Eurovision is basically the Olympics of the song contest world, and 2027 will be the first time Canada competes on the world stage in front of millions of spectators.
It’s still too soon to say how Canada’s act will be chosen, but as any athlete will tell you, it’s never too soon to start preparing for the international media, the next-level fans or winning over voters.
CBC News tracked down four of the nine Canadians who have performed in previous Eurovision Song Contests, and asked what kind of advice they would give to future Canadian contestants.
Passionate fans
More than 130 million people watched the most recent Eurovision Song Contest, and it has another four million followers on TikTok.
Eurovision superfans dedicate countless hours watching past contests and familiarizing themselves with the songs and biographical details of their favourite performers. They host discord channels and radio shows, attend watch parties and some even dress up to pay tribute to beloved acts.
Decades after Quebecer Annie Cotton’s third-place finish on behalf of Switzerland in 1993, fans still reach out to her to ask for autographed photos, or just to let her know how much they loved her performance.
But it took a while for Cotton to realize how devoted Eurovision fans can be. Canadians didn’t know much about the contest when she performed in 1993, because it wasn’t broadcast in Canada and most people still didn’t have the internet.
“I didn’t know how much this show was reaching fans,” she said of that era. “But when the internet arrived in our lives, then I realized that many countries have websites on Eurovision history and participants.”
International promotion
Vancouver-born Rykka, who performed on behalf of Switzerland in 2016, understands that fan appreciation. “I really love the Eurovision community, they’re amazing, like the fans and everybody. Very, very warm and a lot of fun,” she said.
For Rykka, the workload that came with participating in Eurovision was also overwhelming. “It was definitely like a whole half a year project,” she said.
First, there was a selection process for Switzerland to choose its submission, which included a television show and national voting. Then there was an intensive planning phase followed by showcases in several different countries — all before the actual contest got underway.
“I’m very grateful and I had a lot of amazing, super unique experiences. But also it took a lot of energy in special ways that I had to recover from for a long time,” Rykka said.
Gary Lux, who was born in Peterborough, Ont., has been part of six different Eurovision contests. The first time was in 1983 when he performed as part of the Austrian pop group Westend.
He too admits “promotion is not easy.” But he said it is important to be disciplined and push through because “when you feel that the success comes, that pushes the energy incredibly.”
All those showcases and media performances are an essential part of winning over the voters who will have a role in picking the Eurovision winner.
Representing Canada
Whoever is going to Bulgaria in 2027 will have another important role: representing Canada to global allies. That’s a lot of pressure — especially during what will be Canada’s first appearance.
“I think that the Canadians have a good standing in the minds of the Europeans,” said Lux.
But there are still ways to ingratiate a performer with the crew and audience in the host country, who can help bolster a performance.
“I would suggest reading up about the country, maybe learning a couple of words in Bulgarian, finding out as much as you can before you get there,” said Sherisse Laurence, from Huntsville, Ont. That’s what she did before she went to Norway for Eurovision on behalf of Luxembourg in 1986.
“In rehearsal spaces I would start playing some [Norwegian composer Edvard] Grieg and that would really warm up the Norwegian crew towards me.”
How to win
Eurovision fans may love an over-the-top performance, but these former contestants feel that is a trap Canada shouldn’t fall into at its first Eurovision Song Contest.
“The most important thing is to be authentic,” said Lux. “What the people really [want is] if you catch them emotionally. Then everything can happen.”
That worked for Cotton in Ireland in 1993.
“I remember I sang a song called Moi, tout simplement [I will be myself],” she said. “I was 17 years old, in the middle of the huge stage, alone by myself, with no dancers, no backing vocalists, just me.… People liked it.”
Laurence’s advice is, avoid anything that voters can interpret as diva-like behaviour.
“Whoever represents the country… part of the task is to convince people that, ‘Hey, we belong here and we’re really happy to be here.’ That’s the thing. Show appreciation that you are there.”
Career expectations
Despite the exposure Eurovision provides, there’s no guarantee a great performance will transform into a dream job.
Lux said Eurovision marked the beginning of his musical career. “When you represent your country, you’re in the newspapers, the people see your picture, they see what you’re about.”
But Cotton doesn’t feel all that exposure had a big effect. “I was working there in Switzerland and everything was going very, very fast. I was very far from home, away from my friends, my parents.”
She was 17 and says she felt alone after the Eurovision Song Contest was over. “So I decided to come back because I wasn’t ready for all this big thing that was happening to me.”
Rykka said she does not regret taking part in Eurovision, but she doesn’t like her name being associated with the contest and what it stands for today.
“A lot of the venues that I was previously playing at wouldn’t book me anymore because I took part in Eurovision,” she said.
“It’s like it was kind of like a choice between going mainstream or staying kind of like cool. But in the end I did not have mainstream benefits.”
She still performs as Rykka, but right now she’s focusing more on her folk duo project Goldschatz, playing smaller venues and house shows.
