Australia has come ninth in Eurovision but some claimed a mooning Ukrainian reveller with an Australian flag hampered Isaiah Firebrace’s chance at victory.
Portugal won the glitzy global singing competition while Australia’s 17-year-old entrant was in fourth place after the jury vote but dropped to ninth after the viewer votes were collated.
Some blamed the slip on the Ukrainian serial pest Vitalii Sediuk, who stormed the stage and circled last year’s Eurovision winner, Jamala, as she sang during the half-time performance of the song contest. Sediuk has hassled celebrities including Miranda Kerr, Gigi Hadid and Kim Kardashian at major events.
“i bet it will effect the votes in the grandfinal too. We will have to wait and see. It’s really unfair on Isaiah someone would do that,” tweeter Kylie Hajdu wrote, reflecting the feelings of many during the broadcast on Sunday morning in Australia.
It was later reported by SBS and ABC that the man was not an Australian but a Ukrainian “prankster”.
The British comedian Dawn French gave the mooner a thumbs-up as she tweeted: “Actually, no ... my money now on that bottom!!!!!! #eurovision”.
Portugal’s winning song, the tender and jazzy Amar Pelos Dois, was performed by Salvador Sobral but written by his sister Luisa who performed instead of Salvador in the rehearsals as her brother is waiting for a heart transplant.
Salvador invited his sister up on stage to sing the unusual song with him after his win, which he described as a victory for music in a time of “fast food music”.
“This could be a victory for music and for people who make music that actually means something. Music is not fireworks, music is feeling so let’s try to change this and bring music back which is really what matters,” Salvador said.
Australia’s Firebrace wasn’t awarded the highest 12 points from any country for the ballad Don’t Come Easy but did receive several 10 points from countries including Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the UK.
It was a mutual love-in as the SBS news reader Lee Lin Chin announced Australia had awarded 12 points to the UK.
It is the third year Australia has been invited to Eurovision as a wildcard entrant and placed in the top 10. In 2015, Guy Sebastian came fifth while last year Dami Im came second.
Firebrace is an Indigenous Australian, one of 12 children, born and raised in small town of Moama in New South Wales. His father is Yorta Yorta and his mother is Gunditjmara.
Australia’s other entrant, Anja Nissen, who was representing Denmark, came in joint 19th place alongside Greece.
Bulgaria’s 17-year-old entrant, Kristian Kostov, was the runner-up with Moldova’s three-man band SunStroke Project in third place.
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