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For nearly a decade, Australia has defied geography to take part in the world’s biggest music event, the Eurovision Song Contest.
It’s given a global platform to some of our greatest talents, including Guy Sebastian (in 2015) and Dami Im (2016), who showed the world that even though we’re just a bit outside Europe, we deserve to be competing with the best.
“It’s just mind-boggling.”
(Image: Instagram)And now, as the five-day event gets underway again, there’s a new group of Aussies stepping up to represent us. And this time, the world is in for something different.
“I know synth-metal isn’t the most Australian genre of music, but if you think about it, it kind of is,” Danny Estrin, lead singer and keytar player in the genre-bending band Voyager, who have been selected to represent us at Eurovision 2023, says.
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“We take our music seriously, but ourselves not so much, and I think that’s a distinctly Australian quality.”
The five-piece progressive pop metal band originally from Perth will perform their song “Promise” in the competition, alongside acts from 37 countries. They’re competing in Liverpool, England, after last year’s winners Ukraine were unable to host the event due to security concerns caused by the 2022 Russian invasion.
The band is from Perth.
(Image: Supplied)German-born Danny (his family migrated to Australia in 1992), says it’s an incredible honour, but also a lot of fun.
“It’s just mind-boggling that, after so many years of doing the rounds, recording seven albums and touring, we finally get to be on pretty much the biggest stage on Earth as part of the biggest show on Earth,” he says.
And Danny knows that Eurovision will give him his biggest audience yet, with the global TV audience in 2023 tipped to top last year’s total of 161 million viewers.
“When I’m up there singing to the camera, I’ll try not to think that millions and millions of people are watching,” Danny says with a laugh.
“But really, it’s what we’re used to doing. And if we can condense all the energy we usually put into a performance into three minutes and give it everything we’ve got, I think we’ll have a good time, entertain people – and, hopefully, do Australia proud.”
