When Australian singer Sheldon Riley took to the stage in the Italian city of Turin there was a hush that rippled through the audience and it was felt by his fans who were 17,000 kilometres away.
In Sydney, his family was watching along with other Eurovision fans.
Australian Sheldon Riley performs during the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest at Palaolimpico arena, in Turin, Italy. Source: AP / Luca Bruno/AP
"Ever since he was little, he wanted to be a Eurovision contestant. I know in my heart he's a superstar."
At the end of his song, Riley was visibly overcome with emotion as he fulfilled a lifelong dream to perform on the Eurovision stage in the grand final in front of a global television audience of around 183 million viewers.
"I don’t think there are many people in the world that have been told so strongly that weren’t able to achieve something and actually went on to do it," the 22-year-old said.
Relatives of Sheldon Riley cheer him on at a Eurovision Broadcasting Party in Hurstville, Sydney. Source: SBS News
Riley's performance saw Australia ranked 15th out of the 25 countries competing.
In Australia, fans gathered at Eurovision parties across the country from 4:30am to watch the live broadcast.
More than 400 people, including members of Sheldon's family, attended a free public event at Hurstville in southern Sydney.
Ahead of his appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, Sheldon opened up about the struggles in his childhood that led to the , including his autism diagnosis.
Australian Eurovision fans cheering on contestants at a live broadcast party in Hurstville, Sydney. Source: SBS News
"His attitude and the way he speaks and dresses up in all of the designs, he's always had the x-factor," she said.
Among those partying inside the Marana Auditorium were fans dressed up in costumes similar to Sheldon's.
"We've gone for his mask and his outfit but unfortunately he changed it to white at the last minute, but we're still rocking the black (version)," Eurovision fan Janet said.
"My friends and I love Eurovision and we wanted to support our own homeland country, Greece, as well as Australia," another fan said.
Australian fans watch Sheldon Riley's Eurovision Grand Final performance. Source: SBS News
"It's the third year we've held this event and it keeps getting bigger and bigger," GRC acting director of community and culture Kristie Dodd said.
"Over two-thirds of our community have ancestry from one of the Eurovision countries, so it's great to be able to put on an event like this for them. There's a really fun buzz in the air and we've even had travellers from Finland."
The official results were a combination of the jury vote and audience vote.
Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine was crowned 2022 Eurovision winner with their song 'Stefania' being awarded 631 points. The United Kingdom took out second place, and Spain placed third.
Speaking after the finale, Riley said Eurovision had "been the most incredible experience of my entire life".
"It’s [Eurovision is] all I ever wanted. I got to meet everyone that I’ve watched for years and years. I got to meet Conchita today, which was amazing," he said.
"I was told for such a long time that this was never going to be possible, so I didn’t care where I placed, as long as I got here and that I got to the Grand Final.
"My performance was received so well by the room and it means the absolute world. This is everything I could have dreamed of," he added.
Australia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest seven times since its debut in 2015 and has been in the top ten four times.
Catch the prime-time broadcast of the show tonight at 8:30pm AEST on SBS and at SBS On Demand. There will also be a replay of the Grand Final tomorrow (Monday 15 May from noon) on SBS VICELAND.
