Australia’s Eurovision 2018 entry We Got Love by Jessica Mauboy delivers a message of compassion and the global power of love.
Musically turning hatred into love
Jessica Mauboy‘s We got love was partly inspired by the Florida school shooting and the reports of a two-year old girl being sexually assaulted in Tennant Creek. Composed and written by Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci and Jessica Mauboy herself, We got love is intended as a counterbalance to hatred and violence. Instead of giving in to despair, We got love speaks of the global power of love, that everybody has a choice to utilize this power, using compassion in the face of humanity’s suffering.
Jessica Mauboy says:
All of these things we see online, whether in our indigenous communities, past and present and how the world is turning, made me angry. But what affected me more was the love coming from people, seeing people standing tall and strong.
Personal empowerment
The powerful anthem We got love also speaks of personal empowerment. Being a creative, independent and strong young woman herself, Jessica Mauboy especially dedicates We got love to women, inspiring them to use their voices and power for positive global change. But of course, social harmony and justice are the responsibility of each and everyone, and We got love is intended to inspire us all. We got love may appear to be a simple phrase, but its directness is intentional, like a kind of mantra, as Jessica Mauboy says:
We needed something that someone who doesn’t speak English would be able to understand so as simple as it sounds, it could still mean so much more to them.
Back memory lane: returning to Eurovision
The Australian pop star is no stranger to the grand Eurovision stage, as she was a special guest performer at the ESC 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a positive experience for Jessica Mauboy:
I’ve watched Eurovision since I was a little girl but to go there as an artist and see those fans embrace what you are doing is completely humbling. Everyone is celebrating; there’s no shade or anyone looking you up and down, giving you daggers, there’s none of that.
The artist is looking forward to perform in Lisbon and feels supported by the fans:
These people who have been watching Eurovision for so long and feel I could represent them, their support has been beyond my expectations. I can’t wait to rip this song on stage in Lisbon.
Getting ready for Eurovision 2018
Jessica Mauboy is all set for her performance on the Lisbon stage, preparing mentally and physically for the big event. She talks about the preparations, women’s empowerment and We got love‘s message of compassion in an interview with Australian broadcaster SBS.
(Sources: sbs.com.au, dailymail.co.uk, news.com.au)
Jessica Mauboy will perform We got love in the first half of Semi-Final 2 on Thursday 10 May 2018.
About Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy (Darwin, Australia, 1989) is a Australian singer-songwriter and actress, predominantly singing pop and R&B music. She is of Aboriginal Australian (Kuku Yalanji people) and Indonesian (West Timor) descent.
Coming from a musical family and singing in a church choir, Jessica Mauboy won the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2004.
Her mainstream breakthrough happened when she participated in the talent show Australian Idol 2006, eventually placing 2nd and resulting in a contract with Sony Music Australia.
Besides being a singer, she has also acted and featured in commercials.
Jessica Mauboy performed the song Sea of flags at Eurovision 2014, honouring Australia’s appreciation of the contest.
The artist has released various successful albums and singles and has won numerous awards, being one of the most popular singers of Australia.
Jessica Mauboy will represent Australia at Eurovision 2018 with the song We got love.