Eleven nations compete in Bangkok as the Eurovision Song Contest Asia crowns its first winner on Saturday.
The first Eurovision Asia takes place at the One Bangkok Forum. Acts from eleven countries bring a regional pop showcase to Thailand, as reported by The Guardian.
Fans gathered at the venue wearing bright outfits and flags while awaiting the show, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
“I’m very pleased it’s come to Asia. We’ve been waiting so long!” said Fauzan, a 37-year-old fan from Malaysia who wore a blue corset over a white trouser suit to honor his nation’s act.
Hosting duties for the inaugural event are handled by Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop, according to TV Tonight.
The lineup features artists representing countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Bhutan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Korea, Nepal, and Malaysia.
Previous efforts to establish a Eurovision-licensed Asia-Pacific contest faced hurdles over the years. The aborted Our Sound contest ran in 2009. A 2016 agreement with Australian broadcaster SBS underwent multiple postponements before concluding in 2021.
Major regional powers such as India, Japan, and China are absent from the initial contest.
Travel interest saw rises in non-participating markets like India. India registered a 43% increase in travel interest to Bangkok according to Agoda.
Among the competing acts, Bangladesh is represented by Beatmosphere, a pioneering genre-bending, a cappella and beatbox performance collective formed in 2009 that recreates drums, basslines, melodies, electronic textures, and effects using only voices.
Malaysia’s entry, Aina Abdul, performs the song “Bluest Sky“while wearing colours matching supporter Fauzan's attire. Vietnam's entry, Tóc Tiên, was chosen by viewers worldwide following an online selection for the song”Em Tiên”.
Tóc Tiên has maintained an active entertainment career for over twenty years as a singer, film actress, and host of reality television programs.
Mongolia’s journey to the stage involved a selection adjustment when its initial winning national final entry was found to have been previously released. Beck performed the runner-up track, “Chamguigeer (Without You)”.
Nepal’s entry, Pratik Himal Rai, brings a rock track titled “Ananta Maya”, featuring distinctive staging elements including a heart-shaped arch and mesh masks during the performance.
For the Philippines, Carmelle is representing the country with the song “Sobra-Sobra”.
The winner is decided by a combination of public voting and professional national juries. Half of the score comes from the 11 national juries, while the other half relies on public votes, according to TV Tonight.
Users can vote via the official Eurovision Asia website for free. Each user is given a total of eight free votes, which must be distributed across a minimum of three songs.
Viewers can also buy ten extra votes if desired. A Rest of the World vote awards an additional set of points equivalent to that of each participating country. This results in 11 sets of jury points and 12 sets of audience votes.
Executive producer Assaf Blecher described the regional contest as “a little bit more innocent” compared to the European flagship event, as noted by Yahoo Entertainment.
Martin Green, director of the European Broadcasting Union, said that establishing the brand in the region could take “two, three, five years”.
The event is broadcast internationally. It airs on commercial television in participating countries, on SBS in Australia, and streams on the Eurovision YouTube channel in Europe at 14.30 CET (13.30 GMT), with results expected around 1600 GMT, according to The Guardian and Yahoo Entertainment.