Today is Australia Day, and with Australia now in the Eurovision Song Contest, we can now justify dedicating a post to some of our favourite Aussie singers, some of which are in contention to represent Australia at Eurovision in 2017. With that said, we’ve picked some of the Aussie artists who we think are best suited to follow on from Guy Sebastian and Dami Im, who are both performing at Sydney Harbour at the Australia Day Concert. Without further ado, here are some Aussie artists we think would do Australia proud on the Eurovision stage.
Delta Goodrem
Delta Goodrem signed to Sony Music at the age of 15 years old, and released her first album Innocent Eyes in 2003. The album became one of Australia’s highest selling albums, with singles such as Lost Without You and Born To Try. Over the years, she has released a number of albums, all received well in Australia and beyond. At the young age of 18, she was diagnosed with Cancer, which has often inspired her music.
Why is Delta a good Aussie representative?
Delta is a versatile singer who can belt out an incredibly written and powerful ballad, or she can perform an upbeat pop entry, both of which can win, and have won Eurovision in previous years. Her voice is strong, and she conveys emotion well through her voice.
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Mauboy came to fame on the fourth season of Australian Idol, after becoming the runner up. She quickly signed a record deal with Sony, and has since released a handful of albums. She has achieved no less than 15 top twenty singles, and has collaborated with some big international names, such as Flo Rida, Snoop Dogg, Pitbull, Jay Sean and Ludacris.
Why is Jessica a good Aussie representative?
Jess has no problems performing under pressure, and we’ve seen that through her previous Eurovision experience where she performed as the interval act in 2014. She has also performed for the Australian visits of Oprah Winfrey and former US President Barack Obama. She possesses a strong voice which like Delta, can suit either a ballad or a more upbeat pop entry.
Anthony Callea
Anthony also rose to fame after his stint on the 2004 season of Australian idol. Like Jessica Mauboy, Anthony was a runner up of the competition, however this did not stop him having a fruitful career in the music industry. He has released 5 studio albums, and a number of awards against his name, including an Aria award for his released of The Prayer, the song that wowed Australian audiences back during Australian Idol.
Why is Anthony a good Aussie representative?
Anthony has openly stated that he loves Eurovision, and with an Italian background, he represents a multicultural Australia. His voice is more suited to powerful ballads rather than straight pop entries, but when he sings a ballad, he really takes it to the next level. He has also had theatrical experience, which means he has no problems singing live in front of an audience.
Missy Higgins
Missy Higgins has been around for a number of years now, but reached her big break after being the support act for popular Australian acts The Waifs, Pete Murray and John Butler Trio. Her song Scar debuted number one on the ARIA charts in 2004, and her album to follow up, called The Sound of White also debuted at number 1. As a result, she was nominated for five ARIA awards. She’s toured over the years, and even spent time to focus on making it big in the US market. Although more recently, she hasn’t released new music consistently, she is still very much one of Australia’s iconic artists.
Why is Missy a good Aussie representative?
Missy has a unique tone to her voice, and matched with her own personal musical and songwriting style makes for a winning combination. It’s easy to picture her on stage with the charisma whilst playing the piano on either a slower emotional entry, such as her most recent single Oh Canada, or a song with a memorable hook such as her breakthrough single Scar.
The Veronicas
Similar to all the acts already mentioned, The Veronicas (twin sisters Jess and Lisa) made their breakthrough in the early to mid 2000’s. Their debut album was released in 2005, which was certified 4x platinum by ARIA. Their second album was released in 2007, and featured four top 10 singles including Hook Me Up. The girls had quite a lengthy hiatus but came back into the spotlight in 2014 with the song You Ruin Me, which was the first single off their third studio album.
Why are the Veronicas a good Aussie representative?
Even though they released a number of popular songs early on in their career, I believe that since their hiatus, their musical style has really grown to turn into more of an alternative pop route, rather than the pop which was more suited towards the teeny boppers. Their gig hosting the ARIA’s in 2016 caused a bit of controversy after they appeared on stage topless and covered in red body paint for their performance of In My Blood. Although I may not recommend this for Eurovision, at least we know the girls are willing to push the limits and create something visually impactful.
Vance Joy
Vance Joy is still relatively new to the music scene, after signing a record deal in 2013. His song Riptide was voted number 1 on the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown, and was certified triple platinum by ARIA. The video for Riptide on YouTube has currently over 157 million views, demonstrating the popularity of his breakthrough single. His debut album Dream Your Life Away was released late 2014, and he supported Taylor Swift on her 1989 World Tour across all dates in North America, the UK and Australia.
Why is Vance Joy a good Aussie Representative?
Vance is one of the most unique artists out of this list simply for his voice and style of song. He is more of an indie pop artist, who features ukulele as a part of his music to give his songs a signature sound. With the release of Riptide, which became not only popular in Australia but internationally, we know he is capable of writing a song which immediately gets stuck in your head, and that’s a positive when it comes to Eurovision.
Eurovision Union’s Top Choice: Kate Miller-Heidke
Kate Miller-Heidke is a singer-songwriter and actress who is classically trained, although ventured into the world of alternative pop music. Her solo career was boosted after her song Space They Cannot Touch was supported by radio station Triple J, and as a result, she signed a record deal. Her debut album Little Eve was certified gold in Australia, and her second album was released in 2008. This album, titled Curiouser received critical success in America as well, and she has toured through America, UK and Europe as a special guest of Ben Folds. In total, she has released 5 studio albums, with the most recent being O Vertigo! released in 2014.
Why is Kate a good Aussie Representative?
For us, Kate is a really great Eurovision representative due to how theatrical she is, both in her voice and her stage presence. Her opera background and desire to breakthrough in the pop realm means that her music is an interesting blend of styles that is perfect for Eurovision. She is known to dabble in the musical comedy world as well, which means she doesn’t take herself all too seriously, and knows how to make people laugh. Over the years, her music has grown, and we think she has what it takes to write a killer song which will take Europe by surprise.
Delta Goodrum should represent Australia for Eurovision in kivi