Guy Sebastian is 12th in the lineup at the Eurovision contest. Photo / AP
Guy Sebastian is 12th in the lineup at the Eurovision contest. Photo / AP
Kitsch song contest takes on a Downunder flavour.
Guy Sebastian will become the first Australian to represent his country in the finals of Eurovision Song this morning.
Sebastian, the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003 and an X Factor judge, will sing Tonight Again as number 12 in the line-up of 27 finalists.
Australia was invited totake part in the 60th Eurovision as part of a deal under with Australia's Special Broadcasting Service.
Like other European participants, SBS has paid a hefty participation fee, on top of its broadcasting fee, to ensure Sebastian can go straight into the final round, along with other countries such as France, Britain, Spain and Italy, who are given an automatic berth in the coveted final.
Australians have travelled across the globe to descend on Eurovision Song with some paying up to A$1100 ($1178) to get into the kitsch music event.
The Aussies were not hard to pick among some 11,000 fans queuing to get into the Wiener Stadthalle for the contest. Many dressed to impress in koala and kangaroo onesies, draped themselves in flags and even frocked up as Kylie Minogue and Dame Edna.
This is the second time Vienna has hosted the contest. The right came when drag artist Conchita Wurst brought home the trophy with her Rise Like A Phoenix from Copenhagen the year before.
Sebastian was born in Malaysia and moved with his family to Australia at the age of 6.
The 33-year-old is the only male artist to have ever achieved six number one singles and two number one albums in Australian chart history.
Sweden, Russia and Italy are among the favourites to win the Eurovision contest but, if Australia wins, it will be able to return for next year's edition, which would be organised by SBS but held in a European host city of its choice.
