Now Eurovision 2025 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the shitshow events of Basel, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2025 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our third part Shiloh, Rory, and Kittens discuss what went wrong with Australia.
Who is Go-Jo?
Go-Jo is the stage name of Marty Zambotto, a 29-year-old singer from Manjimup in Western Australia. Growing up on a remote farm, Martyโs initial focus was on Australian football, becoming a semi-professional player for the East Perth Royals. However, the pull to music proved too strong, and he eventually decided to pursue music full time. Since then, the star has released his own original music, with his track โMrs. Hollywoodโ being viewed over 1 billion times across various video platforms.
What are the issues with the selection?
Shiloh – Ultimately, I think Australia’s main problem this year (and last year) is this: they picked an artist and the artist was like, “let’s write a song For Eurovision”, instead of picking whatever actually good song they had but hadn’t released yet. They need to stop treating Eurovision as just a gimmick and take it, like, a modicum more seriously.
Kittens – Actually I don’t think the selection was bad at all. I do think it’s a shame that Australia have binned a national selection and seem to have adopted all the pomp of a piece of wet lettuce when doing announcements, but I do think Go-Jo was a good representative. Coming in at 11th place in the semi wasn’t bad at all, and there is a very charismatic guy behind it all who made the most of their selection – so much was done right here actually, and I don’t think it’s quite as clear to me exactly why this didn’t qualify.
Rory – Overall, I think the concept was pretty good for Australia this year. Go-Jo was a fun and infectious personality and it’s now obvious that the song had a longer staying power we had anticipated. But I think what could have let it down was Go-Jo’s vocal, which *was* weak on the night. Maybe also the overall concept of the blender was enough to put people off. But for Australia’s first attempt at a novelty act, it wasn’t a total bomb.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Shiloh – NO! Absolutely not. Listen, Milkshake Man is a fun enough song sonically if you don’t listen too hard to the lyrics, but it’s not a standout, and again… don’t listen to the lyrics.
Kittens – I disagree with Shiloh here actually – I think the song was strong enough for Eurovision. It’s a fun song with a fun staging, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I do think the vocals suffered somewhat on the night but it’s clear it wasn’t like that throughout the preparty season, so I am willing to chalk this up to contest week rather than a general selection problem. The song may have had …interesting lyrics, but I do feel it’s the kinda song where you can take what you want with it, and you can interpret it how you wish.
Rory – I would argue that “Milkshake Man” is one of the most fitting songs for a Eurovision Song Contest. It’s quirky, it’s fun, it’s risquรฉ and it got people talking. Vocally, Go-Jo was a bit weak, but the song itself was a perfect song to go to the Contest.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Shiloh – Lol. Lmao, even. What happened there… I mean seriously. Who greenlit this. It’s like they didn’t care. Go-Jo was really awkward, it was all just… awkward and didn’t feel like it fit the big stage. I would have expected such a performance on Irish Eurosong. The song was what the song was, but I feel like several other countries this year (Malta and Croatia come to mind) pulled together really solid stage shows out of songs that were less than great, and by comparison it just looks like Australia didn’t put in any effort.
Kittens – Honestly, I was a bit disappointed to not get the ice cream truck, despite the connotations of having it. The staging felt a little too small for the stage, but it had some clever elements that worked very well. I do think coming first in the running order won’t have benefited it much, and allowed for stronger songs to take the place of what might have been there. I would personally have gone bigger – more dancers, more kitsch, more ridiculousness – and why there wasn’t any actual milkshake on stage (as in, not as an image or prop) baffles me a bit. It just needed to be stuck together a bit more.
Rory – This is where I think SBS lost its chance of qualifying. Yes, the staging was unique and it was fun to see outfit changes and a rather novelty touch to the song. But when there were only three (visible) people onstage, it just made the stage look bare. I would have made a lot of changes to the staging here, but there were….elements that worked well.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Shiloh – No chance in hell โค๏ธ
Kittens – I do think a neater staging, less laboured vocals and a better placement in the final show would have done this song wonders. A lot of things were done right here. I do think Australia as a country suffers at Eurovision from literally being physically situated away, and having a lack of support on the more local stage, but with this just missing out on making it to the final, it’s more small tweaks for me rather than sweeping gestures.
Rory – I definitely think there would have been a pathway to the final for Australia if they had made changes to the staging and Go-Jo was more comfortable on stage. This isn’t to say that they did everything wrong, I think the idea was 90% there. Some more development on the table of the delegation would have really improved its chances here and it would have definitely made it through.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Shiloh – Again, the big lesson to be learned is that if Australia wants to be taken seriously, they need to take the contest seriously.
Kittens – I do think they should go back to a national selection if they can afford to do so. It gave them so much more energy for the contest, so much more of a neater vision. It’s a shame that this couldn’t make it through, because I think a lot of things were actually done very right here – making it more punchy and stand out would have made all the difference.
Rory – I’m glad that Australia was willing to take a risk and send something that was a bit more novelty. Plus, Go-Jo was a fantastic ambassador for the nation and it’s obvious that the Aussie fans were backing him all the way. We need to have more momentum for Australian acts again, SBS should start to open up more on their selection, and let fans generate the hype that can lead to a win. The options are there, but they need to lean into it more than they have.
Australia’s Eurovision Journey
The most recent country to debut into the Eurovision Song Contest, Australia debuted in 2015. Guy Sebastian represented the land down under with his entry “Tonight Again” in Vienna, where they placed 5th. Since their debut, they have participated every single year of the competition.
Australia internally selected Go-Jo to represent them in 2024 with the song “Milkshake Man”. He ultimately failed to reach the Grand Final, placing eleventh in the second semi-final with 41 televote points.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Australia could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow โThat Eurovision Siteโ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU