Rehearsals for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest are just days away, and fans around the globe are full of anticipation! Who will be crowned champion in Stockholm, succeeding 2015’s victor Måns Zelmerlöw? An Australian Fan Club has given their verdict, and it makes for interesting reading…
Founded in 2015, ESCFAN – Eurovision Song Contest Fans of Australia Network – boasts passionate, knowledgeable and dedicated Eurovision Song Contest fans from across Australia.
ESCFAN held a Eurovision preview party in Melbourne last weekend, where fans came together to listen to this year’s songs, watch the performances and cast their votes.
Who came out on top with the ESCFAN jury? It was good news for France’s Amir, who was a firm favourite with the Aussie fans, scooping an impressive total of 566 points with his buoyant entry J’ai cherché. Spain’s Barei proved to be a big hit, clinching second place with Say yay!, with Russia’s superstar Sergey Lazarev and You are the only one taking third position.
Last year’s ESCFAN Preview Party favourite was Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw, and fans present at the party even predicted that his entry Heroes would score 360 points at the Vienna-hosted Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Heroes was of course triumphant at the event, with a Grand Final total of 365 points.
Australia’s 2016 representative Dami Im was not included in the poll results, as (in keeping with official Eurovision rules) countries are not allowed to vote for their own entrants. Ovidiu Anton was also not included following Romania’s late disqualification from this year’s Contest. Fan Club President Sharleen Wright explains: We took 86 valid votes on the night, and included Australia and Romania as a possibility. If we counted those, Dami would have come 3rd (401 points) and Ovidiu from Romania would have been 39th (18 points).
The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 takes place on 10, 12 and 14 May from the Globen Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Dami Im has been drawn to perform in semi-final two on Thursday 12 May (from a starting position of 10th) with her entry Sound of silence. Take a look at the official event schedule.
