‘She was phenomenal, she was iconic’: Delta Goodrem wins praise as Australia places fourth at Eurovision | Eurovision 2026
Delta Goodrem’s fourth-place finish at Eurovision has dashed Australia’s hopes of winning the world’s biggest song contest for the first time, but there has been huge praise for the “iconic” singer.
The former Neighbors star dazzled at the grand final of the Eurovision song contest in Vienna, Austria, in the early hours of Sunday morning Australian time.
Performing her powerful song Eclipse, Goodrem was seen as one of Australia’s best chances for the top prize since Dami Im finished runner-up in 2016.
Although voters loved him, he could not beat Bulgarian singer Dara, whose party anthem Bangaranga marked the 70th anniversary of the contest with the eastern European country’s first win.
After the results were announced, Goodrem thanked those who supported her on her Eurovision journey.
“Representing Australia on the Eurovision stage and being part of this incredible community was unforgettable,” said the 41-year-old singer-songwriter.
“I am so grateful for the love and support from home and around the world. It has carried me every step of the way.”
Performing the eighth of 25 acts, Goodrem stood at a glittering, gold piano, danced on the keys and belted out the lyrics: “One touch, one kiss, that’s my whole life for one nightlife.”
As the song rose to a crescendo, she rose from the instrument to a rising platform as sparklers and fog machines were released behind her.
Dressed in flags, wigs and everything from flashy gold dresses to traditional European attire, Eurovision tragics braved the early morning chill in Australia to watch Goodrem sing.
Leo Chant spent days making an applique of diamonds to recreate Goodrem’s costume for a release party in Hurstville, south of Sydney.
“I’ve been waiting for Delta to participate for a very long time, in the 10 years Australia has been in it,” said Chant, who also chaired the event.
“It was extraordinary, it was iconic, it was Delta.”
Hopes rose as the results started coming in.
The Eurovision winner is determined by votes from each country’s jury of industry professionals and viewers’ votes by phone or text.
Neither the jury nor the public can vote for their own country.
The one with the most points wins the competition, and the winning country hosts the competition the following year.
When the jury votes were tallied, Australia was in second place behind Bulgaria, tied with Denmark.
But the opinion poll rewrote the leaderboard, sending Israel into second place and Romania onto the final podium, narrowly ahead of Australia.
The result came as a surprise after bookmakers’ choice saw Finland slip to sixth place and Australia positioned as second favourites.
It was the country’s second-best performance at Eurovision, behind Dami Im’s Sound of Silence, which came second to Ukraine’s Jamala in Stockholm in 2016.
It was an emotional roller coaster for dozens of people gathered in Sydney’s south at the Eurovision release party.
“I expected him to be in the top three but the top four is still outstanding,” Chant said.
“He still did Australia proud. But you’ve got to hand it to Bulgaria. They were fantastic and they’ve never won before.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised the star’s performance and said he was watching the news as the votes came in.
“Delta Goodrem is someone who can be very, very proud of her efforts,” he told reporters on Sunday. “And all Australians are proud of Delta.”
The often irreverent singing competition has been marred by controversy this year as many countries boycotted it in protest of Israel’s participation.
Public broadcasters of five countries (Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia) oppose Israeli interference in the country’s treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
