Eurovision Asia Launches Inaugural Grand Final in Bangkok
Eurovision Asia launches its inaugural grand final in Bangkok starting at 20:30 ICT on Saturday, bringing the world’s longest-running international song contest to a new region for its 70th anniversary, BBC News reported.
The European Broadcasting Union is testing the television formula in Asia after two decades of discussion and false starts. Eleven countries are participating in the initial contest: host Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Asian giants including India, China, Japan, and Indonesia are absent from the lineup, though negotiations continue for next year’s event. A million-dollar budget cut three weeks before the final forced changes, removing several technicians familiar with Eurovision staging and prompting staff resignations.
The competition uses the traditional 50/50 mix of public voting and national juries from the 11 contesting nations, alongside a 12th “rest of the world” category. Participants cannot vote for their own country and must distribute votes to at least three others.
Contestants range from regional megastars to unknown performers taking a rare global stage. Malaysia’s Aina Abdul performs her song Bluest Sky wearing a dress crafted by designer Melinda Looi that took 600 hours to make.
“It’s still very new in Asia. I’m not sure many people have heard about it yet,” Sarun ‘Note’ Kungbunpot told BBC News, adding that audiences may need time to adjust.
“When we look at contests in Thailand, the Philippines and Korea, we actually compete based on the singer. It’s all about popularity – fans are looking for their idols. But Eurovision is all about the song, not the singer. I think this needs to be communicated clearly,” Kungbunpot said.
For Bhutan's representative, 24-year-old Thukten Nyendra, the contest offers a new way to perform his song Lhayi Semo. “I’m not a star. I’m just Nyendra over there,” Nyendra told BBC News. “Nobody knows me. But Eurovision has given me a huge platform. Actually winning would mean the world to us… If I really make it through all of this, it would mean the entire freaking world to us.”
Nineteen-year-old Carmelle Collado of the Philippines represents her country with the song Sobra-Sobra. “I’m actually quite scared because I’m the youngest, but also really happy,” Collado told BBC News. “The song is about feminine energy. It’s about being brave, strong, fierce, and it’s about how strong Filipino women are.”