With the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 all wrapped up, we're now looking ahead to the 2022 contest.
We are looking at Australian artists who we would love to see compete at 'Eurovision - Australia Decides' and get their opportunity to represent Australia at Eurovision. We have previously looked at Yolngu rapper and dancer, Baker Boy, the Kiwi-born Aussie pop star, Ricki-Lee, Australian-Filipino pop artist Sheldon Riley and indie pop artist Jack River.
This week, we look at Empire of the Sun, an electronic duo who is a household name in the Australian music scene.
Who are Empire of the Sun?
Empire of the Sun is a duo formed in Sydney, in 2007, by Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore. Luke was actually born in Auckland, New Zealand, but moved to Perth as a child (so we’ll claim him!). He formed the band The Sleepy Jackson in 1998, providing vocals and guitar for the group. Throughout the years, he has worked on tracks for artists such as Jay-Z, Beyonce and Usher. Nick Littlemore comes from a musical family; his brothers and cousin are all in the industry, and Nick is also part of the group Pnau and has also worked as a composer for the Cirque Du Soleil.
The two met in 2000 through a mutual friend and immediately there was an energy between the pair, and finally, years later, they collaborated and formed Empire of the Sun.
Luke (left) and Nick (right) sans costumes. Photo credit: Pinterest and ABC
The group has released three studio albums, all to great success. Their debut album, ‘Walking on a Dream’ was their most successful, charting in ten countries around Europe and also the US. At home, the album is 3x platinum certified by ARIA and peaked at #6 on the charts. The album features hit singles ‘Walking on a Dream’ and ‘We Are the People’.
Their second album, entitled ‘Ice on the Dune’, released in 2013, reached #3 on the Aussie charts and is gold certified, and features their hit ‘Alive’. Finally, their third album ‘Two Vines’ , released in 2016, peaked at #7 on the charts.
The group has a distinct sound of electro-pop with dance beats and infectious hooks, while their styling and stage presentation is extremely visual and certainly catches the eye.
Why would Empire of the Sun would be perfect for ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides’?
They absolutely SCREAM Eurovision!
When you think Eurovision, you think authenticity of music, flamboyant outfits and staging and a tangible energy while performing. If you look at any live performances of this group, you will see that they possess everything listed above in spades, so they would be absolutely perfect for Eurovision. Each performance they give is a spectacle of art, filled with dancing and outfits, plus a real passion for what they are presenting to fans, so they are sure to deliver an eye-catching performance.
A chance to show off different music styles to Europe
The aim of a national final, ultimately, of course is to pick a Eurovision song, but as a spectacle and a show, it is also about a chance to display the different music styles in that country. Australia’s Eurovision journey can be broken down into different musical genres; we had the polished pop of Guy, Dami, Isaiah and Jess, however, when we got a national final, we saw the whacky of Kate and iOTA. In 2020, we got a glimpse of the alternative, Triple J artists such as Montaigne, Jaguar Jonze and Didirri. What Empire of the Sun bring to the table is electro-dance-pop, which is a big part of the music scene in Australia, and something that can be presented to Europe through a Eurovision national final.
They are known in Europe
Turning to the competition side of things, generally, Australia lacks televote appeal, whether that be because of any geographical animosity, or we just don’t generally send songs which the public love. However, that may change if we send a group who is well known around Europe, which Empire of the Sun is. Across their three albums, they have managed to place at #7 in Switzerland, #17 in Ireland, #19 in the UK and #22 in Austria. Some of their singles have charted #1 in Germany, #8 in Belgium and Ireland, and #9 in Italy. Whilst these numbers span back a decade, the group clearly have popularity in the continent, so you never know, this may translate to some televote love or even just some general excitement on the ground at the Contest.
A great opportunity to get back into the spotlight
Since their last album release in 2016, the group has only released one EP and a few other singles, so it is fair to say that the fans are screaming out for some new music. Vocalist Luke stated last year that COVID lockdown affected their creative juices, which is totally understandable, however, with that mostly behind us (touch wood), what better way to regain public spotlight by promoting yourselves, building up excitement to fans by performing on a live TV show for the whole country. We saw last year how Vanessa Amorosi teased one of the songs off her new album to be her ‘Australia Decides’ song, prompting every Eurofan to listen to and overanalyse every possible song, so the same thing could happen to this duo.
So there you have it, I rest my case! Empire of the Sun and Eurovision seem a perfect fit; they’ve got the look, the musical chops and the fans.
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