Eurovision has made the leap to Asia. Eurovision Asia holds its first grand final at One Bangkok Forum in Thailand on Saturday, starting at 13:30 GMT. The European Broadcasting Union is testing Asian audiences to mark the contest's 70th birthday. The idea had been discussed for two decades and suffered several false starts, the BBC reported.
Eleven countries are competing: host Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. India, China, Japan and Indonesia are absent. The BBC said talks are under way to bring them into next year's contest, if there is one. The organisers have also hit problems. A sudden million-dollar (£760,000) budget cut three weeks before the final kept many experienced Eurovision technicians away from Thailand, the BBC said. Several staff resigned, and fans criticised the audio and lighting in rehearsal videos.
Voting works as it does in Europe. Public votes and national juries count 50/50, with a 12th "rest of the world" group. Each registered voter gets eight votes. They cannot vote for their own country and must back at least three other entries. The BBC noted that most of the 11 million Filipinos abroad live in countries that are not competing. Their votes therefore go into the "rest of the world" group.
Fans and bookies tip Malaysia's Aina Abdul to win, the Guardian reports. The former Masked Singer Malaysia champion will close the show with her power ballad Bluest Sky. The Philippines' Carmelle is seen as another frontrunner with Sobra-Sobra, a feminist anthem. Mongolia sends Ganbatyn Munkhbayar, known as Beck. He sings the runner-up song from his national final, because the winning song turned out to have been released before. Nearly half the entries use English lyrics, according to the Guardian.
Bhutan's Thukten Nyendra is 24. Before the contest he had never left his country or flown, the BBC reported. "I'm not a star," he told the BBC, adding that winning "would mean the world to us." Vietnam's Tóc Tiên, 37, has perhaps the most ambitious choreography. Bangladesh's Beatmosphere will perform a cappella with beatboxing.
The show will be tamer than its European parent. Malaysia and Bangladesh outlaw same-sex activity, and the BBC said there are no visible LGBTQ+ elements this year. Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop will host. Dara, the 2026 Eurovision winner, will perform in the interval. SBS will broadcast the show in Australia, while viewers in Europe can watch on the Eurovision YouTube channel.