The last 25 international locations battling it out for Eurovision glory have been determined. The 66th music contest takes place in Turin, Italy on Saturday (14 May) – and it might see the UK bag its first win in 25 years.
Musician Sam Ryder is flying the flag for the UK, performing his pop tune SPACE MAN. The singer-songwriter, from Essex, went viral on TikTook for his music covers in 2020. The nation’s hopes are using on him scoring extremely this 12 months, after final 12 months’s entry James Newman got here away with ‘nil factors.’
Brit-award winner and pop star Mika shall be co-hosting the present, alongside Italian vocalist Laura Pausini and TV presenter Alessandro Cattelan. Meanwhile Graham Norton shall be offering protection for UK viewers over on the BBC.
Read extra: Eurovision Song Contest 2022 finalists – the complete listing of nations which have made it by
Among the rivals this 12 months is non-European nation Australia. Sheldon Riley shall be taking to the stage to carry out his music Not The Same in hopes of claiming the Eurovision crown. This will not be the singer’s first style of TV both; the 23-year-old has beforehand appeared on The X Factor Australia, The Voice Australia and even America’s Got Talent.
Why can Australia compete in Eurovision?
Australia has been broadcasting Eurovision for nearly 40 years, through the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). In 2014, viewing figures in the nation peaked at 2.7 million.
Australia was initially invited to take to the Eurovision stage because the interval act in the second semi-final of the 2014 contest. The following 12 months, the nation was invited to compete for the primary time to commemorate Eurovision’s sixtieth anniversary. They despatched Guy Sebastian, who carried out his monitor Tonight Again and got here fifth.
It was meant to be a one-off invite, however Australia will now be taking part in Eurovision till not less than 2023. The greatest Australian outcome to date was delivered by Dami Im along with her music Sound Of Silence, who earned the runner-up place in 2016, dropping out to Ukraine’s Jamala.
Quite a lot of excessive profile Aussies competed in the Contest for different nations, together with Olivia Newton-John and Gina G, earlier than the nation was formally invited to hitch the social gathering in 2015.