{"id":948606,"date":"2026-10-27T21:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T21:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/948606\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T21:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T21:42:13","slug":"meet-canadas-5-eurovision-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/948606\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Canada&#8217;s 5 Eurovision finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The first-ever group of Canadian Eurovision finalists have been chosen, setting up who will vie to make history as\u00a0the country&#8217;s first entrant into the long-running song competition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The five finalists \u2014 selected by a jury of music industry professionals and public broadcasting executives \u2014 include Quebec pop showman William Cloutier, bilingual Acadian singer-songwriter Josiane, Montreal-to-Toronto dance-pop artist R\u00eave, Ottawa-born hitmaker Talk and B.C. singer-songwriter Tyler Shaw.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Held annually since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest is considered one of the world\u2019s biggest live music spectacles, known for its extravagant costumes and performances. More than 130 million viewers across 35 countries watched the most recent edition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s a closer look at the finalists battling to represent Canada at the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria \u2014 and how Canadians can help choose the winner.  <\/p>\n<p>William Cloutier: Quebec&#8217;s &#8216;Prince of Pop&#8217;  <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Man in orange looks at camera.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793137330_534_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption-oOSXz\">William Cloutier is a Canadian pop singer from Victoriaville, Que. (CBC\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Cloutier was drawn to the stage early, appearing on the youth talent show La cour des grands at 12, before winning the teen reality TV singing and dancing competition Mixmania at 16. He went on to study theatre, then returned to music and won Quebec&#8217;s Star Acad\u00e9mie in 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">He&#8217;s also taken on one of French-language musical theatre&#8217;s biggest roles, playing Johnny Rockfort in Starmania more than 360 times across Europe and Quebec. His 2022 album On ira earned an ADISQ nomination for album of the year (given out by a non-profit organization that supports the independent music industry in Quebec), and he followed it up with 2025&#8217;s L&#8217;amour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s a dream. I have the chance to live my childhood dream, making music, singing for people on the stage,&#8221; Cloutier told CBC News. He said he wants to bring his personality \u2014 and his voice \u2014 to Eurovision, adding, &#8220;I want to sing my life on the stage.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p>WATCH | William Cloutier:<\/p>\n<p>Josiane: Bilingual pop with Acadian roots<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Blonde woman poses.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793137331_773_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption-oOSXz\">Josiane is an Acadian singer-songwriter from Dieppe, N.B. (CBC\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Dieppe, N.B., singer-songwriter performs under her first name and moves between French and English pop, with a sound shaped by her Acadian heritage and distinctive Chiac phrasing. She won La Voix, the French Canadian edition of the The Voice singing competition, in 2020 and released her debut album, Take Care, in March 2026.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">She says her music explores resilience, heartbreak and self-worth. Her song\u00a0Lose It All\u00a0has amassed\u00a0over six million streams. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Josiane sees Eurovision as a chance to connect with audiences across Canada and beyond. &#8220;I want to capture a lot of my vulnerability with a big, powerful performance,&#8221; she told CBC News. <\/p>\n<p>WATCH | Josiane:<\/p>\n<p>R\u00eave: Made for the dance floor<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Woman in blue poses for camera.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793137332_517_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption-oOSXz\">R\u00eave is a Montreal-born, Toronto-based electronic and dance-pop singer-songwriter. (CBC\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Juno-winning artist blends contemporary pop and R&amp;B with &#8217;90s eurodance. Born and raised in Montreal and now based in Toronto, R\u00eave broke through in 2021 with songs including Ctrl + Alt + Del, Big Boom and Whitney.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Her music draws on club culture, her French-Canadian roots and the communities that have shaped her. She sees the dance floor as a place for both escape and connection \u2014 a perspective that could make for a lively Eurovision performance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">R\u00eave envisions a performance that is &#8220;high energy but also emotional,&#8221; combining &#8220;soaring vocals, dazzling choreography&#8221; and striking visuals. She called being selected &#8220;the greatest honour of my life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>WATCH | R\u00eave:<\/p>\n<p>Talk: The colourful storyteller<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Man with makeup and blonde curly hair.