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Voyager to represent Australia at Eurovision, as synth-metal band to sing Promise in Liverpool

Topic: Music (Arts and Entertainment)

WA band Voyager has been chosen to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest.  ( ABC News: Abby Richards )

A band will represent Australia for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest, with WA synth-metal group Voyager named as the entrant for the 2023 competition with the song Promise.

This year will be the eighth time that Australia has participated as a contestant at the world-famous TV music festival — for the first time since 2018, host broadcaster SBS has opted for an internal selection, without holding a public national final.

"As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle — Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth!" lead singer Danny Estrin said in a statement.

"Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it's one of our best yet.'

The song is a progressive pop number featuring Voyager's trademark sound with big guitars, keytar solos and driving rhythms.

Mr Estrin said it was surreal to know they were going to be a part of the competition.

"It's really such an honour to be representing at Eurovision," he said.

"My own story is a migrant story, we arrived in WA in 1992 and the opportunities that this state and country have given me and the band have been absolutely phenomenal.

"For us, even going to Eurovision now is a win."

WA Tourism Minister Roger Cook said he thought the band could go "all the way".

"These guys have got what it takes to attract the world and to attract the eyes of the judges," he said.

WA band Voyager joined by WA Tourism Minister Roger Cook (front) and Arts Minister David Templeman (second from right).  ( ABC News: Abby Richards )

Voyager's selection caps a long journey to Eurovision.

The Perth-based outfit has been trying to make it to the contest for eight years since Australia was first announced as a participant in 2015, after being invited as part of celebrations for the contest's 60th anniversary.

Voyager submitted songs each year to the contest. In 2020, they were shortlisted but just missed out on the final 11 for national final Australia Decides with their song Runaway.

Voyager won the public vote at Australia Decides in 2022 but finished second to Sheldon Riley with their song Dreamer. ( Supplied: Mike Dann )

Last year, they made it to Australia Decides with Dreamer, but lost by three votes to Sheldon Riley and his song Not the Same.

Voyager won the public vote, but lost on the combined score when votes from the jury were added in.

Riley went on to reach the final in Turin, Italy, finishing 15th.

So far in 2023, including Australia's selection, 22 of the 37 nations competing in Liverpool have named their artists and songs for the contest.   

SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said: "Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun. Look out Europe, the Aussies are coming!".

The director of SBS production partner Blink TV, Paul Clarke said:

"From the very first listen I knew it was something special — an epic, cinematic track that will take listeners on an anthemic rock voyage all the way to the Eurovision stage.

"This year, Australia’s hopes are in the masterful hands of a band for the first time ever, and I can’t wait for Voyager to rock your socks off in Liverpool.”

The band has toured around the world and released seven albums — work on an eighth will begin later this year.

Australia's contract with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) — the organisers of Eurovision — runs out in 2023, so this could be Australia's last year as a contestant.

The contest will be held in the United Kingdom , at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, as last year's winners, Ukraine, were unable to host due to the war with Russia.

The contest will be held in May this year. There will be two semi-finals, on May 10 and 12 (Australian time) — Australia will be in the second semi-final, along with Albania, Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania, San Marino, Belgium, Slovenia, Iceland, Georgia, Greece, Poland and Estonia. 

The top 10 vote-getting countries will advance to the final on May 14 (Australian time).

Australia has never won the contest, with Dami Im producing the best result with a second place with her song Sound of Silence in 2016.

The contest will be live-blogged by ABC.

Who are Voyager, the band representing Australia at this year's Eurovision?

The synth-metal group will represent australia at the 67th eurovision song contest in liverpool with their song promise..

Perth-based synth-metal band Voyager will represent Australia at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Source: Supplied / Michael Dann

• SBS has announced Perth-based synth-metal group Voyager as Australia's 2023 Eurovision Song Contest pick.
• It's the first time a band will represent Australia at the contest, to be held in Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
• The contest will be held from 9 -13 May.

'Dream come true': Australia's Sheldon Riley through to Eurovision grand final

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Culture | Music

Who are metal band Voyager? Australia’s Eurovision entry set to rock the contest

Australia has a short but impactful history in Eurovision , and its 2023 entry looks set to be among its most memorable.

Metal band Voyager have been trying to get a place on the show since before Australia was even competing, so when Europe was extended to a land down under for the show in 2015, they were keen to join the fun.

Bass player Alex Cainon told the NME : “The most common feedback we get is that we look like we’re having fun onstage – which we’ve found, over the years, translates into the crowd themselves having fun. And that’s exactly what Eurovision is about, you know?”

Voyager formed in 1999 in the Western Australian city of Perth - a place other Aussies will tell you is in “woop woop” (a million miles from anywhere). And perhaps as geographical outsiders they have had what it takes to form a cult following which has seen them release eight albums - most recently Fearless in Love this year.

There is a huge Eurovision following in Australia and the country was set to compete only once in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary, but has returned every year since - although it has yet to win. While it is not unheard of for a metal band to win the competition (remember Lordi in 2006?) Voyager are considered outsiders for this year’s competition which begins, for them, on Thursday, May 11 with the second semi-final.

But winning is not everything and the band are instead hoping to put Australian metal onto the global stage.

“Eurovision is the kind of thing you can do and come out of with a completely new fanbase,” guitarist Scott Kay told NME .

“If they’re into more obscure types of music, hopefully they’ll see us and then check out all the other amazing talent we have in Australia.”

Voyager will enter the 2023 competition with their song Promise which they hope will provide a solid entry point for fans. The band have crossed the boundary and are now in the host city of Liverpool hoping to make the final which will be on Saturday.

To find out more about Eurovision 2023 click here .

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The vibrant quintet choreographs an intricate dance between metal and pop; employ a keytar on stage, and bring forward a positive, uplifting feeling to their music, running head-first into the endless parade of heavy bands who see the world in a different light. Voyager ’s latest album Colours in the Sun exploded like a supernova onto the worldwide stage with their vivid, uplifting, and exhilarating music and live performance, capturing the excitement of existing fans and the intrigue of new ones from all around the world. Frontman Danny Estrin, a long-time Eurovision fanatic is not only an award-winning, multilingual lawyer by day, he also moonlights as a renowned and respected musician. Danny’s signature dose of ‘80s influenced vocals and hook-laden keytar lines over the top of genre-transfiguring, ultra-modern and prismatic hard rock has travelled the world many times over.

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