Eurovision – Australia Decides

Overview

When it comes to televised singing battles, there's only one that matters. No matter what reality television keeps throwing our way, that's Eurovision. Back in 2015, Australia became the first country from Oceania to join the clearly Europe-centric competition, in what was supposed to be a one-off move — and to celebrate five years of belting out pop tunes on the world stage, we're getting our very own pre-Eurovision event to pick the 2019 Aussie entrant.

SBS Australia is hosting a national song contest to decide who'll represent the country in the international song contest. After beaming Eurovision onto our screens for 35 years and spearheading our involvement in recent years, Eurovision - Australia Decides is the next step for the Aussie broadcaster. With the nation's participation in the 2019 Tel Aviv event confirmed, SBS is putting together a series of live performance shows to highlight potential entrants, with the general public able to vote for the song and singer that'll follow in Guy Sebastian, Dani Im, Isaiah Firebrace and Jessica Mauboy's footsteps.

Even better — SBS called upon Aussie songwriters to submit their original songs, which have been paired with some of Australia's most recognised artists, and will be performed live for a public vote on Friday, February 8 (at a 7.30pm jury preview show) and Saturday, February 9 (at a 1pm matinee preview and the 7.30pm televised final). And as for who's doing the singing, prepare to hear Alfie Arcuri, Aydan, Electric Fields, Leea Nanos, Mark Vincent and Courtney Act — as well as Sheppard, Kate Miller-Heidke, Tania Doko and Ella Hooper.

Eurovision - Australia Decides will be hosted by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey, who've hosted Australia's Eurovision coverage since 2017. A yet-to-be-named jury will also be involved in the decision-making process.

If you'd like to not only help pick the Aussie contender, but head along to Eurovision - Australia Decides to watch live in person, it's being held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets are available to all three shows, starting at $25.

For more information about Eurovision - Australia Decides, visit sbs.com.au/eurovision.