Through a continuation of the teaser video, we saw that the artist that Australian commentator Joel Creasey casually messaged was in fact Jessica Mauboy! For those who have been watching Eurovision for a few years now, you’ll remember that Jess Mauboy has actually been a part of Eurovision before, back in 2014 as part of the interval act. Of course that was a non-competitive role, so it was only fair to let Jessica take to the stage as a serious contender who could bring Australia their fourth Top 10 place in 4 years.
About Jessica:
Jessica Mauboy first came to fame through the television show Australian Idol on season 4 of the show. At the time Jess was only a high school student, hailing from Darwin in the Northern Territory. After coming in as the runner up of the season, Jess Mauboy began what would become an incredibly successful music career, selling over 3.4 million units globally with five Top 10 albums and 15 top twenty singles. She has also received four ARIA accredited Platinum albums and has won two ARIA awards.
With her music being streamed globally over 158 million times, Jessica Mauboy is certainly one of the most successful Australian artists who has also displayed her talents through films such as The Sapphires and her continuing role in the television program The Secret Daughter. Australian head of delegation Paul Clarke has commented on their choice, saying ‘Jessica Mauboy’s performance at ESC Copenhagen 2014 opened the door for Australia to compete at Eurovision – before the great moments of Guy, Dami and Isaiah there was Jess, who touched the hearts of the Eurovision directors and proved just how talented our vocalists are. Since then we have always wanted to give Jessica a shot at the competition, and this year the stars aligned. We can’t wait to develop a great song and stage production with Jessica and her team, and recreate her Eurovision- style as a galactic soul diva.’
Jessica Mauboy has commented on her upcoming role too, saying ‘Eurovision is a wonderfully joyous and unique event. It brings together over 40 diverse countries and cultures under one roof to unite us all in music. It shows how much the power of song can transcend differences. I will sing my heart out for Australia, I’m so proud to be officially representing my country and a little bit nervous – mainly about the stress of the dress!
Here are some of our favourite songs by Jessica Mauboy:
