Australian broadcaster SBS alongside production partner Blink TV have now announced the first two participations of Eurovision – Australia Decides, the national final set to determine which artist will represent Australia at Eurovision in 2020.
The show will once again be hosted on the Gold Coast, and broadcast live and exclusively through SBS. There will be 10 participants in total, however the first two have now been named. The first of two names revealed was Vanessa Amorosi, and Casey Donovan will also join the line-up.
Vanessa Amorosi has released four studio albums all of which were critically acclaimed and has sold over two million records worldwide. She has received sixteen ARIA and APRA nominations, and has just released a new album making two decades since her hit single, Absolutely Everybody.
Vanessa will be performing one of the songs off the new album, and she invites fans to listen to the album and guess which song she will be performing. She commented on her upcoming gig, saying,
‘I am so incredibly excited to be part of Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020. I am a proud Aussie and to have the opportunity to sing one of my songs on a huge international stage representing Australia would be unforgettable. I look forward to Australia hearing my song and working alongside friends and fellow musicians on this journey. It’s going to be very special.’
The second artist, Casey Donovan is another big vocalist, having found her fame at the age of 16 on the talent show, Australian Idol. She won the competition back in 2004, and was the youngest every winner of the Australian competition. Casey is a multi-award winner, including an ARIA number 1 award for the song Listen With Your Heart. She is currently starring in the musical Chicago.
Casey will be performing an original song that was submitted through the SBS submission portal titled ‘Proud’ which was written by Justine Eltakchi. Here’s what Casey had to say:
‘I’m so excited to be a part of Eurovision – Australia Decides after opening the show this year and seeing the amazing talent. When I was asked I thought, what an amazing thing to be a part of! It doesn’t matter what happens for me, Proud is such an incredible song written by the talented Justine Eltakchi and I’m proud to sing it. I can’t wait to share the stage with some of Australia’s most talented singers. And I mean Vanessa Amorosi… She’s my idol! I love her!’
Creative Director of Eurovision – Australia Decides, Paul Clarke has commented on the artist reveal, saying, ‘Casey and Vanessa are two of the most respected voices in the country, and we welcome Vanessa home from her years in America. We can’t wait to hear her bring that brilliant voice to the Eurovision – Australia Decides stage on the Gold Coast. She’s one of Casey’s vocal heroes! We have more exciting artists and songs to announce soon – it’s shaping up to be an absolutely awesome show!’
The show will once again be hosted by Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst, and will take place on Saturday 8th February at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.