So what is the secret ingredient to winning Eurovision? Is it the song, the staging, the vocalist/s, or is it a combination of all of these things?
A great vocalist can take a great song and make it into an incredible performance. They can leave you spellbound, earn valuable jury votes and even can win the Eurovision Song Contest.
Over the years we have seen huge vocal diversity in performances. Some artists are classically trained, some have a certain edge that differentiates them from the rest of the pack, and some... well they can just belt out a tune with their powerful voice.
The Aussievision team have put their heads together and nominated who they thought deserved to be hailed as the best vocalists of Eurovision.
We have decided on 11 vocalists that are worthy, and there may be some surprises, so read on below and check out comments from the team on who we think deserve to be in this list.
Entries in chronological order:
Claudio Villa - 'Addio, Addio' (Italy, 1962)
"I am obsessed with Claudio Villa’s ‘Addio, Addio’!! He sings with so much emotion that just transcends to another world. The orchestral buildup throughout is amazing but the star of the performance is Claudio and his vocals. There are so many build ups in this performance, which ends spectacularly with those huge vocals and that final vibrato!! Chefs kiss". ~ Kyriakos
Joy Fleming - 'Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein' (Germany, 1975)
"I couldn't go past this as one of my favourite vocal performances of all time. Joy lulls you into a false sense of security in the opening verse before slapping you in the face with a powerhouse vocal. She manages to belt the hell of the song while still maintaining great voice control.. The song hits its crescendo in the final minute where Joy lets out an almighty scream and revels in her performance. A cracking song, an amazing performer, a super vocal and absolutely robbed in 17th (out of 19 participants). It has become a cult classic and quite rightly so!" ~ Dale
Kaliopi - 'Crno i belo' (F. Y. R. Macedonia - 2012)
"Kaliopi single-handedly justifies her position on this list with that note (you know the one I'm talking about). As fans, we too often fall into the trap of assuming that top-tier vocals have to involve crisp, Dami-esque diva notes, but Kaliopi is a perfect example of why that perspective is limited (even if the Dami Ims of the world are phenomenal). Kaliopi is unafraid to rasp, unafraid to shriek and unafraid to rock out - and crucially, she's got the pipes to back it all up. She's by far one of the most distinctive and memorable vocal talents we have ever had the pleasure of welcoming to the Eurovision stage." ~Teddy
"Before Bonnie Tyler and Cornelia Jakobs were on the Eurovision scene with their raspy voices, Macedonia (as it was known then) was represented by Kaliopi who absolutely sung the hell out her entry in 2012. Kaliopi hits every note perfectly, and just went you are reeling from the power of her voice, she hits that incredibly high note - perfectly. This woman deserves more recognition. She owned her performance like Queen!" ~Hayley
Zlata Ognevich - 'Gravity' (Ukraine, 2013)
"Gravity is one of my favourite Eurovision vocal performances of all time, and with good reason! From the soft start, which gives me goosebumps every time, to the powerful and uplifting chorus, Zlata Ognevich's vocals are captivating and flawless throughout. There are so many key changes in this song but she makes them sound effortless! The vibrato in Zlata's voice lends warmth, vibrancy, and emotional expression in spades to this fantastic Ukrainian entry. What a magical masterpiece!" ~Laura
"Powerhouse soprano, Zlata Ognevich has one of the best voices that we have heard on the Eurovision stage. Her vocal range and control are extraordinary. You even forget the nonsense lyrics of “Gravity” because her voice is that captivating. Stunning lass too." ~Fleur
Conchita Wurst - 'Rise Like a Phoenix' (Austria, 2014)
"Until someone else does the same, I will always be impressed with Conchita Wurst filling an 11,000 person arena with just her voice alone. In terms of vocal prowess, it’s possible we’ll never see another singer like Conchita for a while" ~ Justin
Bojana Stamenov - 'Beauty Never Lies' (Serbia, 2015)
"A performance that blew me away as Bojana's soaring vocals transitioned the song in to the uptempo banger that it is. I hadn't paid the studio version much attention but something about the live vocals really caught my attention...she really used the energy of the crowd to take this song to another level and emote the meaning behind the song. It is one of my all time favourite Eurovision vocals." ~ Emma
Dami Im - 'Sound of Silence' (Australia, 2016)
"Dami Im is a consummate professional: she can deliver a top-notch, exquisite vocal flawlessly with a girlish charm and beautiful tone that - in my view - is irresistible. The recorded version of 'Sound of Silence' is good; the live version is a work of art. I hope to see her competing - and winning - for Australia in the near future." ~Steve
"What more can you say about queen Dami?! The sign of a great vocalist is when a good studio track becomes an unforgettable live performance, and that’s exactly what happened with Dami. She had great control in the verses, and then those powerhouse notes in the chorus and at the end are just wow. Absolutely no surprise she won the jury vote and all these years later still truly a goosebumps moment." ~Hugo
