EUROVISION – AUSTRALIA DECIDES

F E AT U R E OUR 12 POINTS GO TO...

Eurovision – Australia Decides is the nation’s chance to choose who we send to The Eurovision Song Contest, happening this year in Turin, Italy. Cain Cooper caught up with three fabulous contenders…

ISAIAH FIREBRACE

We first encountered gorgeous Isaiah on X-Factor in 2016. Since then, he’s represented Australia at Eurovision in Kyiv in 2017 with Don’t Come Easy.

DNA: What made you decide to return to Eurovision? Isaiah Firebrace: C’mon it’s Eurovision! I was like, if I get another chance, one-hundred percent, I’m back! Also, coming out of covid and the entertainment industry opening up again is super exciting. What can you tell us about the new song? The stars aligned with the song that I have for Eurovision, which is a duet. I wrote it and collaborated on it with my [as yet unrevealed] duet partner. When we heard about Eurovision – Australia Decides starting up again, we put it forward and SBS wanted us onboard. If I get to debut this song, with this incredible duet partner, and put it out there on a big stage, that’s awesome as a music artist. If we make it to Italy, then fuck yeah! That’ll be cool. Your duet partner is being kept secret for now; what can you reveal about the song? It’s mid-tempo but it’s got a big chorus. It’s got a ballad feel but it’s also boppy. It’s not easy to sing, and with my duet partner adding their own flair to it, it creates this very cool dynamic. This time I’ve written a song that is Eurovision-worthy. It sounds like you want to just come out with it already… I can’t wait to have this song out. I can forget about keeping it a secret. I think they’re announcing my duet partner on the night of the show… or right before, I don’t know! So, someone with a big profile? I’m leaving all the queries for everyone else to decide. But we’ve already been talking about stage production, what we’re going to do, look like, what we’re going to wear. I’m keen to see how people react to it. It’s a song that I love. Eurovision is this big, creative, fun time! What fond memories do you have from Kyiv, and of Don’t Come Easy? It’s a blur. I’d just won X-Factor and then I got approached to do Eurovision. That whole whirlwind was crazy, non-stop, and soon enough I was on the plane to the Ukraine, doing all this press… I look back now and wonder how I did all that. I was so young. There are fond memories, though. Being someone from the country, being on a plane, never having been out of Australia, it was cool. The iso version of Don’t Come Easy on your YouTube sounds more mature. For sure. When I first did Eurovision I was only 17. When I look back and listen to some of my X-Factor performances I was like a deer in the headlights! I’ve grown from all of that, vocally and as a person. I can see how much I’ve grown from 17 to now turning 22. So much has happened. What advice would you give your younger self, or young artists being propelled to fame early and quickly? I was this kid who had his life turned on its head. Everyone was telling me how good I was that I’d won this show! I couldn’t even believe that about myself, that I had this “career”, was someone “well-known”. I now have more of a sense of worth and pride, and I’m proud of myself and the things I’ve done. I’ve always loved having a voice and the gift I have. A big part of someone’s self-growth is taking ownership of who you are and what you have.

Music has honestly saved me. The songs I listened to and the artists I was inspired by, they were authentic in their songs for their story, and it helped me. If I can do that, I’m going to help other people out there. That’s my big goal for music anyway. What do you see for yourself postEurovision? I want to keep writing my own authentic songs, my stories, and not be so middle-of-the-road. Be deeper, dive into my artistry and make the music I love. Earlier in my career I was inf luenced to go in a certain direction, pick songs that weren’t necessarily me. Now I’m focused on my stories, what I want to tell, and I want to stand by that. That’s what music is about: being vulnerable and sharing those things. That’s how you connect with people. Is releasing music when it’s ready reflective of how people consume music now? Streaming is so crazy these days; how easy it is to get a song up on platforms, even for independent artists. Besides your haircut, what will be different about performing live after the pandemic? Eurovision is a pretty big stage and a big audience so I’m gonna be nervous! But I’ll be more confident, more grounded in myself. I look back at my performances in the past and I’m really into it, giving it my all… that will always remain the same. Maybe, with more swagger now! There’re some cheeky shirtless photos on your Instagram. When can we have you over for a DNA photoshoot? Ha! We’ll have to organise that. Maybe. It’s cool to embrace your sexy side. That’s all I’m going to say! [Laughs] What message do you have for DNA readers? I’ve got a lot of fans in the community and I’m such a big supporter. I’m very grateful to have fans from the LGBTQI+… A… I feel rude when I get it wrong! We all want the same thing: love, positivity. We’re all human. I encourage everyone to keep being you, keep being authentic. Shine bright! Shine bright!

