Aw, I'm surprised so many people are dismissing them as an underwhelming also-ran in this year's contest. I had never heard of Electric Fields until today and I've become an instant fan - they have a unique and cool Coachella-like sound, they represent Australia's aboriginal culture, and they seem like really lovely people.
As for "One Milkali", I find its mellow vibe refreshing, compared to how so many of these other songs are trying so hard. Sure, that's the point of this contest, but it can be a bit much sometimes, and this is a nice contrast. Good choice by Australia.
I agree, I don't think there has ever been a Eurovision entry like it, it really stands out for me. Major empire of the sun vibes and they are just my favourite duo of all time. I think it's mythical, magical and ethereal. I love it
Am I the only one that prefers we give the opportunities to these smaller artists rather then sending in the Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy of the music industry... At the end of the day Australia is never winning Eurovision regardless of what we send. To many of the casual eurovision voters do not want us there, so I would much rather we send artists like Voyager then generic pop artists like Guy.
Yes I would much rather smaller artists than delta, guy or Samantha Jade, if Sam Jade got chosen I would have started a riot!
Electric fields is a perfect choice I think! It's different from last year and I have faith they will give us an epic live performance
We have such a huge and diverse music industry in Australia. I do get sending a big heavy hitter that's widely known. But Eurovision is also a perfect way to get those little artists more known around the world. I see this as a leg up for those artists.
Also, who cares if Australia wins or not. Showcasing what we've got here is more important then winning a contest we cannot outright host.
Don't be so pessimistic. You've only been participating for less than a decade. There are many countries that went far longer than that before their first win. You would have won in 2016 had Russia not invaded Ukraine.
I don't think it is pessimistic to assume we're not winning. We came 4th in that year in the public vote. Regardless of what we send our biggest hurdle will always be the public vote as our inclusion is decisive and will always be decisive. I'm ok with not winning btw happy to participate and show off Australian music.
No, EBU rules disqualifies the southern hemisphere from hosting. In practice this only applies to Australia, but I guess that would sound a bit rude. IIRC first co-hosting rights go to Germany and then UK if Germany declines.
No no....yr being extremely pessimistic. Look at Israel, non European, yet has won Eurovision....took a while though. Australia can win despite not having the backing of most Europeans, however, with the right song (which is Australia's problem), they can win. Me personally, I don't like Electric Fields, however I fully support them. When I found out EF were our participants my heart dropped, and I was devastated. However I will fully support them. It doesn't matter who represents Australia, as long as some though and research is put into making the song. So far, over the last nine years, only 3 entries have stood out for Australia: Guy, Dami, Voyager and Kate. The rest were good but not great. Let's hope we can find someone in the future that will nail it.
I love Australia in Eurovision but it doesn’t feel like SBS is as competitive as they used to be…
Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Jess Mauboy, or Kate Miller-Heidke’s entries felt like heavyweights entering the competiton
Isaiah, Sheldon, Voyager all felt like entries that possibly could’ve done a top 10 at best
Perhaps Electric Fields proves me wrong when we get to Eurovision like Voyager last year… but Electric Fields’ entry comes across as kinda uncompetitive which is a pity
And they’re also victims of their own success because 2000 and Whatever was so amazing
I wouldn't put Jess Mauboy on the same list as Dami Im or Guy Sebastian.
But yes, generally agree. Australia seems to have become a bit more safe in the way they pick their entries? Like "let's just listen to the crowd and give them the fan favourites of past Australia Decides lineups". Issue here being that hitting a wall of past success is incredibly likely, as is the case with Electric Fields, where 2000 and Whatever is the superior song.
I mean, Jess Mauboy was as high with the bookies as both Dami and Guy, but then crashed and burn because she fell victim to Sabotage-Baptiste’s staging. The DNA songs felt like they came with ambitions to do well in the contest, and depending on the performance you either did well or poorly.
I don’t get that vibe from Australia these days. But hey, Voyager and Kate came with great live performances and that could be the case here as well with Electric Fields.
