When Isaiah Firebrace won X Factor last year, I immediately thought he would be the perfect representative for Eurovision.
Omg @SBSEurovision, can we please send Isaiah to represent Australia in #Eurovision next year? https://t.co/TfLT1nP3DG
ā Leonie Sii š± (@TheLeonieSii) 20 novembre 2016
^ That tweet is me calling it in 2016.
Personally, heās been my number one choice from the get go. Although, I wouldnāt have minded if Australia had chosen someone else. Needless to say, I am beyond ecstatic that weāve gone with Isaiah. Keeping in mind, the slogan for this yearās Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv is āCELEBRATE DIVERSITYā.
Here are 3 reasons why I think Isaiah Firebrace is perfect for Australiaās representative.
1. Heās got killer vocals
Heās proven that he has the live vocal chops. Some people have said that his voice is like Sam Smith which I never thought about until now. I can listen to the smooth tones in his vocals endlessly.
2. Heās Indigenous Australian
I just love the fact that he comes from a small indigenous community in rural Australia. He represents diversity and inclusion. I wholeheartedly believe he should also carry the Aboriginal flag with him along with the Australian flag. After all, the slogan is āCelebrate Diversityā.
3. Heās familiar with the competitive nature of singing competitions
Just like many Eurovision contestants, Isaiah is from a reality talent-search contest (yes, even Loreen was from Swedish Idol). He knows what the pressure is like, even having forgotten lyrics at one stage earlier in his X Factor career. Despite this, he still goes out there and challenges himself which I find admirable.
I am a little bit disappointed with the song that was given to him. āDonāt Come Easyā is a generic pop ballad written by the same writers of Dami Imās āSound of Silenceā. However, after the second listen I started warming up to it ā in fact, I warmed up to it way faster than I did to āSound of Silenceā.
Iām not sure how well it will do on the Eurovision stage, but fingers-crossed the production team nail the staging⦠and hopefully Isaiah does those cool little vocal gymnastics heās good at in the live performances.
I donāt expect him to do as well as Dami Im but for a 17-year-old from rural Australia, I think heās absolutely phenomenal. And if anything, itās a huge opportunity for him to gain exposure and experience.
Honestly, Iām confused why some of our fellow Australians are so judgemental and not supportive of this decision. Like, hello? Should we not be rallying behind him? Heās a kid with huge potential and dreams of success āĀ this is a brilliant opportunity for him. Yet for some reason we still want to send the likes of Delta Goodrem or The Veronicas who are already successful and donāt necessarily need a stage like Eurovision to boost their musical career.
It makes me sick when I read comments from people who attack a 17-year-old simply because they donāt agree with the decision. Ugh, I guess people just like to push others down when they themselves canāt even match the level of determination it takes to be on the big stage. Itās just a case of Tall Poppy Syndrome, letās be honest. Donāt like him? Wish him luck and move on.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I donāt know what my top 10 songs are in Eurovision are yet. Iām waiting for the final selections from Sweden (please be Jon Henrik FjƤllgren) and other countries. Although at the moment, Iām digging Occidentaliās Karma (Italy) and Yodel It! (Romania).
But that’s all I have to say… for now.
Be sure to check out my video where I reacted live to Isaiah being announced as Australia’s Eurovision entrant!
More later,
Leonie xo.
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