Australia is merely at the beginning of their Eurovision journey, having participated on six occasions. Despite that, the nation has proven their competitive spirit. Australia has four Top 10 finishes, and almost took home the trophy in 2016 with fan favourite, Dami Im.
Without further ado, here is our Top 5 from Australia!
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Dami Im – Sound of Silence (2016)
I know what you’re thinking, Dami Im in 5th place? Hear me out. Dami Im easily delivered one of Australia’s best vocal performances at Eurovision, however there’s something about this song that never really caught my attention. Melodically and lyrically, this track is formulaic and lacking in any real character. The live vocals were the saving grace. Dami is an extraordinary performer and a core reason why Australia achieved their best Eurovision result yet.
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Isaiah – Don’t Come Easy (2017)
Interestingly, I also find this track to be formulaic, however I slightly prefer this track over ‘Sound of Silence’. With Australia’s participation still fresh, it’s easy to see why the nation opted for another ‘safe’ entry. As much as I preferred this entry, there’s no denying that the vocals didn’t reach the lofty bar set by Dami Im. We all remember that note during the live performance, but it didn’t stop Australia from reaching the Top 10.
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Kate Miller-Heidke – Zero Gravity (2019)
Kate Miller-Heidke was on my Eurovision wishlist from the moment Australia was announced as a participant. Imagine the joy I felt as she was announced as one of the competing acts in the debut edition of the Australian national selection. In terms of the song, I needed some convincing, but it’s hard to deny her vocal talent. The national final performance was spectacular, but Australia elevated their performance for Eurovision. The performance was surely a logistical nightmare, however visually proved to be a standout performance.
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Jessica Mauboy – We Got Love (2018)
This was the third consecutive Australia entry written by the same songwriting team, and the fatigue was setting in. The novelty of Australia at Eurovision was also wearing off, and Jessica faced more criticisms than her predecessors. Unjustly so, in my opinion, as the song had more character and colour than the previous two DNA entries. Jessica brought a lot of personality on stage, and while she didn’t hit every note perfectly, the energy and conviction on stage was enough to convince me.
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Guy Sebastian – Tonight Again (2015)
I have some Guy Sebastian bias as a fan of his, but there’s also no denying that Guy represented Australia extremely well. With a voice that could melt butter, Guy absolutely nailed every note during his performance. Tonight Again is a catchy, fun, and energetic track that set the bar high for Australia. The staging could have used some fine tuning, but ultimately the vocals had the platform to shine.
This article is part of our ‘Good Evening Europe’ series, where we create nation-focused content. Check out our other content for Australia here.