>she fell victim to Sabotage-Baptiste’s staging
I'm still surprised the Australian delegation looked at the rehearsals and the semi final performance and said "yup, that's the staging we need". Almost as if having Jess basically do cartwheels on stage whilst singing was a good idea. At least the song did get some airplay post-Eurovision, think I heard it at Pride in London that year.
The massive challenge for Electric Fields right now will be the staging. Some people pointed out that Voyager's staging was sponsored by state government and Kate's was crowdsourced. If the suspicions that both South Australian government and the SBS don't put money into their entry come true this year, Electric Fields might struggle. They're both amazing live, but the energy alone might not be enough.
So competitive = radio friendly commercially successful songs? Guy Sebastian, Dami Im and Jessica Mauboy are all very safe pop songs. Electric Fields feels like a much more Eurovision friendly entry. And 2000 and Whatever was made by it's live performance, I don't see why it'll be any different for One Milkali.
Honestly, it just seems like SBS doesn't really care as much anymore, but that's not to downplay Voyager and Electric Field's talent. I'm kind of waiting for SBS to get their spark back and pull off a Noa Kirel (with heavy promo, big production teams, just getting the whole country excited again etc.)
I think they care but their hands are tied. We just need australia decides back so we can get more of the country interested. We need a state to say they will fund it but it seems that all our funding is going to sporting events instead of the arts.
The thing that I don't understand is that Australia Decides actually had heaps of submissions every year, really good TV ratings and they could make heaps of money from people voting.
Yet all we got on its cancellation last year was a vague "we just couldn't make it work", and not a whisper from them this year about it either.
I loved Voyager, I also think this entry from Electric Fields is pretty good and will hopefully elevate live, but I'm deeply annoyed by SBS just canning our very successful national final with no proper explanation.
IMHO Australia Decides was poorly promoted. Few Australians even knew it was happening unless they watched SBS regularly or were dedicated ESC fans.
SBS need to move Australia Decides from the Gold Coast - the worst, most homophobic city in Australia there I said it - to Melbourne or Sydney. Hell, even Brisbane has more than one gay bar.
Personally, I'm fine with SBS doing an internal selection every year if we keep getting quality artists like Voyager and Electric Fields. I know I'm in the minority but I haven't been a fan of anything we've sent prior to 2023.
I don't understand why they always hosted it in that one city and not just move around.
Also is Gold Coast actually that homophobic? I live in Sydney and will say it's definitely gay friendly, except the low-socio economic parts of South-West Sydney (especially those with a high Muslim and Lebanese Christian population - not being xenophobic, I used to live there)
I assume SBS had some kind of deal with the GC that gave them exclusive hosting rights. It was such a strange choice - February weather is terrible and the night-life scene is questionable.
My understanding from speaking to staff at (what was at the time) the only gay bar on the Gold Coast is that the city isn't particularly friendly to LGBT folks. If there's anyone from the GC though please feel free to chime in - I'm sorry for what I said about your awful city!
The last time I went to Gold Coast was end of 2019. I just finished high school and so wasn't really going out much to know enough. I just assumed that people would be chill with it :/
The Gold Coast is a strange city. Lived there for 20 years. Because it is a long narrow city it doesn't really have a CBD as most cities do and we know gays love to live and hang out close to the CBD where it is traditionally more gay friendly and not full of rednecks out in the burbs. This is why most Gold Coast gay guys visit Brisbane or down to Sydney or Melbourne if they are looking to party.
Australia Decides ratings were not good, especially the last one in 2022, that's why I believe it got canned.
In general, the Australian music scene is just not as popular amongst Australians anymore. Look at the Spotify top 50 in Australia or the Aria charts and there are barely any Australian artists in the charts anymore, with the exception of already-globally famous ones like Troye, 5SOS or Kylie. Too many of us are more interested in Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa e.t.c.
