Eurovision 2019 spotlight: Australia's Kate Miller-Heidke with "Zero Gravity"...

As we continue with my spotlight on the countries and singers competing in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, I come to the "newest" addition to the list, country-wise. If you need to catch up on my series, you can click here to see all the entries. And here we go...

Though technically not "European" but very British nonetheless, Australians have been fans of Eurovision for decades, and in 2015 the country/continent finally got the oppurtunity to participate in the show. Last year they sent powerhouse vocalist and Australian Idol runner-up from 2006 Jessica Mauboy. She was charming and her voice was great, but the song, "We Got Love", was rather bland dance-pop and even though she continued their streak of making the finals, Jessica ended up in 20th place, destroyed in the televote. Up until this year, all four of the country's entries were alumni of Idol or X Factor. This year, as the country had its first national final with the public voting, the person winning the chance to go to Tel Aviv had nothing to do with TV singing competitions...

Australia - "Zero Gravity" by Kate Miller-Heidke

Miller-Heidke, a native of the city of Brisbane in the northeast state of Queensland, is best known for her operatic vocal range and power, which she used both in stage productions as well as translating modern music with a touch of that dramatic genre. Her biggest breakthough came when she performed in the Jerry Springer Opera musical in 2009, but she had been recording material for years before that. But now at Eurovision, her entry is "Zero Gravity", written by Kate with her husband Keir Nuttall. According to Kate the song is about the birth of her child Ernie and her fight with post-partum depression. The EDM-style verses and build-up contrast greatly with the chorus which strips most of the music save her opera flourishes, which do strike the ear as different the moment you hear it...

This song is going to be the country's first to possibly polarize a section of the public, either from the disjointed but interesting structure of the song, to the staging, which at least in the national final had her in a giant dress, which is so Estonia last year (I heard they were redoing that, it better be an entire overhaul). I cannot deny that I really wish that the runner-up in the national finals, "2000 and Whatever", would've done the trick here, and would've been a guarantee for the top ten (mark my words), but Kate gives a stellar performance nonetheless and should be a comfortable pass to the final, although once there all bets are off. (Rating: 7/10)

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As I mentionned, Australia has been quite lucky so far in the Contest, reaching the top ten their first three years. Their best showing so far came in their second year in 2016, when Dami Im's "Sound Of Silence" came in second, scoring over 500 points in the process...

As for me, the country's personal best so far was their first, when Guy Sebastian gleefully knocked down the house with "Tonight Again", which I was rooting on winning the contest, but coming in at a respectable fifth...

 And lastly, this was the runner-up at the national finals, "2000 and Whatever" from the duo Electric Fields, that damn well should've been in Tel Aviv...