0/5

Airdate: Eurovision Song Contest 2019

Only 2 weeks remain before Europe's annual songfest, to be held in Tel Aviv.

The 64th Eurovision Song Contest is now just two weeks away, to be held at Expo Tel Aviv in Israel.

Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey return as hosts on SBS.

While SBS will again screen Live events at 5am this the primetime replays move to an 8:30pm start -an hour later than last year- which will mean a late finish for the lengthy Final.

Kate Miller-Heidke will take to the stage in Semi Final 1 with Zero Gravity against 16 other countries but must qualify if she is to compete in the Final.

Myf Warhurst said, “Kate is a truly unique singer-songwriter and her performance of Zero Gravity at Eurovision – Australia Decides was out-of-the-box brilliant. She perfectly encapsulates Eurovision and I know fans worldwide will adore her as much as we do. While the competition is fierce, there’s nothing holding her down.”

Joel Creasey said, “We put the power in the hands of the Australian people this year and, thankfully, they didn’t stuff it up. Well done, you guys. Kate’s powerhouse vocals and spectacular staging are going to be incredible! I can’t wait to see Europe embrace our Kate… and I can’t wait to hold Madonna in a sweet embrace. Zero Gravity for the win.”

Director of Blink and Australian Head of Delegation and TV Paul Clarke said, “Eurovision 2019 is shaping up to be one of the great ones. We met with producers in Tel Aviv recently, and their ideas for the event will truly make it a global sensation. I can’t wait for fans to see the plans we saw come to fruition. We got the tick of approval for our staging concept with Kate Miller-Heidke and there are a couple of big surprises in store. It will be very different from the staging at Eurovision – Australia Decides. On the Expo Tel Aviv stage, Kate’s performance will be a truly epic evanescent enchantment. There are a lot of great artists and songs in Semi Final 1, but we totally intend to stand out.”

Semi Final 1
Live 5am AEST Wednesday 15 May (AEST)*
Rpt 8.30pm Thursday 16 May

Semi Final 2
Live 5am AEST Friday 17 May
Rpt 8:30pm Friday 17 May

FINAL
Live 5am AEST Sunday 19 May*
Rpt 8:30pm Sunday 19 May

* Live Voting

Aussie duo Electric Fields, who were runners up in the Australian final, have been named as Spokespersons, to give Europe our Jury votes.

“We are so excited to be Australia’s Jury Spokespeople for Eurovision. It’s the music event that brings millions together for a huge camp party, right up our ally. Kate is absolutely stunning live and we know she’ll deliver a powerful performance,” they said.

As per the official Eurovision rules, viewers can vote in the Semi Final in which their country is participating, as well as the Grand Final. The viewers’ votes make up 50% of the final result. The other 50% of the vote is decided by a National Jury in each participating country. Australia’s jury will be announced soon. The jury and Australian public can vote for any country except Australia.

For Australian viewers, this means they will need to tune into the Live broadcast of Semi Final 1 on Wednesday May 15 at 5am (AEST) and the Grand Final on Sunday 19 May at 5am (AEST) by texting the numbers that appear on screen during the live broadcasts.

Spokespeople

Electric Fields
Multi-award winning Electric Fields create a striking and haunting merging of living traditional culture with electronic music, bringing moments of breathtaking beauty and power to the stage. Featuring the rare and beautiful voice of Zaachariaha Fielding, who often sings in his traditional languages of the Anangu people, Electric Fields music ranges from soulful pop, to epic-scale electronic works, through to intensely intimate story-songs.

Australian Jury:

Mark Humphries
Host of Channel 10 quiz show Pointless and resident satirist on ABCTV’s 7.30. Prior to that, he was a writer/presenter on SBS’ The Feed, where he wrote and produced The Feed’s Eurovision After Party 2015. In 2017, he was appointed to announce Australia’s Eurovision artist of that year, Isaiah. Also that year, he wrote special lyrics for the Brandenburg Orchestra’s Christmas concerts and co-hosted Triple M’s Radio Chaser. He is the co-author of The Chaser’s Australia and is currently writing a musical.

Christine Anu
Christine Anu is a national treasure and Australia’s most iconic female Indigenous Entertainer. Trained in dance at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) her illustrious career spans over 25 years including music, theatre, dance, film and television. Christine is a multi-award winning recording artist, including ARIA Song of the Year for My Island Home, ARIA Best Female Artist for Stylin Up, ARIA Best Video for Bazmark’s Now Until The Break of Day with David Hobson and many Deadly, Green Room and Sydney Theatre Awards.

Alice Chance
Alice Chance is a sought-after composer, lyricist, conductor, arranger, and music director. A finalist in 2018 APRA Art Music Awards, Alice regularly writes commissioned work for Australia’s foremost art music ensembles. She has created music for organisations as diverse as Barangaroo Delivery Authority, The Art Gallery of NSW, and Belvoir Street Theatre. Alice wrote the song ‘Data Dust’, performed by rock legend Ella Hooper in Eurovision Australia Decides 2019.

Lewis Hobba
Lewis is a comedian, writer, and broadcaster who has performed around the country from Splendour in the grass to the Sydney Opera House. He hosts a radio show on national youth music station Triple J with his school friend Veronica Milsom.

Mark Cummins
Mark Cummins is Content Manager at SBS Audio and Languages. He has a long career in broadcasting, starting with Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Japan in 1990. He has played a leading role in transforming SBS Radio’s programming, including the digital pop music brands, SBSPopAsia and SBSPopDesi – which showcase the best of the Asian pop music and encourage audiences to explore the diversity of cultures in Australia and around the world.

6 Responses

  1. Don’t understand why they’ve moved the final replay to 8.30pm, that’s going to be such a late finish, definitely after midnight. Think I may have to find an ‘alternative’ way to get the BBC broadcast for my Eurovision Party.

  2. This for me ends what is an exciting time of year. It starts with Melodifestivalen, Melodi Grand Prix (this year was a bonus with Australia Decides) and culminates in the biggest event on my tv year! Go Australia (although I hate the song)

Leave a Reply