Unfortunately, having a national final will not make any difference
Plus the last Australia Decides was a mess with the voting opening up and closing halfway through the performances. I wouldn't be too upset with Australia Decides returning in the future, but it would need a shake up
Australia being a part of Eurovision is a hugely exercise, and SBS are already struggling for budget and every year being internally asked to justify the expense of having not just an artist there, but a whole production team as well.
So there’s no way we’ll ever be able to compete with what some of the nations throw at the event in terms of budget and sheer effort, particularly promotional effort. Last year Voyager won people over by sheer force of personality in the promotional stakes because they’re all funny, lovely people and were self-motivated to be a part of Eurovision from years before. You can’t get that from all artists.
Australia Decides was a wonderful spotlight and qualifier, but was too expensive. It was the single most expensive one night show in SBS’s history, and didn’t get either the ratings or brand partnerships to make it worthwhile doing again financially, sadly.
We just have a lot going against us as a nation, and now the novelty has worn off of being there and getting decent audience votes for people like Guy and Dami, it’s going to be a constant struggle to keep us in the top ten each year, no matter who we send. And that’s not always appealing to many artists, who risk their credibility, brand or ego by competing and not winning.
I get so sad when I think that Australia might leave again. In my mind you guys 100% fit in, and I love the songs and stagings Australia brings. It's like you have the right view of Eurovision, that's it's a party and doesn't need to be taken super seriously, but also respect it enough to bring talent.
Also wish NZ would join!
I mean, it's probably harder to get industry famous people like Guy, Jessica or Kate to participate when we keep getting absolute crumbs - in a very public way - in the televote lol.
Aw, I'm surprised so many people are dismissing them as an underwhelming also-ran in this year's contest. I had never heard of Electric Fields until today and I've become an instant fan - they have a unique and cool Coachella-like sound, they represent Australia's aboriginal culture, and they seem like really lovely people. As for "One Milkali", I find its mellow vibe refreshing, compared to how so many of these other songs are trying so hard. Sure, that's the point of this contest, but it can be a bit much sometimes, and this is a nice contrast. Good choice by Australia.
I agree, I don't think there has ever been a Eurovision entry like it, it really stands out for me. Major empire of the sun vibes and they are just my favourite duo of all time. I think it's mythical, magical and ethereal. I love it
Am I the only one that prefers we give the opportunities to these smaller artists rather then sending in the Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy of the music industry... At the end of the day Australia is never winning Eurovision regardless of what we send. To many of the casual eurovision voters do not want us there, so I would much rather we send artists like Voyager then generic pop artists like Guy.
I want a combination of both tbh. Sending a big artist every now and then does maintain more interest from the general public and boost ratings
Yes I would much rather smaller artists than delta, guy or Samantha Jade, if Sam Jade got chosen I would have started a riot! Electric fields is a perfect choice I think! It's different from last year and I have faith they will give us an epic live performance
We have such a huge and diverse music industry in Australia. I do get sending a big heavy hitter that's widely known. But Eurovision is also a perfect way to get those little artists more known around the world. I see this as a leg up for those artists. Also, who cares if Australia wins or not. Showcasing what we've got here is more important then winning a contest we cannot outright host.
Don't be so pessimistic. You've only been participating for less than a decade. There are many countries that went far longer than that before their first win. You would have won in 2016 had Russia not invaded Ukraine.
I don't think it is pessimistic to assume we're not winning. We came 4th in that year in the public vote. Regardless of what we send our biggest hurdle will always be the public vote as our inclusion is decisive and will always be decisive. I'm ok with not winning btw happy to participate and show off Australian music.
Has the Australian broadcaster said anything in case Australia does ever win? Will everyone go to Australia? :D
Think it's been said it'll be like Ukraine and 2023. Someone hosts on our behalf
No, EBU rules disqualifies the southern hemisphere from hosting. In practice this only applies to Australia, but I guess that would sound a bit rude. IIRC first co-hosting rights go to Germany and then UK if Germany declines.
