Every week we profile a Eurovision fan from here in Australia as well as someone from overseas. This week's Australian fan is Ari from the Riverina area of New South Wales. You may also know him from Twitter as @WeAreEurovisiun
Read his full Q&A with us below:
What is your name and where are you from? Ari and I'm from the Riverina in NSW.
What do you do or tell us something interesting about you? I'm the guy that does the knitted European flags for my Eurovision parties and will show them off at any opportunity.
Nice stuff, great to combine one passion with another! ~ Aussievision
When did you first get into Eurovision? 2013, I made a new friend at high school who was going to hold a Eurovision party, so naturally I watched all the shows even if she didn't end up having it.
Which is your favourite Eurovision year and why? 2014. It was the first year I watched the final live and honestly, nothing can take away that rush of happiness that I got when I realised Conchita was going to likely win.
It really was a special year and special win
If you could change one thing about Eurovision what would it be? the 4:30am wake-up calls to make sure I'm conscious enough to enjoy Te Deum.
Very true, though as soon as Te Deum kicks in you forget that it's stupid o'clock :)
If you could only listen to three Eurovision songs for the rest of time, what would you choose? City Lights (need something slick and modern), Love Injected (something to scream my lungs out of), and Euphoria (i'm a pop banger kinda guy honestly)
Nice mix of songs!
Which Eurovision song:
Had the best staging? My Lucky Day. For the amount of effort it took for it to pay off, I'm glad it was stunning.
Best live vocal? Sound of Silence, by far.
Was robbed? If i had to say generally robbed, Hear Them Calling deserved top 10 in the final for sure, but if we're meaning robbed of the winning slot, I would have to say Gravity from 2013.
From before 2000 is your favourite? Where Are You, UK 1998.
Cracking choice!
Do you enjoy more now, than when they performed? A Million Voices - it took me a week after the final for that song and performance to hit me as hard as it hit Europe.
Did you last play? I Wanna, Latvia 2002
What's happening here? haha!
Is your guilty pleasure? Be Happy/Sameach, Israel 2000
Any other interesting honourable mentions? There hasn't been a space to mention JESC and I'd just like to say I Am The One and Speak Up from 2017, as well as Antes Meurta Que Sencilia from 2004, deserve recognition for being sensational pieces of music. Iceland's second placers from ESC 1999 and 2009 deserve the world too!
Nice to get JESC in there, the competition has been super high quality and of course Australia does rather well!
What national finals have you enjoyed most this season or any you are looking forward to? This national final season I felt like the competition I was always looking forward to week-in, week-out, was Eurovizijos Atranka - the Lithuanian musical pot luck kept me on my toes for the whole of the national final season.
We're glad someone was looking forward to it....
Do you already have a favourite song for 2019? North Macedonia almost made me cry and that's a rare thing for a music video to do, so I'd have to say, on first listen, it's them or Greece.
*This was asked before the contest* Any prediction for Melfest this weekend? John to win televote, but it all comes down to the jury vote. Hold You won't do as well with the juries as it will with the televote. Bishara might just sneak the trophy Jamala style, if John and Wiktoria aren't up to scratch.
Well you picked the top two and John as the winner, well done!
And finally...
Tonight Again, Sound of Silence, Don’t Come Easy, We Got Love or Zero Gravity? Out of the five on this list, there's four that I really like, but I'd have to go with Zero Gravity. It was my joint winner of the national final and I've loved Kate for such a long time as an artist.
Thanks for joining us Ari!