piano alight for his rendition of “Under The Ladder”. Thankfully, no eyebrows were harmed during the making of his act.
We won’t be forgetting this fiery performance!
DoReDos from Moldova had double the trouble during their performance of, “My Lucky Day”, and a confusing robot routine occurred during San Marino’s track, “Who We Are” by Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening.
Say what?! The miniature robots held various signs and danced on stage.
As the Eurovision Grand Final draws closer, we can’t wait to see what other surprises are in store.
Tune into SBS for more action from the sparkling spectacular.
The Eurovision Grand Final airs at 5am on Sunday, May 13 on SBS and you can catch the encore at 7.30pm.