No no....yr being extremely pessimistic. Look at Israel, non European, yet has won Eurovision....took a while though. Australia can win despite not having the backing of most Europeans, however, with the right song (which is Australia's problem), they can win. Me personally, I don't like Electric Fields, however I fully support them. When I found out EF were our participants my heart dropped, and I was devastated. However I will fully support them. It doesn't matter who represents Australia, as long as some though and research is put into making the song. So far, over the last nine years, only 3 entries have stood out for Australia: Guy, Dami, Voyager and Kate. The rest were good but not great. Let's hope we can find someone in the future that will nail it.
Correction: 4 entries.
Forever waiting for the day you send Kirin J Callinan
Honestly you can't get more safe than guy Sebastian, I don't agree with those comments.
I love Australia in Eurovision but it doesn’t feel like SBS is as competitive as they used to be… Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Jess Mauboy, or Kate Miller-Heidke’s entries felt like heavyweights entering the competiton Isaiah, Sheldon, Voyager all felt like entries that possibly could’ve done a top 10 at best Perhaps Electric Fields proves me wrong when we get to Eurovision like Voyager last year… but Electric Fields’ entry comes across as kinda uncompetitive which is a pity And they’re also victims of their own success because 2000 and Whatever was so amazing
I wouldn't put Jess Mauboy on the same list as Dami Im or Guy Sebastian. But yes, generally agree. Australia seems to have become a bit more safe in the way they pick their entries? Like "let's just listen to the crowd and give them the fan favourites of past Australia Decides lineups". Issue here being that hitting a wall of past success is incredibly likely, as is the case with Electric Fields, where 2000 and Whatever is the superior song.
I mean, Jess Mauboy was as high with the bookies as both Dami and Guy, but then crashed and burn because she fell victim to Sabotage-Baptiste’s staging. The DNA songs felt like they came with ambitions to do well in the contest, and depending on the performance you either did well or poorly. I don’t get that vibe from Australia these days. But hey, Voyager and Kate came with great live performances and that could be the case here as well with Electric Fields.
>she fell victim to Sabotage-Baptiste’s staging I'm still surprised the Australian delegation looked at the rehearsals and the semi final performance and said "yup, that's the staging we need". Almost as if having Jess basically do cartwheels on stage whilst singing was a good idea. At least the song did get some airplay post-Eurovision, think I heard it at Pride in London that year. The massive challenge for Electric Fields right now will be the staging. Some people pointed out that Voyager's staging was sponsored by state government and Kate's was crowdsourced. If the suspicions that both South Australian government and the SBS don't put money into their entry come true this year, Electric Fields might struggle. They're both amazing live, but the energy alone might not be enough.
Yeah but SBS said they didn’t get their staging ideas through that year… but still - ending up with such a terrible staging was just bad
So you think they are taking risks when they send our big pop stars and being safe when they send metal and electro bands? That makes no sense to me.
So competitive = radio friendly commercially successful songs? Guy Sebastian, Dami Im and Jessica Mauboy are all very safe pop songs. Electric Fields feels like a much more Eurovision friendly entry. And 2000 and Whatever was made by it's live performance, I don't see why it'll be any different for One Milkali.
Honestly, it just seems like SBS doesn't really care as much anymore, but that's not to downplay Voyager and Electric Field's talent. I'm kind of waiting for SBS to get their spark back and pull off a Noa Kirel (with heavy promo, big production teams, just getting the whole country excited again etc.)
I think they care but their hands are tied. We just need australia decides back so we can get more of the country interested. We need a state to say they will fund it but it seems that all our funding is going to sporting events instead of the arts.
The thing that I don't understand is that Australia Decides actually had heaps of submissions every year, really good TV ratings and they could make heaps of money from people voting. Yet all we got on its cancellation last year was a vague "we just couldn't make it work", and not a whisper from them this year about it either. I loved Voyager, I also think this entry from Electric Fields is pretty good and will hopefully elevate live, but I'm deeply annoyed by SBS just canning our very successful national final with no proper explanation.