JUDE YORK

Hailing from Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, Jude was in the first wave of artists revealed for Australia Decides. A breath of fresh enthusiasm, he tells DNA about embracing his weirdness and what it means to be a queer artist in 2022.

DNA: What was your reaction when you found out your song woud be included in Eurovision – Australia Decides? Jude York: My mind was blown. When I got the call and I was just dancing around my bedroom – it was a dream! What’s your new song for Eurovision, I Won’t Need To Dream about? Hope. It’s a very genuine expression of wanting to believe that things will get better. Billy Stonecipher and I wrote the song that we needed to hear that day – a song that reminded us that we shouldn’t give up on these ridiculously big dreams we both have. As clichéd and as Disney as it sounds, they can actually come true. It was the third or fourth song we’d written together. We’re inspired by the old-fashioned songs from the ’30s and ’40s that had simplistic lyrics like Somewhere Over The Rainbow. A few months later the submissions for Eurovision – Australia Decides were open and… here we are! What does your version sound like? It’s a piano ballad with an uplifting twist and it’s genuine to my own experiences. Have you prepared yourself for the prospect of going to Turin? Oh, man… that is “the dream!” It’s on my list of things to do next year, regardless of what happens. I want to go to see Eurovision or just go to Europe, assuming that it will be a possibility, considering covid. Have you always been a Eurovision fan? Yeah. To a lot of Australian kids growing up it was just something that was on TV. With Australia getting accepted into it, it became much more of a tradition in my family to watch it. It’s very surreal that I’m sort of being welcomed into this world. It’s a little intimidating but I’m so excited. I’m a huge fan of Jaguar Jones and Isaiah’s song Don’t Come Easy was one of my favourites. I’ve had that on my Spotify playlist since it came out. I was obsessed with Dami Im’s performance – a song that got me excited about singing ballads. On your YouTube channel, you’ve said that you “embrace your weirdness”. I want to give one-hundred percent to every crazy idea I have. The result has been making songs about very strange scenarios, using unique samples, writing from the perspective of serial killers, and also love interests, and writing from as many different angles as I possibly can. Trying not to tame the creativity. It’s important to embrace your weirdness because that uniqueness helps create different stories for queer people. For me, the story people will be seeing on Australia Decides is a queer artist who’s written a song about hope that, hopefully, people from across the gender and sexuality spectrum can relate to. Do you see similarities between yourself and other queer artists in 2022? One artist I’ve started following this year is Jake Wesley Rogers. He’s this awesome queer artist with an Elton John inf luence: piano ballads, but utterly fabulous! I see myself on that wavelength, maybe not as avant garde with the fashion, but I just love his honest approach to song writing. Do you think releasing your music via a reality TV show will hinder or help you find an audience? I think help, surely. Eurovision is about music and the fan base is so loyal. I’m not in a position to complain about a quick rise to stardom, that sounds ideal to me right now! I’ve paid my dues, I’ve done terrible gigs, I’m ready for it! What message would you have for people that may be looking to you for words of wisdom? Well, I’d be very honoured if anyone was looking to me for words of wisdom. I think one thing that pops into mind is that there’s no one-size-fits-all for queerness, and that even though sometimes it feels like we see a certain type of queerness being represented more than others… you really can be any colour, any size, as any gender, any identity that you want. I’m a skinny musical theatre nerd who got picked on at school. It’s so great that we have a community of people that don’t fit the mould. I celebrate them and I love them. On the night in February, will you be wearing something fabulous? I hope I wear something fabulous, I don’t know though, I’m torn. One part of me wants to rock up like it’s the Met Gala but the other part of me is like, no, keep it relatable, keep it humble, let people see the authentic me. Both sides are authentic. You’ll just have to wait and see.

SHELDON RILEY

Eurovision superfan Sheldon is no stranger to singing contests. He’s X-Factor, The Voice and America’s Got Talent alumni. He describes his brand as “painful lyrics, heavenly sounds and crystal veils” and suggests we “be prepared” for his big moment on the Eurovision –Australia Decides stage.

