Australia soars into Eurovision final as UK song debuts

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Australia soars into Eurovision final as UK song debuts22 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleMark SavageMusic correspondent, Eurovision Song Contest, ViennaGetty ImagesDelta Goodrem celebrated as Australia were voted into the Eurovision Grand FinalPop star Delta Goodrem has dramatically increased Australia's odds of winning the Eurovision Song Contest, after a stunning performance of her power ballad, Eclipse, at Thursday's semi-final. The singer is now second favourite for the competition, and is rapidly closing in Finland, who have long been predicted to lift the trophy. If she succeeds on Saturday, it would be a first for Australia - who joined the contest as a one-off wild card entry in 2015 but quickly became a permanent fixture.

Eurovision is phenomenally successful in the country, despite its distance from Europe, with more than a million people regularly tuning in to watch the show. Goodrem, who is known to UK TV fans for her role in the Aussie soap opera Neighbours, is one of the biggest-selling female artists in her home country. She signed her first recording contract at the age of 15 and has scored four number one albums.

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Speaking to the , she called her Eurovision experience "surprisingly beautiful". "To see people flying the flags for music and being with us has been an awesome thing to see. "Getty ImagesGoodrem's performance was largely free of gimmicks, as she sang in front of a crescent moon - but there was a surprise at the endAs well as Goodrem, nine other acts survived the cull at Thursday's semi-final, and will perform again in Vienna on Saturday night.

In alphabetical order, the qualifiers were:Albania: Alis - NânAustralia: Delta Goodrem - EclipseBulgaria: Dara - BangarangaCyprus: Antigoni - JallaCzechia: Daniel Zizka - CrossroadsDenmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund - Før Vi Går HjemMalta: Aidan - BellaRomania: Alexandra Căpitănescu - Choke MeUkraine: Leléka - RidnymNorway: Jonas Lovv - Ya Ya YaFive countries - Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Armenia, Switzerland and Latvia - were eliminated and will have to wait for 2027 before they can compete again. Getty ImagesLook Mum No Computer gave a dynamic performance, surrounded by quirky dancers and electrical circuitsOn stage, he re-enacted the storyline, starting at an office desk, before escaping into a colourful and surreal vista of circuitboards and robotic dancers. His performance met a mixed reception on social media.

"UK might actually get some points this year," wrote Dan on Threads. "He showed lots of energy and personality," agreed Karen Robinson. On Reddit, one user criticised the staging, which they described as a man "huffing and puffing around an exam hall".

"I don't think it's our year," sighed C Grinbergs on Bluesky. However, the song received an automatic pass to the final, due to the UK's role as one of the "Big Four" countries who make the largest financial contributions to the song contest.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.