Eurovision Asia 2026: Aussievision’s song rankings for Korea’s Next Wave
- aussievision
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By new Aussievision contributor Will Spark The eight acts competing in Korea’s Next Wave, South Korea’s national selection night for the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia are out and seven Aussievision team members have ranked them to see which are our favourites.
South Korea will become the third country to select its Eurovision Asia entry through a national final after Bhutan and The Philippines did so in August. Korea’s Next Wave takes place on Friday, 4 September 2026, at 11pm KST, 12pm AEST for fans on Australia’s East coast.
So, who topped our rankings? Let’s see who our favourite to win the inaugural edition of Korea’s Next Wave is here at Aussievision, after we ranked them on the regular scale from 12 points down to 3.
Results:
8. PLZY – toc, 35 points
Highs: 6 from Joel and Fleur.
Lows: 3 from Dale.
7. Younghoon Ji – Tiny Signal, 37 points
Highs: 8 from Joel and Paul.
Lows: 4 from Will and John, 3 from Kyriakos.
6. 9278 – Make It Loud (Shebarks), 40 points
Highs: 12 from John, 8 from Will.
Lows: 3 from Joel, Fleur and Paul.
“That has the elements of a quintessential K-Pop girly bop, and I think whoever wins the Philippine Selection Night could probably make that song as a balancing act.” – John
“It has a jazzy sound that sounds straight out of the soundtrack to a Persona game. Really fun and can’t wait to see it on the night.” – Will
5. HuiAe – If I Knew Love, 41 points
Highs: 8 from John, 7 from Will and Kyriakos.
Lows: 4 from Fleur and Paul.
4. Angel Noise - (Nan Naya!), 52 points
Highs: 10 from John, Dale and Fleur.
Lows: 3 from Will.
“If that wins, then maybe DNA or VVINK might be the only challenge to this song because the vibes around it feels like it takes me back to the late 2000s to the early 2010s. If it were a J-Pop entry, that might win and stand a chance, but anything could happen if they improve the staging.” – John
“This is giving me Korean T.A.T.U but with a rockier edge. Nice mix of rock and pop, and all just comes together nicely.” - Dale
“I like this. It's probably the most K-pop sounding song of the bunch though and that's fine by me.” – Fleur
“This gives me strong t.A.T.u. vibes – not just in their styling, but sonically as well. A bold, rock, in-your-face beginning that doesn’t let up until the end of the song. And, while that is great at the start, the song doesn’t really go anywhere after its bold announcement – it’s just full-on for a solid two minutes, and maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.” – Paul
3. Sojeong Shim – Eheradiya, 57 points
Highs: 12 from Kyriakos, 10 from Will and Joel.
Lows: 4 from Dale.
“I was captivated by this entry from the first listen! The chorus is super catchy. I think this is the most Eurovision stage ready as well, there is so much potential!” – Kyriakos
“Love her vocals, beautiful instrumental, could be a huge chance if it's done well live.” – Will
“Most iconic use of harp since Delta’s Eclipse. Gotta say I found the electro break a little jarring in an otherwise decent song.” – Joel
“It’s a slow-burn of a song, as it starts off like a ballad with the use of the harp and her hypnotic vocals. Then, it really kicks in at the one-minute mark where the beat gets stronger and becomes this epic orchestral piece. It’s quite an interesting piece of music to listen to, especially with the use of her harp. I would genuinely love to see how this would be performed on stage.” – Paul
2. JUNHEE – Deep Dive, 61 points
Highs: 12 from Will and Joel, 10 from Paul.
Lows: 3 from John.
“The vibe of the song is incredible - love the dance break with the guitar, this is the sort of vibe I was hoping for with at least one of the songs here.” – Will
“This is the only song that got the memo, it perfectly blends the best of K-pop with the exuberance of Eurovision. Genuinely enjoyed this gem and will happily listen again and again.” – Joel
“Dark, moody, and electro-pop – this is something that I’d sonically associate with Korean music. Heavy beats, distorted vocals, and easy to pick up lyrics, I can see this absolutely go off on stage. Though, the change-up in the middle of the song could be the make-or-break moment in the stage performance – in the studio version, it sounds a little out of place as it breaks the haunting momentum it started with. Nonetheless, a strong entry that could be a surprise on the night.” – Paul
1. KIK – F1, 62 points
Highs: 12 from Dale, Fleur and Paul, 10 from Kyriakos.
Lows: 4 from Joel. “A song that sounds like indie alt rock from the 90s was NOT what I was expecting from South Korea. Now this genre is something that I love but the reason I gave this 12 points was much more than that. This has a strong structure.” – Dale
“I love the early 2000s alt-rock vibes that this is giving. An easy douze points for me.” – Fleur
“Korean indie that goes absolutely hard and love that it’s being represented. This is a mix of late 90s Brit-rock, with those same vocals and chord progressions that makes all millennials nostalgic for their moody teenage years. This is a song that I can listen to over and over again. Forget the histrionics and what people stereotypically think of what Korean music is, this should be clear winner here. What a phenomenal rock song!” – Paul
“This was one of the most expected entries out of the list. I love the grunge 90's sound of this track. There is something super special about this song that I think it is going to do well commercially.” – Kyriakos
Where can we watch the show?
Korea’s Next Wave will take place on Friday, 4 September 2026 with the show beginning at 11pm KST.
For audiences on Australia’s East coast, the broadcast will begin at 12am AEST, Saturday, 5 September.
The show will be available to watch on the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel.
Voting will be the same as with the Bhutanese and Filipino national finals, with 8 free votes for each fan to distribute between at least 3 different acts, and up to 10 additional votes available for each fan to purchase and cast.
For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, BlueSky, Threads and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
