Eurovision history was made last night when Australia was, for the first time, allowed to be a part of the gloriously tacky European song contest for this year’s edition.
At the invitation of the European Broadcast Union, to honour Australia’s viewing obsession with the contest, pop star Jessica Mauboy took the reigns of Eurovision 2014’s interval last night for a performance celebrating all things cultural cringe in front of an estimated viewing audience of 20 million people.
SBS, who have been aiding the Darwin singer in her bid for Eurovision glory, have offered a sneak peak of Mauboy’s performance ahead of the finals being screened this weekend. And Australia’s Eurovision “de-butt” is even more fascinatingly kitsch than anyone could hope for.
Beginning with a video sketch where regular SBS’s regular Eurovision host Julia Zemiro organises Australia to be airlifted to Europe (in glossy CGI), an army of costumed dancers and visual cliches storm the Copenhagen stage. Bronzed surfers and bleached blondes then sing a medley filled with more ‘Land Down Under’ references than your grandma’s tea towel, there’s beer, the Big Pineapple, dingoes, kangaroos, more beer, and a cheeky rhyming couplet that pairs ‘Romania’ with “speedos on your genitalia.”
Then arrives Jessica Mauboy, performing her specially written Eurovision anthem, ‘Sea Of Flags, an “up-tempo” number written by Ilan Kidron (of The Potbelleez) and songwriter Stuart Crichton (whose credits includes tunes for Kylie Minogue and Delta Goodrem).
She does her damndest to rise to the occasion, but it’s difficult to ignore some of the more wonky notes of Mauboy’s swooping vocal lines (you can’t blame her, it must be the nerves). But the real low highlight comes when an astronaut arrives on stage to greet Mauboy with an Aboriginal flag – “It’s one small step for Europe, one giant leap for Australia.”
“The song speaks of ancient dreaming but I also wanted to convey a message that whatever country you represent, you have to bring that culture to the next generation,” the 24-year-old performer and Sapphires star previously said of ‘Sea Of Flags‘.
“I think Europeans will genuinely lose their minds when they see Jess perform,” remarked Zemiro in March. “They’ll be thankful she isn’t competing that is for sure.”
The popular RockWiz host, along with regular SBS broadcaster Sam Pang, have also been involved in a marketing push for Mauboy’s road to Eurovision for a tele-movie doco titled *ahem* Jessica Mauboy’s Road To Eurovision, which will screen tomorrow (Saturday 10th May) along with the Eurovision 2014 second semi-final featuring the Aussie singer.
The first semi-final will be screened tonight (Friday 9th May), and the grand final this Sunday 11th May, where Australian audiences will once again crowd around the telly to see who will take top honours of this year’s Eurovision 2014 participants, such as French trio Twin Twin the “perfect example of the YOLO generation“, Belarus’ maraca-wielding Teo, and Austria’s bearded drag queen contestant, Conchita Wurst (… you couldn’t make this stuff up).
