Aussie Duo Electric Fields may have bowed out of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in the competition’s first Semi Final, but a teenage Sydneysider flying the flag for Cyprus has quickly reignited our nation’s hopes.
Silia Kapsis, a 17-year-old born in the harbour city, qualified to represent the island nation through her Greek Cypriot heritage.
Rocking the Malmo stage with her hit Liar, the energetic performer appeared to invoke the nostalgic dance moves, vocal confidence and hair-flicks of Holly Valance as she made her stage presence felt.
Sporting baggy, white sequinned pants and a sparkling tank top, Kapsis moved powerfully across the floor as four enthusiastic male dancers shadowed her.
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Expecting to welcome 100,000 touring fans to the Northern city, the Sydney sensation had Malmo Arena in raptures as the first cab off the Euro rank, setting the standard for the rest of the night.
Singing in English and dancing in a language all viewers could appreciate, she was sure to let the crowd know of her origins before exiting the stage.
“Thank you, I’m from Australia!” she screamed. “Love you all!”
Gathering enough points to qualify for Sunday’s Grand Final, Kapsis was one of 10 hopeful acts to make it through her Semi as seven missed the cut.
Aussie electronic duo Electric Fields, comprising of Zaacharia Fielding and Michael Ross, failed to score a coveted ticket to the decider for their Aboriginal language song One Milkali.
Kapsis, humbled to be performing on the world stage, revealed the occasion wasn’t lost on her after her epic showing.
“I feel proud and privileged. Thank you all very much. I am really happy,” she said.
While representing the culture of her ancestors, the Sydney local was equally conscious of making her homeland proud.
“There is definitely a little responsibility. Australians are beautiful people and extremely talented. They are absolutely amazing. And they showed culture, and that’s the most important thing about Eurovision.
“Apart from that, I hope I made Australia proud,” she said.
Home to a little more than one million people, the Mediterranean nation announced via social media in September 2023 Kapsis would be called upon, after she’d also applied to represent Greece.
While some may have questioned the Aussie teen’s CV and popularity at the time, the nation screaming out for its maiden Eurovision win will surely be embracing her now.
Ahead of performing against 25 other finalists on the weekend, the emerging star said she hopes to use the contest as a springboard to become “a pop artist”.
Fans can tune into SBS early Sunday morning to watch Silia Kapsis perform at the Eurovision Grand Final.