The next two artists for 'Eurovision - Australia Decides' were announced this morning, they are Montaigne and Didirri!
Montaigne brings a real 'indie cred' to the contest with her songs on high rotation with Triple J - Australia's alternative ABC radio station.
The 24-year-old singer (original name Jessica Cerro) from Sydney made her break on the station's Unearthed High School competition with her band making the final in 2012.
She has twice made the Triple J Hottest 100, as a featured artists on Hilltop Hoods's song '1955' finishing 4th and with her own solo entry 'Because I Love You' which came in at no.25. Both were for the 2016 contest.
That same year Montaigne won the ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Release.
The self-described activist says "There is a lot of angst in my music but it's always coloured by fun." Going on to speak about why she entered the contest,
“I’m excited to participate in Eurovision – Australia Decides for the opportunity to release the part of me that is dramatic and extreme."
"[Being] on the big stage in Europe in front of millions would be everything the drama queen egomaniac inside me could want and more. It’s licence to let her out. And of course to represent my country! I didn’t quite get that far in football, so it would be cool to do it in music. It’s like the World Cup for pop."
That World Cup reference does have some connection, her father Gus Cerro played in the Australian National Soccer League, and she has some serious skills herself.
Her recent song 'READY' will give you a sense of her musical style and activism through music.
Didirri is a 24-year-old from Warrnambool in South-West Victoria. His EP Measurements released in 2017, has collected over 30 million streams, and led to him playing renowned festivals as the UK’s The Great Escape and Latitude Festival, Australia’s Splendour In The Grass and Barcelona’s Primavera Sound. In a matter of months, he toured the US and UK twice and shared the stage with well-known acts Vance Joy, Hozier, Tash Sultana, The Temper Trap and more.
Didirri is new but very open to the world of Eurovision saying,
"I have always been interested in writers. Although the world of Eurovision is new to me, from the outside it seems to respect a well-written song above all else. People seem to be free to express their art in whatever way they want. I’m a fan of ABBA, they wrote unfiltered, iconic anthems. My sister and I used to sing their stuff together in the bathroom. Who knows how they have influenced me, I’m quite a mix bag of ideas. Personal experience inspires most of my own writing - all I hope to do is to help people express some part of themselves. I’m also over the moon to be joining the line-up with my friend Montaigne who I respect very much.”
Here is some of Didirri's recent work:
Eurovision - Australia Decides will take place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on the following dates.
Friday 7 February evening - Jury show
Saturday 8 February - Matinee (family show)
Saturday 8 February evening - Live show
The Saturday evening show will be broadcast live on SBS with the winner of the contest represent Australia at Eurovision in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in May.
Tickets are available at Ticketek: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=EUROVISI20
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