Jess Mauboy 'speechless' after Eurovision performance

Jessica Mauboy says she's still on a high after her Eurovision Song Contest debut. She speaks with SBS and NITV just moments after her performance.





She's performed before a worldwide audience of millions and chatted with Denmark's Princess Mary, so it's no wonder Jessica Mauboy is on a high from her Eurovision Song Contest debut.

The pop princess gave a typically spirited performance as a guest star at the singing contest's second semi-final, belting out her upbeat anthem Sea of Flags in the first time an Australian has performed at the European glitzfest.

"I’m actually quite speechless…I’m still trying to figure out what just happened,” she told SBS. “The Eurovision stage was pretty epic, and singing that song ‘Sea Of Flags’ was really a proud moment for me."

Striding the stage in a metallic Toni Maticevski gown, Mauboy had the Copenhagen crowd up and dancing with her infectious performance.

"That moment of hearing my name, ‘Jessica Mauboy Darwin, Australia’ – that is just an epic and incredible intro," she said.

"I almost thought I was going to cry. But I was like, ‘not now, this is not the moment. I just need to take it in, tell my story."

Ms Mauboy said she was excited to share her story, and hoped the Indigenous community would feel proud of her performance.

"I hope they would feel proud and they take it in, and that they would celebrate with us.

"I was really thinking about home and Australia and our culture, and the fact that we get to share our stories right now with everyone that doesn’t know, or that wants to know."

Mauboy said she wrote the song in just two days with good friend and The Potbellez frontman Ilan Kidron.

While she admitted to some pre-show nerves, the Australian Idol runner-up said she was proud to represent her country on the world stage.

"This is a dream come true, to explore a bit more and to present my music out there to the universe," she told SBS.

She also enjoyed a meet-and-greet with fellow Aussie turned Danish royal Princess Mary.

"It was incredible, she brought her two children along," Mauboy said. "We had a really lovely, warm chat."

Apart from garnering new international fans - the contest generally attracts more than 125 million viewers - Mauboy said she'd become friends with one of the competition's most controversial contestants - Austria's Conchita Wurst, aka the "bearded lady".

"Oh yes, I'm really good friends with Conchita," Mauboy told Nova FM.

"What's so amazing about her, about Eurovision, is that it allows to be the artist that you are and take a bit of a risk."

She says she has her fingers crossed the Austrian will get through to the grand final.

Meanwhile, Mauboy was trending on Twitter in the UK after hitting the Eurovision stage.


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