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Vanessa Amorosi & Casey Donovan join Eurovision: Australia Decides

SBS announces first 2 artists to compete for the chance to represent Australia in Rotterdam.

Vanessa Amorosi and Casey Donovan have been announced as the first two artists to compete in Eurovision: Australia Decides 2020.

The event in February will decide who to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands next May.

SBS Commissioning Editor for Entertainment Josh Martin said: “This is the first taste of what is going to be a very special weekend of Australian music! We are delighted that a song submitted to the SBS song portal has found its way to Casey Donovan –one of the greatest voices in the country. Songwriter Justine Eltakchi has a brilliant story and we can’t wait for fans to hear their collaboration when it’s released – it’s really exciting.”

Creative Director Paul Clarke said: “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!”

Vanessa Amorosi said: “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. Listen to my new album Back to Love, released today, and see if you can guess which song it is…”

Casey Donovan said: “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!”

Vanessa’s song writing ability and dynamic vocal range have seen her sell over two million records worldwide. She’s released four critically acclaimed studio albums, received sixteen ARIA and APRA nominations, and released a new album today, marking two decades since the release of her seminal dance anthem Absolutely Everybody.

After a meteoric rise to fame at the age of 16, Casey became the youngest ever winner of Australian Idol in 2004. Over the last thirteen years, she’s made her mark not only as a musician, but also on stage, screen, and as a presenter and writer. Casey is a multi-award winner, including an ARIA No #1 Award for Listen with Your Heart and Deadly Awards for Best Album, Best Single and Most Promising New Talent. She is currently starring in the musical Chicago.

In association with the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland, the City of Gold Coast, Screen Queensland and new partner Moroccanoil, Eurovision – Australia Decides will be presented at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 February and tickets for the Opening Night Show, Matinee Show and Live TV Final are now on sale.

Hosted by SBS Eurovisionaries comedian Joel Creasey and music buff Myf Warhurst Eurovision – Australia Decides will showcase the best of Australian music and bring the nation closer to the Eurovision action. Audiences are encouraged to vote for their favourite acts and the winner will be revealed during the Live TV Final broadcast live and exclusively on SBS on Saturday 8 February.

11 Responses

  1. Australia Decides will undoubtedly be a great show. But what works in Australia doesn’t always translate to Europe.

    Kate Miller-Heidke’s “Zero Gravity” was a unique song with an innovative performance last year but it only got to 9th in Europe.

    2017 and 2018 were forgettable. Can we improve on Dami Im’s 2nd placing in 2016?

    1. 9th place out of 42 songs is great. You can’t expect us to win already when we only started participating 5 years ago and some people in Europe still don’t understand why we are allowed to participate. There have been countries who have been participating for decades who still haven’t won. For example The Netherlands that had their first win this year hadn’t won the competition since 1975.

  2. Wow and Wow, they’re both powerhouse performers, 100% consistently vocally reliable. Vanessa’s vocal range is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and Casey is a really confident Singer with a stage presence that is well honed too. I can’t imagine the yet to be announced contenders coming close to this pair. Pity they can’t enter Eurovision as a duo.

  3. Both are great performers, but Amorosi is far more experienced and has several successful records under her belt, so I would expect a far better song from her.

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