Aussievision Team: Paul

Name and where you live

I’m Paul and I live in Melbourne, Victoria.  I migrated to Melbourne during the late 80s from The Philippines and have lived in Melbourne since, with some stints of living in New York City in between.

Where to see more of Paul

Instagram: @henrys_creek

Threads: @henrys_creek

Tell us a little bit about yourself

After some stints and failed attempts at journalism in my early 20s, I became an English teacher with the hopes that if I couldn’t make it as a journalist, I could inspire future generations to do so, or at the very least, inspire them to become decent humans.  Over twenty years later, I’m still very passionate about what I do.

Outside of my career, you’ll either find me singing up a storm at karaoke, attempting not to get competitive at pub trivia, obnoxiously posing while taking photos, laughing and carrying on with the people that I love and respect, grunting like Maria Sharapova on the tennis court, reading, listening to podcasts, walking around an art gallery or museum, or dreaming of the day that I win the lottery so I can travel the world.  I live by the motto: Only a boring person gets bored, and I’m not boring.

Besides my obsession with the Eurovision Song Contest, I am obsessed three other things: Shakira, the Melbourne Vixens, and the Liverpool Football Club.

Doing the “Asian Influencer Pose” in four countries: Japan, Australia, USA, Switzerland.

What is your Eurovision journey?

I was first exposed to Eurovision months after I migrated to Australia.  My uncle Henrik was looking after me and a bunch of my cousins.  To quieten us down, my uncle decided to put on a VHS of a concert television show he used to watch when he lived in Sweden.  I was enraptured with the singing and the dancing, especially with a woman with big bushy hair who was wearing all white.  This show was the 1987 version of Melodifestivalen and the singer was Lena Philipsson singing Dansa i neon, which remains to be one of my favourite songs ever and I still think she was robbed not to represent Sweden in 1987.

A year later, I became obsessed with another woman with big bushy hair wearing all white in another concert television show.  This time, my uncle introduced me to the Eurovision Song Contest proper – and that singer was Celine Dion, who was the eventual winner of that year’s Contest.

Since then, I haven’t missed an edition of the Eurovision Song Contest – either online or on TV.  It was always my ambition to attend a Contest one day, and while I didn’t go inside the stadium, I was able to capture the vibe of a Contest in-person in Basel in 2025.  I still have unfinished business as I’d love to be in the stadium for some aspect of the Contest one day.

Me enjoying my time at my first in-person Eurovision Song Contest in Basel in 2025 – even ran into Tom from KEiiNO at the Euroclub.

Meeting some Eurovision stars: The Sunstroke Project at the 2025 OGAE Preview Party in Melbourne, KEiiNO at the 2022 Chillout Festival in Daylesford, Brooke and Sheldon Riley at the 2023 OGAE Preview Party in Melbourne, and Go-Jo in Basel.

Do you have any affinity with nations other than Australia?

With my cultural background, I tend to lean towards the Spanish entries (and sometimes the Portuguese ones) because I feel some sort of genetic understanding of those songs.  My other affinity is towards the Swedish entries because of my uncle Henrik, who introduced me to both Melodifestivalen and to the Contest itself.

Any Aussievision highlights?

It’s very soppy – however, one of my personal highlights was when I accepted a role on the Aussievision team.  I was in the fortunate position that I met and was friends with so many of the contributors before I joined the Aussievision team – many of whom I didn’t know were contributors, I just thought they were amazing and lovely people to hang out with in general.  I met them through Eurovision gatherings like the OGAE parties, Eurovision dance nights at DTs Hotel, and just generally out and about. 

I look forward to hanging out more with the Aussievision team – they are a phenomenal group of people to hang out with! – and to contributing more to the site.

Hanging out with the Aussievision crew.

Quick questions on Eurovision entries

Best winner:

Loreen – Euphoria: I know I am basic (and I am unashamedly so!), and there is a reason why this has won the most popular song in Eurovision history for so long.  This song brings back so many memories – both in Eurovision and in my personal life.  The performance on the Baku stage was so avant-garde and holds up so well throughout the years.

Favourite three non-Australian entries:

·         Poli Genova – If Love Was a Crime (Bulgaria, 2016)

·         France Gall – Poupée de cire, poupée de son (Luxembourg, 1965)

·         Yohanna – Is It True? (Iceland, 2009)

Favourite Australian entry:

Dami Im – Sound of Silence (2016): Nothing has come close (or so close, results wise) to this genius and its performance.  I still think of an alternate version of history where Dami would have won…

Makes you dance:

Ivi Adamou – La La La (Cyprus, 2012): that song brings back a tonne of muscle memory of dancing the night away, either out and about at Eurovision parties or in the car with friends.

Favourite non-qualifier:

Lovebugs – The Highest Heights (Switzerland, 2009)

Favourite Eurovision year:

2012 and 2016.

Favourite national finals:

Melodifestivalen – not only because of my personal history with it because of my uncle Henrik, but because it’s a quality show that is efficient, runs like clockwork, and produces excellent performances.

Favourite national final songs:

These are my top five as of 2026:

1)    Lena Philipsson – Dansa i Neon (1987, Sweden)

2)    BWO – Lay Your Love on Me (2008, Sweden)

3)    Annalisa – Sinceramente (2024, Italy)

4)    KEiiNO – Monument (2021, Norway)

5) Elvana Gjata – Me Tana (2020, Albania)

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