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When Eurovision artists cover John Farnham

Writer: Kyriakos Tsinivits
Kyriakos Tsinivits
31 minutes ago
6 min read

John Farnham is an iconic Australian singer, best known for his powerful vocals, chart-topping hits and legendary status in Australian music, particularly his classic anthem You’re the Voice.


This weekend, more than 120 Australian and international artists and musicians will take to the stage in Melbourne for a one-night-only concert celebrating the music legend himself, The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend – The Celebration Concert.


To celebrate this huge event, we take a look at the Eurovision artists who have covered John Farnham’s songs and/or performed alongside him. We’ve selected 12 notable performances and covers, alongside a list of all the Farnham songs covered by Eurovision artists that we could find.


We hope you enjoy our findings, listed in chronological order of performance and/or release.


Siw Malmkvist - Sadie (The Cleaning Lady), 1968 & 1969


Swedish Eurovision 1960 star Siw Malmkvist put her own spin on John Farnham’s classic hit Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) in 1968, releasing a Swedish-language version titled Mamma är lik sin mamma which translates to Mother is like her Mother.



The following year she went on to release a German version of the song, Frauen Sind Doch Nur Frauen, which translates to Women Are Just Women, After All.


Olivia Newton-John & John Farnham - Dare to Dream, 2000



Eurovision 1974 artist Olivia Newton-John joined forces with John Farnham himself to perform Dare to Dream at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.


Rather than a cover, Dare to Dream was a specially written duet that saw the two Australian music icons deliver an inspiring performance at Stadium Australia, as athletes gathered to celebrate the Olympic spirit and welcome competitors from around the world.


Before this performance, the pair had already toured Australia together with their spectacular live show The Main Event in the late 1990s, performing several of their biggest hits as duets.


Texas Lightning - You’re The Voice, 2006


Country band Texas Lightning, who represented Germany at Eurovision 2006 put their own country-style spin on John Farnham’s iconic You’re The Voice.



The cover appeared on the band’s album Meanwhile, Back At The Golden Ranch, alongside a collection of country interpretations of well-known pop and rock songs. The track was one of six new songs added to the album’s 2006 deluxe re-release.


Kate Miller-Heidke - You're The Voice, 2008


Kate Miller-Heidke delivered a distinctive take on John Farnham’s iconic You’re the Voice during a live performance at The Chapel in 2008.



Known for her unconventional style and impressive vocal range, Kate put her own theatrical spin on the Australian classic, including a memorable pop-opera-style section during the instrumental break. It was a style she would also bring to Eurovision in 2019 with Zero Gravity.


Delta Goodrem - That's Freedom, 2009


Eurovision 2026 star Delta Goodrem covered John Farnham’s classic That’s Freedom on multiple occasions. She first performed it during her 2009 Believe Again Tour.



In 2022 she performed the song alongside fellow Australian singer Jon Stevens during the Australia Day Live concert at the Sydney Opera House.


Dami Im - You're The Voice, 2013



Eurovision royalty Dami Im sung You're The Voice while competing on The X Factor Australia where she gave a show stopping performance.


Dami went on to win the season to be crowned the fifth winner of The X Factor Australia.

Isaiah Firebrace & Montaigne - You're The Voice, 2017


In 2017, a group of prominent Australian artists came together to record a charity version of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice in support of people affected by domestic and family violence.


The recording featured Eurovision artists Isaiah Firebrace and Montaigne, alongside Archie Roach, Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan and Troy Cassar-Daley.


Céline Dion - You're The Voice, 2018


Eurovision 1988 winner Céline Dion brought John Farnham’s Australian classic You’re The Voice to audiences around the world, first performing it during her 2018 Australian tour.


At her final Melbourne show at Rod Laver Arena, John Farnham himself made a surprise appearance to join Céline for the song, creating a memorable duet between two powerhouse vocalists.



Céline continued performing You’re The Voice on her Courage World Tour, including at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, in March 2020, showing that Farnham’s iconic anthem had found an audience well beyond Australia.


Loreen - You're The Voice, 2021



Two-time Eurovision winner Loreen delivered a powerful rendition of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice in 2021 for the Swedish television special En kväll för vår planet (An Evening for Our Planet).


Broadcast on TV4 as part of a WWF fundraising gala focused on environmental issues, Loreen performed the Australian classic with a striking wind-turbine backdrop, giving the song a contemporary feel while reinforcing its message of speaking up and taking action.


Sam Ryder - You're The Voice, 2022


Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder put his own spin on John Farnham’s iconic You’re The Voice in 2022, first performing the song on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.



He later released his version as part of the deluxe edition of his debut album There’s Nothing But Space, Man!, which featured seven additional tracks.


Charlotte Perrelli - You're The Voice, 2023


Eurovision 1999 winner Charlotte Perrelli performed John Farnham’s iconic You’re The Voice during the 2023 season premiere of Swedish summer singalong show Lotta på Liseberg.



Charlotte was the first artist to take the stage at the anniversary season, performing the Australian classic for the live audience at Liseberg and viewers on TV4.


Guy Sebastian & Jessica Mauboy - Burn For You & You’re The Voice, 2024


Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy joined forces at the 2024 TV WEEK Logie Awards to pay tribute to John Farnham, performing two of his best-known songs, Burn For You and You’re The Voice, with The Farnham Band.



Guy opened with Burn For You before Jessica joined him for a powerful rendition of You’re The Voice, complete with bagpipes, celebrating Farnham’s enduring legacy in Australian music.


Guy first sung You’re The Voice in 2003 while competing on Australian Idol, which he went on to win.


More John Farnham covers by Eurovision artists


Here is our list of the John Farnham song covers we found by Eurovision artists, listed in chronological order of performance and/or release.



John Farnham covers by Eurovision national final artists


As we continued compiling our list of Eurovision artists who have covered John Farnham, we discovered a handful of national final artists who have also performed covers of his songs.


Here’s what we found, listed in chronological order of performance and/or release.




And there you have it, our list of John Farnham covers we found. Have we missed any? Let us know in the comment section on our socials.



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