With just days until show time, SBS and Blink TV have announced the final two songs for Eurovision – Australia Decides. Much-loved indie band Sheppard will sing the ultimate love song On My Way, while ARIA award-winner Tania Doko’s Piece of Me is full of heart.
“On My Way is about someone craving the uncontrollable heat and passion they feel when they are with the one they love,” said Sheppard. “It’s about excitedly making their way to reunite with their lover, wherever that may be in the world. We love it because it’s quite musically complex, but very easy to listen to.”
“As the song suggests, I am giving Aussie audiences a Piece of Me, and for me that’s pretty special as I’ve been living in Sweden for ten years and I genuinely miss performing in Australia,” said Doko. “For me it’s another reminder of an inescapable truth – that we are all people, not machines.”
“We live in a fast-paced world, and we can all feel like everyone wants a piece of us. But at the end of the day, what’s it all for? Who represents home? Sometimes we forget the ‘why’ and take those closest for granted.”
Hosted on the Gold Coast and broadcast live and exclusively on SBS on Saturday 9 February, Eurovision – Australia Decides will showcase some of Australia’s biggest acts, singing original compositions, for their chance to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
During the Jury Preview Show on Friday 8 February – a Jury of industry experts will vote. During the Live TV Final on Saturday 9 February – the Australian public can vote for their favourite acts via SMS*. The public vote makes up half of the overall vote and public voting will close at approximately 10:15pm AEDT. The winner that receives the most points overall will go on to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in May.
The final ten acts vying for their shot to represent Australia on the world’s biggest stage are: Kate Miller-Heidke (Zero Gravity); Sheppard (On My Way); Mark Vincent (This Is Not The End); Electric Fields (2000 And Whatever); Courtney Act (Fight for Love); Aydan (Dust); Leea Nanos (Set Me Free); Ella Hooper (Data Dust); Tania Doko (Piece of Me); and Alfie Arcuri (To Myself).
“With the release of these two final songs, we now have ten incredible entrants vying to represent Australia on the Eurovision stage,” said SBS Commissioning Editor Josh Martin. “This is an incredibly exciting evolution of Australia’s Eurovision journey, and any one of these acts would do Australia proud. I just wish we could send all ten!”
But wait, there’s more… joining the star-studded line-up for an unforgettable half-time performance is Australian Eurovision royalty Dami Im – who returns to the Eurovision stage after claiming second place in Sweden in 2016 with her power ballad Sound of Silence.
Be a part of history and see it live at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre:
Jury Preview Show – National Jury Vote
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Event: Friday 8 February 2019 – 7.30pm AEST (Not televised)
Matinee Preview Show
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Event: Saturday 9 February 2019 – 1.00pm AEST (Not televised)
Live TV Final – Public Vote
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Event: Saturday 9 February 2019 – 7.30pm (Live and Exclusive TV Broadcast on SBS)
For tickets to all three shows, visit: www.ticketek.com.au For more information, visit: www.eurovisionaustralia.tv for details.
Image: Kate Miller-Heidke, Electric Fields, Aydan, Sheppard, Courtney Act, Mark Vincent, Leea Nanos, Ella Hooper, Alfie Arcuri and Tania Doko – courtesy of SBS