Elina Nechayeva - 'La Forza' (Estonia, 2018)
"Elina Nechayeva is a superb vocalists. A true soprano but with a beautiful midrange, she knows how to invoke the right part of her voice at the right time. The way she effortlessly runs up and down the scales and has the exquisite vibrato in her high notes. She has a wonderful crispness that makes her an absolute joy to listen to and makes soprano opera enjoyable to those who wouldn’t normally like this style of music." ~Alana
"La Forza is not merely a song, it's an experience. Elina Nechayeva's strong operatic vocals are the centrepiece of this stunning and impressive Eurovision entry. It's often easy for a less capable singer to be swallowed up by the sheer size of the arena they are performing in, but the way Elina absolutely owned the stage in Lisbon with extremely minimal backing vocal support (her two songwriters whisper one line in the entire song) clearly demonstrates just how much of a vocal powerhouse she is. This performance is beautiful and otherworldly in the best possible way!" ~ Laura
"Opera is most definitely not my genre of choice, but Elina has such a star quality about her with that angelic voice of hers. It doesn’t matter that you don’t understand what she’s singing, to be able to hit those amazing notes right throughout the song is simply breathtaking. The best thing about her performance is that it looked absolutely effortless; she could hit those notes in her sleep it seemed. Notes that high can be really jarring if even slightly off key, but Elina’s live vocal is nothing short of perfect." ~Hugo
Eugent Bushpepa - 'Mall' (Albania, 2018)
"I honestly think Eugent has one of the best voices we have ever heard at the Contest, and I firmly believe, the best rock voice. His voice has so much strength and he is able to show off the slightly gritty rock side of it in this song as well. I would have loved to have heard it in the arena for myself. As a result of his performance, I now follow his music and he is a seriously talented singer - I recommend you check him out. Eugent is a legend and I hope we see him again represent Albania with those epic lungs of his!" ~ Hayley
"There's an effortless confidence that comes when you listen to an extremely well-practiced singer doing their thing, and Eugent Bushpepa is a classic example of this. Mäll is a big sing - even aside from the showy notes at the end, there's a great deal of control needed to sustain some of the longer phrases. Never at any point, though, are you worried that Eugent is going to miss a note or make a mistake, such is the control and vocal mastery he's able to demonstrate. He's not just a talent - he's a master of his craft, and we were extremely privileged to see him in action at Eurovision." ~Teddy
Kate Miller-Heidke - 'Zero Gravity' (Australia, 2019)
"We all know how often the artists representing their country have to get up and perform their entry at shows both official and unofficial.. But Kate here, she never missed a beat, delivering a powerhouse performance in her operatic style time after time. Kate could just about sing about any other entry in her year, but none of them could perform hers." ~Leith
"If we're talking about incredible vocalist at Eurovision, we cannot skip over Kate Miller-Heidke! Kate uses her operatic training across a number of genres and kills it every single time. Zero Gravity was the perfect song to showcase Kate's range from pop vocalist to singing super-star. Not many people could be belting a tune whilst swaying side to side on a giant bendy pole, Kate solidified her spot in Eurovision history for decades to come." ~Cooper
"It's one thing to make a C-sharp look like a Sunday stroll, but there's only one diva who can do it swinging on a pole metres above a stadium full of fans - and a television audience of millions. Kate Miller-Heidke gave Eurovision a masterclass in vocal dynamism. From the whispered opening of 'Hey you, it's me again,' to the the utter operatic glee of that final chorus, she's well and truly earned her place in the pantheon of great Contest singers. Testament to her unique voice was her appearance on the Masked Singer and the way that, after only a phrase or two was sung, there was barely an Australian who didn't know Miller-Heidke was behind the mask." ~Mark
Sam Ryder - 'Space Man' (United Kingdom, 2022)
"I nominated Sam Ryder because his song really is "out of this world" and he proved that during his performance in the Grand Final. In fact, some of the countries gave three top marks to the UK, which made him the jury winner. His voice made me realise he is a better singer than I thought and the way he slaps on the guitar is Freddie Mercury-esque material." ~ John Christian
"He's got it all, hasn't he? We've seen plenty of technically strong vocalists over the years, but in some way, Sam Ryder's voice does more than that - he has this fantastic emotive quality that just manages to cheer you up no matter what. His range is impressive, and he shows a great deal of power while also knowing when to keep restrained. His social media fame should be no surprise, and nor should his post-contest fame." ~Oliver
Did you think the best Eurovision vocalist make our list? Let us know who you think delivered the best vocals at Eurovision on our socials.
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