Australia Decided! It’s Montaigne to Rotterdam

After winning over the Australian public with 54 points and a jury of industry experts with 53 points, an impressive 107 points overall, Montaigne was crowned the winner of the second Eurovision - Australia Decides. She will perform Don't Break Me in the first half of the first Semi-Final on 12 May in Rotterdam.

Hosted by Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst, the live final included performances by the winner of the first Eurovision – Australia Decides Kate Miller-Heidke, Eurovision Song Contest 2015 winner Måns Zelmerlöw, Eurovision 2016 runner-up Dami Im and Australia’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 representative Jordan Anthony.

During the Opening Night Show on Friday 7 February, the 10 hopeful contestants took the stage for the first time to showcase their talent. Performing to a live studio audience and a jury of industry experts, the jury then cast their vote. From there, voting lines opened for the Australian public to do the same today. Each set of votes accounted for 50% of the overall vote.

Get to know Montaigne

At only 24, Sydney-based artist Montaigne has become a major name in Aussie indie music. In the past few years, she was recognized for her work with multiple spots on the Triple J’s Hottest 100, an ARIA award for Best Breakthrough Artist and a nomination for Best Female Artist on her debut album Glorious Heights. Her second album COMPLEX was released in August to critical acclaim.

"Don’t Break Me is a depiction of the enough is enough phase of a relationship breakdown, where one person feels like they are putting much more time, energy and resources into the relationship than the other person and becomes frustrated and resentful. I wrote it while reading Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, which really informed the qualities of the character and the relationship dynamic.”

Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Australia’s participation started in 2015 when Guy Sebastian became the first-ever artist to represent the country in the competition. His song Tonight Again reached a very respectable 5th place. A year later, it went even better for Australia; Dami Im took her song Sound of Silence to second. The most recent Australian entrant came from the first-ever Australian televised national selection Eurovision - Australia Decides. There, the country chose Kate Miller-Heidke to represent them in 2019 in Tel Aviv.

Are you excited to see Montaigne perform in Rotterdam? Let us know how you feel about the results of the show in the comments below!

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Posted 30 January 2020 at 22:31 CET

With just 1 week until showtime, Australian public broadcaster SBS and production partner Blink TV announced the final 4 songs for 'Eurovision – Australia Decides', bringing the count of songs up to 10. The national final will showcase some of Australia’s biggest acts, singing original songs, for the chance to represent the country in Rotterdam.

The final 4 songs to be revealed are Vanessa Amorosi’s power ballad Lessons of Love, Montaigne’s Don’t Break Me about the breakdown of a toxic relationship (both personal and political), Didirri’s ballad Raw Stuff and Jaguar Jonze’s Rabbit Hole about battles with mental health.

Vanessa Amorosi - Lessons of Love

Vanessa: “So happy to announce Lessons of Love is the song I’m taking to Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020! I couldn’t be more proud and excited to perform this LIVE for the first time in February. Rehearsals have begun and I’m beyond thrilled with the concept of my performance. I CAN’T WAIT for you all to see it.”

Montaigne - Don't Break Me (LISTEN)

Montaigne: "Don’t Break Me is a depiction of the enough is enough phase of a relationship breakdown, where one person feels like they are putting much more time, energy and resources into the relationship than the other person and becomes frustrated and resentful. I wrote it while reading Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, which really informed the qualities of the character and the relationship dynamic.”

Didirri - Raw Stuff

Didirri: “Raw Stuff is a personal song that I almost gave up on. It is a moment for reflection. It’s for anyone else who is trying to process what’s happening in their life. It’s a song about a time when two people are so close but unable to open up to each other. Songwriting really helps me express things that I may otherwise be without words to explain. Performing Raw Stuff cuts close to the bone for me.”

Jaguar Jonze - Rabbit Hole

Jaguar said: “Rabbit Hole is about exploring the intricacies of our vulnerabilities, and how it unknowingly manifests into different coping mechanisms as we go through life’s inevitable obstacles. It’s about the complicated relationship I have with trauma and the way I react in the face of it. I wrote it at a time when I was really learning about my Complex PTSD, which I’ve had for 20 years. I hope it connects with Australia or whoever needs it. I want it to say that trauma doesn’t have to define you and that we can return the strength to live the life we deserve.”

Australia's 10 finalists

The final 10 acts that have the chance to represent Australia are:

• Powerhouse entertainer Casey Donovan with Proud
• Rising First Nations artist Mitch Tambo with Together
• Glam rock star iOTA with Life
• The Voice winner Diana Rouvas with Can We Make Heaven
• 19-year-old singer-songwriter Jordan-Ravi with Pushing Stars
• Australia's Got Talent winner Jack Vidgen with I Am King I Am Queen
• Aussie icon Vanessa Amorosi with Lessons of Love
• Art-pop auteur Montaigne with Don’t Break Me
• Alternative artist Didirri with RawStuff
• Multi-media artist Jaguar Jonze with Rabbit Hole

What to expect for Eurovision – Australia Decides

Hosted by SBS Eurovisionaries comedian Joel Creasey and music buff Myf Warhurst, Eurovision – Australia Decides will also showcase local and international Eurovision royalty with 4 special guest acts confirmed to perform: Kate Miller-Heidke, winner of the first Eurovision – Australia Decides, Swedish Eurovision 2015 winner Måns Zelmerlöw, Eurovision 2016 runner up Dami Im and Australia’s Junior Eurovision 2019 representative Jordan Anthony.

During the Opening Night Show on Friday 7 February, a Jury of artists and industry experts will vote for their favourite performance. Then, the Australian viewers are eligible to vote for their favourite performances Friday 7 February at 20:30 AEDT until Saturday 8 February at approximately 22:15 AEDT. The public vote makes up half of the overall vote.

The artist and song that receives the most points overall will go on to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in May.

Check out the SBS Eurovision website for updates!