Our Aussie Eurovision Fan of the Week is Emma from Melbourne aka @asha_76 from Twitter and one of our favourite listeners of our podcast! You may have heard her opinions on our recent Australia Decides podcast series.
Read her full Q&A with us on all things Eurovision.
What is your name and where are you from?
I’m Emma from Melbourne, Australia
What do you do or tell us something interesting about you?
I’m a librarian who is currently working in Administration and mother of two children who have had no choice but to love all things Eurovision. They may have questionable music taste but their knowledge of European flags is better than most adults!
We love the fact you force your children to love Eurovision, mum of the year material! ~ Aussievision
When did you first get into Eurovision?
I first learnt of the contest in 1990 from my Year 9 Italian teacher. However I didn’t come across it again until I met my future husband in 1998. He had come across the 1997 contest on SBS by accident whilst flicking channels one Sunday night. He knew nothing about it yet correctly predicted Love Shine a Light by Katrina and the Waves (UK) as the winner. He began following the contest from then on and as I am a huge music fan we made a point of watching the contest together every year. We used to get up early and watch the contest live through the BBC webstream and were thrilled when SBS began showing it live in Australia in 2015.
That's amazing you both have been huge fans for years!
Which is your favourite Eurovision year and why?
2016. Petra and Mans were fantastic hosts who not only had great chemistry between themselves but also with the audience. Impressively they also went on to perform in numerous songs over the three nights such as ‘Love Love Peace Peace’ and ‘That’s Eurovision’ which I love to go back and watch. Plus you had a very enjoyable interval act with Justin Timberlake and of course, who could forget Dami almost stealing the show? Whilst the jury votes were being read out, we were all screaming on the couch thinking that she had done what we all thought was impossible...alas it was not to be.
What a fantastic year and what a painful moment for all Australians!
If you could change one thing about Eurovision what would it be?
I would like to see artists playing their instruments live on stage again instead of ‘miming’ to a backing track but I don’t think it can be done anymore for technical reasons now that there is no live orchestra.
If you could only listen to three Eurovision songs for the rest of time, what would you choose?
Hey Mamma – Sunstroke Project (2017), If Love Was A Crime – Poli Genova (2016), Rhythm Inside – Loic Noittet (2015)
Interesting to see three recent ones from someone who has loved the contest for years!
Which Eurovision song:
Had the best staging?
You Are the Only One – Sergey Lazarev (Russia 2016) – not my favourite song but the staging blew me away. I immediately went back and watched the performance again so I could take it all in.
Best live vocal?
So many contenders but Beauty Never Lies by Bojana Stamenov (Serbia 2015). Her voice took this to a whole new level, particularly as the song moved into the EDM part.
Was robbed?
Verona – Koit Toome & Laura (Estonia 2017). My second favourite song in 2017 which seemed to be popular with most Eurovision fans in the lead up to the contest. It blew me away when it missed the finals, so much so that I remember yelling at the tv!
Agree entirely, there was a lot of emotions here too...
From before 2000 is your favourite?
A-Ba-Ni-Bi - Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta (Israel 1978). A funky disco number that encapsulates everything I love about Eurovision from the late 70’s/early 80’s – six singer/dancers in sparkly costumes trying to move as one and not trip over their microphone cords and stands!
Do you enjoy more now, than when they performed?
A Million Voices – Polina Gargarina (Russia 2015). This song had an “Olympic anthem’ feel about it that made me think it deserved to be heard again on the world stage. When I re-watch this, I realise what a great singer Polina was and am very sad that she was booed and probably lost votes because she was Russian. In many other years, I think this song would have won.
Have to agree on this one as well, a real potential winner there.
Did you last play? Satellite by Lena (Germany 2010) and Heroes by Mans Zelmerlow (Sweden 2015).
Is your guilty pleasure? Moustache – Twin Twin (France 2014). I loved the studio cut and video but unfortunately it just didn’t look or sound good when performed live.
Emma you have impeccable taste, love it! ~ Dale
Any other interesting honourable mentions?
I have a soft spot for some of the foreign language songs where I haven’t understood a word but it hasn’t mattered because I’ve enjoyed the music and/or vocals so much. Some of my favourites are – Adio by Knez (Montenegro 2015), Ég Á Líf by Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson (Iceland 2013), Et Uus Saaks Alguse by Birgit Õigemeel (Estonia 2013) and Caroban by Nina (Serbia 2011).
All fantastic choices!
What are your favourite songs for Eurovision 2019?
Norway, Australia & Azerbaijan
And finally...
Tonight Again, Sound of Silence, Don’t Come Easy, We Got Love or Zero Gravity?
Very close between Zero Gravity and Tonight Again but I’m going to give it to Zero Gravity, purely because it is the first song chosen by the Australian public to represent us at Eurovision and I love the song!
Thank you so much for your time Emma!