DNA: You’ve made no secret that you love Eurovision. Did SBS ask you to participate or did you bang down their door? Sheldon Riley: There’s been a lot of social climbing. SBS have known how long I’ve wanted to be a part of Australia Decides and ultimately represent the country. What is it about Eurovision that you love so much? It’s… everything. I can’t think of anything I don’t love, even down to waiting for the delay when the hosts link to the country to give the votes. It brings everyone around the world together. I remember watching as a kid – it was camp, it was what everyone knows Eurovision to be, but it’s evolved into something quite cinematic and very fashion-forward. What’s your favourite fashion moment of Eurovision? Was it Conchita when she looked like a champagne glass? Conchita changed my life, but I fell in love with Barbara Pravi from France. Her being invited to the Dior Heritage Archives to choose outfits and design with Dior, that’s fucking amazing. I messaged her on Instagram and when she replied I nearly had a heart attack. Did you like the winning song by Måneskin last year? It’s fun. I saw their success coming a mile away. They’re all so stunningly beautiful and can perform their arses off. It was exciting to watch a group of no-fucks-given people perform whatever they wanted… and win. When did you become aware of the power of your voice? I’ve always known I can sing. I can’t do much else. I knew I wanted to be in the light, which is crazy for someone who was always introverted but, in the back of my mind, absolutely wanted to be in the light. What can you reveal about your Australia Decides song, Not The Same? I wrote the song myself. It’s dark, orchestral and it has a big moment. Just be prepared. It builds and then visually there’s this massive thing that happens that helps people understand me. I know I’m ready for Eurovision now because I’m ready to be authentic. There’s this “glittery, camp, rainbows” culture in Eurovision, but the artists I love the most are the ones that don’t change themselves or their style to fit Eurovision. I write painful music, I want it to sound beautiful, and I will almost always have some sort of veil over my face. That’s the authentic version of myself. Who’ve been your LGBTQIA+ role models or mentors? Adam Lambert’s one of my greatest inspirations. I love his music and he paved the way for people to go, “Okay, it will work in the industry.” I’m inspired by fashion – Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, the designers who create “wow” moments. When I’m making something to wear, the music is in mind or being written. This Eurovision song coming is inspired by Billie Eilish and the James Bond vibe. The Met Gala is my big fashion dream and Eurovision is my big music dream. What does it mean to have queer representation in 2022? I don’t want to sit here and preach the rainbow f lag, but you’ve got people everywhere in the world who are, even a tiny bit afraid of who they were born to be. Before I decided that I was safe and comfortable doing what I do – I mean, I dress up every day – I was unable to achieve anything. Queer representation in music, media, sport, anything is important. What about your coming out experience? It was hard. I come from a religious family. I felt very uncomfortable watching Conchita on TV, and I remember watching that and wanting to tell everyone about it. My mum and dad were good. It took a while but I came out very early, and decided to go on X-Factor and say, “I’m gay!” They couldn’t say anything about it because it was on TV so they had to be supportive. I’m glad I came out early. I’m 22 now, and that feels like decades ago. And now, romance! There’s a red-hot ginger boyfriend in your Instagram posts. He’s beautiful. I met [Zachery] at the end of The Voice in 2018 and we’ve been together ever since. I’m so deeply in love with him. I’m not someone who goes out and looks for love, this kinda happened and I’m very grateful. He’s a very beautiful looking human, and a very beautiful soul, too. What’s something that might surprise people about you? I grew up in public housing. I didn’t have much money. The way I dress, people probably assume I’ve got a fuck ton of money, but I work very hard. I’ve got some backing now, but I’ve worked my arse off to get here. Aside from the crystal/jewellery masks, a lot of the clothes I make myself. But I’m working with a designer for Australia Decides. The outfit is fucking everything! Eurovision aside, what are your future plans? As soon as we get the green light, after covid, it’ll be “bang-bang, let’s get it done!” There are so many places to perform, there’s such an audience, such a vibe. I’m excited to finally meet the European market and show them what I can do. What’s your 30-second message for the voting public? I would be so honoured to represent Australia. It would mean the world to me. I feel like I bring Eurovision just by walking into the room. People could go, “Remember 2022 when Sheldon did that crazy thing, with that amazing song?” I’m inspired by what Dami’s done, Kate Miller-Heidke, and so many Eurovision artists. I’d love to be a part of that. If you love what I do, vote for me in February.

MORE: Eurovision – Australia Decides 2022 airs live on SBS and SBS On Demand on Saturday 26 February. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketek.