For todays Aussievision Fan of the Week we welcome Harry (@kthejutokes) all the way from iconic Newcastle! He shares with us his love of the Albanian National Final "FiK", Emmelie de Forest and a searing passion with ideas to see Eurovision: You Decide become the next powerhouse National Final.
Thank you for being our Aussievision fan of the week! Tell us a little about yourself...
Thank you for having me! I’m Harry, I’m from Newcastle in the UK, and aside from Eurovision I really enjoy digital design and I’m stunning on a sewing machine - so my favourite things about ESC are the visuals and the costumes!
How did you get into Eurovision? What was the first year you watched?
I think 8 or 9 year old me just happened to catch it one Saturday night! I’m not surprised theatrics, flags, and moving numbers were enough to draw me in. The first performance I remember is Loreen’s legendary 'Euphoria', I can still picture it on the TV at a family friend’s house but that’s the only thing I remember from 2012.
There’s a few earlier songs I’ve rediscovered as a Eurofan that ring a bell, but the first show I remember a good chunk of is 2013 - so we’ll go with that! The first year I knew all the songs pre-contest was 2016, and the first time I watched a National Final was 2017!
~ The power of Loreen's performance that night - it really seared itself into the mind of so many people, I would say that performance paired with Eric Saade the year before was what really made me fully fall in love with the contest and stick around every since! (Liv)
Whom is your favourite Eurovision performance and why?
I think it would have to be Emmelie de Forest’s 'Only Teardrops'. While there are songs and stage shows I prefer, the sentimental value behind 'Only Teardrops' makes it my firm favourite. It was my first favourite ESC song, and without it I wouldn’t have fallen so far down the Eurovision rabbit hole! I’d also like to give a special shout out to Emmelie de Forest for inventing Instagram, idk where we’d be without her.
~ We stan an iconic Queen (Liv)
Which British artists would you love to see on the Eurovision stage?
Before Eurovision 2021, my answer was always Mabel. Now, seeing the level of disrespect the public and juries showed the 2021 pop girlies I’m not so sure she’s the best fit.
Maybe Bastille - I think they would have a really strong creative direction and if the BBC gave them the freedom they need, they’d be able to put on an excellent show, their recent live performance of 'Distorted Light Beam' (available on all reputable streaming platforms x) comes to mind as an example!
Which national final do you look forward to the most? What makes it special?
FiK. It’s legendary. If there’s one way to kick off a Eurovision season, it’s with Albanian divas. They never fail us! For a relatively small country to give us native language serve after native language serve… no one does it like them. Also the ORCHESTRA!?? I’ll never get over the orchestral version of 'Me Tana'. RTSH starts us off with a little bit of chaos like last year we had no clue when it was going to start until like 3 days before and when it did start the first thing we saw was our hostess arriving onstage on horseback… once again, legendary.
~ BRILLIANT CHOICE - they really have punched well above their weight the last couple of years and keep delivering better and better shows. Agree, always a fantastic way to kick off National Final season! (Liv)
Would you like to see Eurovision: You Decide or an equivalent National Final return?
YES YES YES! I think we need a primetime show to get locals invested and behind our act from the start, knowing they’re responsible for choosing it. I don’t want a selection full of song writing camp songs though, I think we need to encourage singers to enter their self written/produced songs and give them the freedom to present them as they please. The dream would be to have a Melfest-esque selection that spans several weeks but will the BBC ever fork out for that… I don’t think.
~ It's lovely to see some enthusiasm for a return for a British National Final...wish the people organising the show had a similar passion and vision... (Liv)
If you could pick only three performances to encourage new people to watch Eurovision what would they be:
I think I would only need to pick one - 'Shum'. I think it’s the perfect Eurovision performance… it’s intense, it’s hypnotic, it’s fun, it's a foreign language, it’s a foreign style, it’s got bold styling, it makes you want to move, it’s got Kateryna Pavlenko. Seeing as you’ve so generously given me two more choices I’ll also throw in 'Rise Like a Phoenix' and 'Euphoria' as two of our most legendary winners.
Which Eurovision song:
Is the best winner?
Jamala - '1944'
Has the best live vocal?
Loreen - 'Euphoria'
Is your favourite Eurovision: You Decide National Final song (not to make it to Eurovision)?
Raya - 'Crazy'
~ YES BOP (Liv)
Was the best British entry - Pre 2000?
Imaani - 'Where Are You?'
Was the best British entry - Post 2000?
Lucie Jones - 'Never Give Up On You'
Was robbed?
Fazla - 'Sva Bol Svijeta' (they did not literally nearly die for 16th place)
Is your guilty pleasure?
Pollapönk - 'No Prejudice'
Is your favourite National Final song (that didn't make it to Eurovision)?
Loreen - 'Statements'
~ Still shooketh that Sweden said "thanks but no thanks" to this. Crazy. (Liv)
And finally which Australian entry is your favourite…
Kate Miller Heidke - 'Zero Gravity' (I need her to play her Masked Singer Queen persona as a musical villain ASAP)
Any other titbits or comments you’d like to make? None of my answers ended up being 'Dansevise' so… yass for 'Dansevise'! Also pls Australia don't send any more men unless it’s Sheldon Riley thanks x
Thank you so much for your time and insights Harry! I wish the BBC, your delegation and team UK the best of luck with Eurovision 2022 - hopefully an Olympic level result is on the cards for the UK soon at the contest.