Australian vocalist Anja Nissen has led Denmark through to the Eurovision 2017 Finals with a flawless performance in Semi Final 2.
Of the 16 contestants competing in this semi, ten have qualified for the Final this Sunday morning. This includes Nissen for the country her parents emigrated from: Denmark.
Nissen showed off her powerful voice at Kyiv International Exhibition Centre in this morning’s show (Thursday evening in Ukraine) with her co-written power ballad ‘Where I Am’.
The 21-year-old hit some big notes while channelling a throwback sound to ‘90s divas like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Along with Denmark's gold-toned staging, Nissen's performance was a standout, making her a shoo-in for the final.
Social media was quick to praise the young artist on her stellar performance. Australians and Europeans alike appeared proud to claim Anja as their own.
Crowd favourites IMRI from Israel, 17-year-old Kristian Kostov from Bulgaria, and sister-trio O'G3NE from the Netherlands have also glided through to into the finals.
Serbia, FYR Macedonia, Malta, Ireland, San Marino, Switzerland, Lithuania, and Estonia did not make it through.
Nissen, born of Danish parents in Sydney, first made a name for herself after winning The Voice Australia in 2014. Since then she has twice competed in Denmark’s Eurovision selection competition, Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. However her Eurovision bid in 2016 wasn’t successful.
This Sunday, Nissen will take to the Eurovision stage once more. There, she will compete for the winning title against the Big 5 (UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain), as well as fellow Australian Isaiah.
The Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast over SBS’s Eurovision weekend - Friday 12 May, Saturday 13 May, and Grand Final Sunday 14 May at 7.30pm on SBS. The Grand Final will also be broadcast live on Sunday 14 May from 5am.
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"Tears of pride": The internet enthusiastically reacts to Eurovision Semi-Final 1
