Why Troye Sivan should represent Australia at Eurovision 2026

Photo courtesy of Time Out

With attention already turning to Eurovision 2026 this raises the question: who should represent Australia at Eurovision next year?

This question is more crucial than ever with Australia currently on a two year Eurovision final non-qualification streak for the first time in history.

For the next few weeks members of the Aussievision team will be making a case as to why their chosen Australian artist should fly the flag for us in Austria next year.

This week I kick things off by outlining why Troye Sivan is the ideal act to represent Australia at Eurovision 2026.

Who is Troye Sivan?

Troye Sivan is a 30-year-old singer-songwriter and actor who has found success in the entertainment industry for many years already.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Troye's family emigrated to Perth when he was just two, with Troye spending his formative years in the West Australian capital.

Troye gained fame through his YouTube channel, which he started in 2007, where his music and personal videos built him a large following.

He signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his first major-label EP TRXYE in 2014. TRXYE topped the iTunes charts in 55 countries. The lead single of the EP Happy Little Pill saw Troye achieve his first top-ten single.

Troye has since released three albums with EMI: Blue Neighborhood (2015), Bloom (2018) and Something to Give Each Other (2023).

He has also collaborated with some of the highest profile artists in the world including Charlie XCX, Ariana Grande, Martin Garrix and Zedd.

Last year Troye's single Rush was chosen by the OGAE Australian fan club to represent Australia at the OGAE Song Contest 2024, and finished third.

So let's find out why Troye should represent Australia at Eurovision next year.

Sivan star power

Australia's best results at Eurovision have often come courtesy of the biggest and most successful names we send.

Of the five times Australia has finished at the top 10 at Eurovision, four of these acts - Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, Isaiah Firebrace and Kate Miller-Heidke - had a top 15 single before they went to Eurovision.

If we look at the acts that finished in the top five - Guy and Dami - they both had at least a single and an album that has topped the charts.

There are of course exceptions to this rule. Despite not achieving much mainstream chart success Voyager finished ninth at Eurovision 2023. Conversely Jessica Mauboy, who has had a number 1 single and album, finished 20th in 2018.

However the general trend seems to be that the more successful an Australian artist, the more likely they are to gain a good placing at Eurovision.

There are several possibilities for this correlation. More successful artists have a larger following. They may attract more hype and have larger fan bases voting for them.

They are also likely to be signed to larger labels who can help bankroll the talented songwriters needed to write a good song, the publicity and promotion campaign, and the cost of an extravagant and spectacular Eurovision performance.

There is no doubt Troye is one of Australia's most successful musical artists. His music has over 9 billion streams on Spotify.

Troye's success is also recent. His latest album Something to Give Each Other was number 1 on the ARIA album charts. Three out of four of his latest singles - Rush, Got Me Started and One of Your Girls - reached at least platinum certification on the ARIA charts.

Perhaps unlike any Australian Eurovision artist before, Troye has also found relative success in Europe, with his latest album and singles charting in most European countries.

Most notably Rush and One of Your Girls were certified platinum and gold on the British charts respectively, and charted 8 and 9 respectively on the Irish charts.

There is no denying as well that Troye's social media following is also impressive:

• 15.7 million Instagram followers

• 3.7 million Facebook followers

• 3.7 million TikTok followers

• 8.22 million YouTube subscribers.

Successful artists often translate into successful results for Australia at Eurovision, and Troye is certainly experiencing recent success at the moment.

My My My What a Performer!

There is no doubt that Troye is an experienced and talented live performer.

Troye has played several concert tours including his Something to Give Each Other Tour last year which played 19 dates in Europe.

In typical Troye fashion the tour performances were energetic, engaging if highly provocative.

The UK Guardian rated the Manchester concert four stars out of five noting that the performance was "as heartwarming as it is hot". The writer Jenessa Williams goes onto say that Troye "is sensual and athletic, while his six-piece troupe of dancers create moments of tenderness amid all the raunch."

But Troye has experience not only of performing at a large arena, but also on live television which he has done so from a young age in Australia.

Perhaps the most impressive of his live television performances have come on the The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon over the years. Jimmy is a huge fan of Troye and has invited him to perform YOUTH (in 2015) WILD (2016) and You (2021).

This experience performing to millions of Americans on late night television should bode well for Troye holding his nerve if he were to perform to millions of Europeans at a late night song contest.

Queer Streak

Queer artists currently reign supreme at Eurovision.

The past three Eurovision winners are all part of the queer community, with JJ identifying as queer and having a boyfriend, Nemo identifying as non-binary and Loreen identifying as bisexual.

There appears to be a lucky streak with queer artists at Eurovision which Troye, who identifies as gay, could help continue.

Of course the last three Eurovision winners won because of their talent, creativity and performance, not because of their sexual or gender identity.

However Eurovision has always been a trailblazer for queer representation in the western media. This includes Dana International being the first transgender winner in 1998, and Conchita Wurst being the first drag winner in 2014.

The first two male winners of Eurovision - André Claveau who won for France in 1958 and Jean-Claude Pascal who won for Luxembourg in 1961 - were believed to be gay, although this was never publicly confirmed by them.

Troye has also been a great ambassador and icon for queer youth today. Therefore it makes sense for him to participate in an event that is a fabulous celebration of diversity and being proud of who you are.

_____________________

If Troye were to represent Australia at Eurovision 2026 he would bring a wealth of live performing experience, chart success, and a huge fan base to vote for him. The latter is particularly crucial given the 100% tele-vote in the semi-finals, and Australia's historic woes with the public vote.

His contemporary pop sound could help Eurovision become more musically relevant, especially given the lukewarm chart success of recent Eurovision winners and participants.

Whilst it is unlikely a big name like Troye would compete at Eurovision, it could provide him a great opportunity to not only represent his country but also to further promote the queer community which he has become such a wonderful ambassador for.

Troye has already represented Australia at the OGAE Song Contest with great success. Let's hope he feels the Rush and is keen to represent us at Eurovision proper.

For continued updates on all the Eurovision Song Contest news follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky Threads and TikTok. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet