Montaigne opens up about Eurovision cancellation

Last night, Australia's Eurovision representative for 2020 and 2021 appeared on the ABC show 'One Plus One' hosted by Kurt Fearnley.

The show is a 30-minute interview where Kurt Fearnley sits down with personalities and storytellers from Australia and around the world, to talk about their work, life, and what makes them tick. His series so far has included people like Baker Boy, Dylan Alcott and Ash Barty.

Kurt did address the Eurovisision cancellation and how it impacted Montaigne, with her saying:

“I think I was like quite devastated for the first three hours and then after I’d processed it and realised that it was an inevitable decision to make because of the Coronavirus I was pretty fine with it. I just made peace with it. It would have been a super fun opportunity to have and I was very excited and it was going to be half a years’ work. At the end of the day I also really love being at home and I love having a home life, and I also cherished the opportunity to like rest and not do anything for a while as well. And of course a few weeks later I was granted the certainty of doing Eurovision next year. That being said I am at the point that now that I am like we will even get it together in time for Eurovision next year, I don’t know.”

This followed an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald last week where she stated that she is "...resigned to the possibility I’ll never perform in Eurovision.”

Kurt also asked her about this uncertainty with Montaigne stating,

"Well now I am very fine with it. At this point I accept that the world has just changed the trajectory forever and whether or not I get this big opportunity next year is like something I really want to do, Eurovision, its something that is rare and fabulous in this exclusive untouchable way. But I am not necessarily that taken by those kinds of opportunities anymore I just want to do things like I love and enjoy and Eurovision is one of those things but I also have like a million things that I love and enjoy that I could also do and I am also very grateful for those things. If it doesn’t happen next year I feel quite grounded about it... I won’t be in despair if I don’t get to do it next year. I think.”

Montaigne also touched on winning Australia Decides, some more detailed inspiration behind 'Don't Break Me' (which goes beyond the 'break up song' narrative), what she thinks about Eurovision overall and the direction of her career right now.

You can watch the full interview on ABC's iview now: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/kurt-fearnley-s-one-plus-one