Disappointed Delta Goodrem fans say she should have won Eurovision at the weekend. But the pop superstar says she’s “stoked” with her top-five finish and ready to embark on a new era.
Delta Goodrem finished fourth in the world’s biggest live music event in Vienna. She dazzled a global audience of 160 million people with her glittering performance of ‘Eclipse’, which saw her rise above a piano in a spectacle of fire, smoke and shimmering crystals.
Speaking to the media backstage after the event, an elated Delta Goodrem thanked the fans. She also said she was proud to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime music event.
“I’m absolutely stoked, I mean, the variety of music that’s there, I am honoured to have got to hit the stage on that iconic Eurovision stage. I am so blown away at the love and support, I can’t even begin to say thank you,” Delta said backstage at Weiner Stadthalle.
“I felt the country with me, and all I wanted to do was do my very best and feel that it was a great day, and that’s all I could do at the end of the day.”
Among the 10,000 fans inside the stadium was a passionate band of Australian supporters – and international Delta fans.
Julian Oberle, from Switzerland, said Delta’s voice was the best in the contest and his “queen” should have won.
“I’m super disappointed Delta didn’t win because I’m a Swiss fan, but I love her. I always support Delta. I’m an international fan of hers, and I wish she had won. I’m just a bit sad.”
New Yorker Stafford Jones flew 11.5 hours to be in Vienna to watch Delta live for the first time. Stafford said she delivered the complete package.
“I’m a little sad that Delta didn’t win,” Stafford lamented. “Her performance was stunning, her vocals were incredible. I think the staging was wonderful, but I think also, as a person, she just seems very nice and wonderful.”
Viennese Eurovision fans Titania Seidl and Pawel Szostak hadn’t heard of Delta before the competition. However, they quickly switched their allegiances (Austria came in second last) to support the Australian hopeful.
“We were shocked that she didn’t win,” Seidl said. “[Her performance] was just really touching; it was captivating, I think we all really loved it.”
There was also disbelief among those close to Delta. Josh Dawson, a childhood friend of the singer’s husband, Matthew Copley, flew in from Brisbane for Eurovision. He admitted that he found the jury voting process (which comprises half of the final vote) unexpected.
“We were getting such strong support from people in Vienna, people from the UK,” Dawson said. “Everyone was being like, ‘ Oh my god, Delta has got it in the bag’.”
“Her performance was incredible. Looking at the videos online, it still brings tears to my eyes.”
Delta finished fourth with 287 points (165 from the jury and 122 from the public vote), behind Bulgaria (516), Israel (343) and Romania (296). Bulgarian artist Dara (Darina Yotova) took out the competition with her high-energy dance anthem ‘Bangaranga‘. The song was a consistent favourite. It scored 204 points in the jury vote (decided by expert panels from each participating country) and 312 in the televote vote, with fan votes cast from 148 countries around the world.
If Delta was disappointed with the result, she didn’t show it. And it’s hard to be anything but jubilant about coming fourth in a global competition of 35 countries. Especially when Australia is still regarded as a wildcard entry. Australia has only been competing at Eurovision since 2015. Plus, it doesn’t have the European allegiances of other participants, which are instrumental in drawing votes in the contest, now in its 70th year. This was the best result for Australia since Dami Im placed second in 2016.
Delta described Eurovision as a “pressure-cooker” experience. She also admitted that she didn’t fully understand the voting system as the numbers poured in.
“I was learning as I was going, and so that was just a wild ride,” Delta said.
“We did everything, and we went for it and, you know, I got to fly out of a piano, I got to use the smoke and the fire and, again, just feel that love and support for my music and me as an artist, and that’s something that’s still been a huge milestone to be part of.”
Delta said performing at Eurovision was the beginning of a new era ahead of the launch of her eighth studio album, Pure, in November. She was looking forward to more arena shows, and they might just have to entail flying out of a piano.
A Eurovision convert, Goodrem described herself as a “die-hard” supporter of the contest and hopes to inspire and assist other Australian artists to take to the world’s biggest music stage.
“I’m thankful for this whole experience. I’m blown away. I didn’t know what to expect. It was a wild adventure that I led with passion to join, and it’s been more than I could have possibly imagined to be a part of and more incredible than I could have possibly imagined.”
If you missed the Delta Goodrem at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, you can watch her performance, and all the others, now on SBS On Demand.
