‘I’m going to sing my heart out” affirmed Australia’s Isaiah Firebrace as he embarks on the daunting task of becoming our nation’s first ever victor at the world’s largest singing contest.
The young Australian was cool and collected as he stood in front of an eager crowd at an underground bar for the staging of the Australian – Ukrainian Embassy event on a balmy evening in Kyiv. His gratefulness at the opportunity is obvious as he thanked a multitude of crew that have joined him on this journey.
Introduced by the casually camp Joel Creasey, joking about his faded spray tan from a lass in Adelaide named Teenele ("make sure that’s with 4 e’s"), Isaiah took the stage to rapturous applause.
Performing two songs, including his Eurovision entry “Don’t Come Easy”, Isaiah wowed the crowd with an effortless and pitch perfect performance. His reputation as a brilliant vocalist has become a talking point around the Eurovision precinct with many anticipating a similar (if not better) result to last year’s 2nd placing.
The charming Bruce Edwards, Australia’s ambassador to the Ukraine, hosted the evening admitting that Australians love a good sledge as much as they love a party. With over 3.7 million Aussies watching the Eurovision Song Contest broadcast, in a time when too many people are talking about putting up walls than building bridges, it’s imperative that the face of Australia demonstrates and represents our diversity and larrikin spirit.
Firebrace oozes charm and remains relaxed and ‘chilled’ as he embraces the entire experience. “The second rehearsal was better than the first,” he admits and laughs about “Lazy Susie” the nickname given to the large revolving disc he’ll be rotated on during his performance.
Gracious, accomplished and humble Isaiah is on fire in the Ukraine and has proven the perfect ambassador for our nation at Eurovision.
The Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast over SBS’s Eurovision weekend - Friday 12 May, Saturday 13 May, and Grand Final Sunday 14 May at 7.30pm on SBS with LIVE early morning broadcasts begin Wednesday 10 May at 5am on SBS.
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