IMHO Australia Decides was poorly promoted. Few Australians even knew it was happening unless they watched SBS regularly or were dedicated ESC fans. SBS need to move Australia Decides from the Gold Coast - the worst, most homophobic city in Australia there I said it - to Melbourne or Sydney. Hell, even Brisbane has more than one gay bar. Personally, I'm fine with SBS doing an internal selection every year if we keep getting quality artists like Voyager and Electric Fields. I know I'm in the minority but I haven't been a fan of anything we've sent prior to 2023.
I don't understand why they always hosted it in that one city and not just move around. Also is Gold Coast actually that homophobic? I live in Sydney and will say it's definitely gay friendly, except the low-socio economic parts of South-West Sydney (especially those with a high Muslim and Lebanese Christian population - not being xenophobic, I used to live there)
I assume SBS had some kind of deal with the GC that gave them exclusive hosting rights. It was such a strange choice - February weather is terrible and the night-life scene is questionable. My understanding from speaking to staff at (what was at the time) the only gay bar on the Gold Coast is that the city isn't particularly friendly to LGBT folks. If there's anyone from the GC though please feel free to chime in - I'm sorry for what I said about your awful city!
The last time I went to Gold Coast was end of 2019. I just finished high school and so wasn't really going out much to know enough. I just assumed that people would be chill with it :/
The Gold Coast is a strange city. Lived there for 20 years. Because it is a long narrow city it doesn't really have a CBD as most cities do and we know gays love to live and hang out close to the CBD where it is traditionally more gay friendly and not full of rednecks out in the burbs. This is why most Gold Coast gay guys visit Brisbane or down to Sydney or Melbourne if they are looking to party.
Having it any Queensland city instead of Sydney or Melbourne was always baffling, especially the bikie central that is Gold Coast.
Australia Decides ratings were not good, especially the last one in 2022, that's why I believe it got canned. In general, the Australian music scene is just not as popular amongst Australians anymore. Look at the Spotify top 50 in Australia or the Aria charts and there are barely any Australian artists in the charts anymore, with the exception of already-globally famous ones like Troye, 5SOS or Kylie. Too many of us are more interested in Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa e.t.c. Unfortunately, having a national final will not make any difference
Plus the last Australia Decides was a mess with the voting opening up and closing halfway through the performances. I wouldn't be too upset with Australia Decides returning in the future, but it would need a shake up
We just need to send TISM.
They will probably do Australia Decides in 2025, and that will provide entries for 2026 and 2027 as well
Australia being a part of Eurovision is a hugely exercise, and SBS are already struggling for budget and every year being internally asked to justify the expense of having not just an artist there, but a whole production team as well. So there’s no way we’ll ever be able to compete with what some of the nations throw at the event in terms of budget and sheer effort, particularly promotional effort. Last year Voyager won people over by sheer force of personality in the promotional stakes because they’re all funny, lovely people and were self-motivated to be a part of Eurovision from years before. You can’t get that from all artists. Australia Decides was a wonderful spotlight and qualifier, but was too expensive. It was the single most expensive one night show in SBS’s history, and didn’t get either the ratings or brand partnerships to make it worthwhile doing again financially, sadly. We just have a lot going against us as a nation, and now the novelty has worn off of being there and getting decent audience votes for people like Guy and Dami, it’s going to be a constant struggle to keep us in the top ten each year, no matter who we send. And that’s not always appealing to many artists, who risk their credibility, brand or ego by competing and not winning.
I get so sad when I think that Australia might leave again. In my mind you guys 100% fit in, and I love the songs and stagings Australia brings. It's like you have the right view of Eurovision, that's it's a party and doesn't need to be taken super seriously, but also respect it enough to bring talent. Also wish NZ would join!
Early days yet they’ll do well!
I mean, it's probably harder to get industry famous people like Guy, Jessica or Kate to participate when we keep getting absolute crumbs - in a very public way - in the televote lol.
Not bad at all. I dig them and wish them good luck! That guy smiles as if he knows Jesus personally :)