AUSTRALIA

The Australian entry was revealed in two parts. The singer was revealed on 4th March during a SBS press conference held at Sydney Opera House hosted by Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang. The song was released on 16th March via a video clip on youtube. Singing Australia's entry will be Guy Sebastian and his song is called "Tonight again".

The surprise inclusion of Australia as a 'guest' participant was announced on 10th February. During the press conference Guy suggested that the song would be a reworking of one of his current album tracks and more than likely one of his ballads. However when the song announcement came it seems that in the weeks after his Eurovision selection he worked with his team and band to come up with something especially for Eurovision.

The song is an up tempo number with hints of "Uptown Funk" and "A little less conversation" about it. It starts of quite reserved and slow then moves into the 'do what you want' bridge which cranks the whole thing up a gear. The chorus is very simple and straightforward and the title is repeated several times at the end of it. The end also allows Guy to show off his vocal range and ability. The backing track is very contemporary and in a style which is very in at the moment. It's a bit of a shame he can't have a full band behind him as this is the kind of song that would benefit from that look.

Malaysian-born Guy Sebastian has been a star in Australia for over 10 years. In 2003 he won the very first series of Australian Idol and in 2004 he took part in World Idol where he came 7th. He is a very versatile singer and songwriter having had hits in the pop, r'n'b, soul and gospel genres. As you can tell he had lots of experience and have played to large crowds so one should think he won't be too fazed by the thought of singing to a Eurovision audience.

I think this is going to be quite a simplistic set up with Guy and some backing singers to provide mush needed oomph in the chorus. I get the feeling the song is well within his range and I can imagine him not dancing but moving around the stage a lot and interacting and reacting with the crowd who I think will find this one very infectious.

I think that this is a really great song and is something possibly more contemporary than what Eurovision usually trots out. That said if this is a 'guest spot' they have taken the bull by the horns and really gone all out for a spectacular show and to make a real mark on its possible only appearance. If anything, this is a great advert for Guy Sebastian and a chance for him to break out into the European market. Obviously with its connections to UK and Ireland one might expect votes for this song to come from there but I get the feeling that the Germanic countries will love this style, as will the Nordics. I think this is a really summery happy song and may stand out in a final full of possible ballads. Judging a placing is difficult without any prior results to got from but I predict a left hand side placing and would be deserving of a top 8 finish.

ARTIST - Guy Sebastian

SONG - Tonight again

MUSIC - Guy Sebastian, David Ryan Harris, Louis Schoorl

LYRICS - Guy Sebastian, David Ryan Harris, Louis Schoorl