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793137332_265_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption-oOSXz\">Talk is a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Ottawa. (CBC\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Ottawa-born singer-songwriter rose to global attention with Run Away to Mars, written during what he calls a lonely night. He followed it with the album Lord of the Flies &amp; Birds &amp; Bees and a sold-out international tour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Talk won the 2024 Juno award for breakthrough artist of the year. His next concept album, The Ballad of Ozzy Moon, is scheduled for release in early 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Talk told CBC News he has watched Eurovision for 15 years, making this opportunity more than just a career move. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">&#8220;This actually means something,&#8221; he said. He&#8217;s already been writing songs and building a team in case he&#8217;s selected, and hopes to bring something &#8220;a little more mysterious, a little more dramatic&#8221; to the stage.<\/p>\n<p>WATCH | Talk:<\/p>\n<p>Tyler Shaw: Pop with international reach<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Man performs with guitar.\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793137333_985_default.jpg\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777\" data-cy=\"image-img\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption-oOSXz\">Tyler Shaw is a Canadian singer, songwriter, music producer and actor born in Richmond, B.C. and raised in nearby Coquitlam, B.C. (CBC\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The Richmond, B.C.-born Chinese Canadian singer, producer and actor broke through with Kiss Goodnight in 2012. He found a new audience in 2022 with Love You Still (abcdefu Romantic Version), his take on Gayle&#8217;s hit song.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Shaw toured Europe for the first time in 2026, playing sold-out shows in Germany, Austria and the U.K.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Shaw told CBC News that representing Canada would mean &#8220;everything,&#8221; especially after living in several parts of the country and building connections across it. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">&#8220;I feel like I\u2019ve been literally training for this for the past 14 years,&#8221; he said. He added that being part of the selection process is a win in itself, with &#8220;a lot of opportunities&#8221; possible regardless of the outcome.  <\/p>\n<p>WATCH | Tyler Shaw:<\/p>\n<p>How the finalists were chosen<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The five finalists were selected from 325 applications submitted between Aug. 31 and Sept. 9. CBC\/Radio-Canada&#8217;s music teams narrowed the entries to 15, then a jury of music industry professionals and public broadcasting executives chose the final five.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Applicants were assessed on vocal ability, stage presence, artistic experience, musical vision and availability, as well as their potential to deliver a strong performance on an international stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The jury included Montreal International Jazz Festival programming director Maurin Aux\u00e9m\u00e9ry, choreographer Samuel Chouinard, television composer Orin Isaacs, social media strategist and Eurovision specialist Shawn Myers and soprano \u00c9lisabeth St-Gelais. CBC executive vice-president Douglas Smith and Radio-Canada executive vice-president Dany Meloul also took part.<\/p>\n<p>PHOTOS | Meet Canada&#8217;s finalists for Eurovision:How to vote<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Now, voting is in the public&#8217;s hands. On X, Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Canadians to take part, writing: &#8220;Canada is going to Eurovision 2027. It&#8217;s up to you to decide who takes the stage. Cast your vote by November 5&#8221; in <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarkJCarney\/status\/2115172846884516067?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">English<\/a> and in <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarkJCarney\/status\/2115172776587989331?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">French<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Canadians can watch the finalists&#8217; performances at <a class=\"link-_o8iA html-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/eurovision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CBC.ca\/eurovision<\/a> and vote for their preferred artist up to 10 times. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">The voting window is open over the next 10 days, closing on Nov. 5 at 11:59 p.m. PT, with the winner to be announced by December. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is overseeing the voting system and tabulation of results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-b3GxD html-paragraph\">Canada is the first new country to join the Eurovision Song Contest since Australia in 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first-ever group of Canadian Eurovision finalists have been chosen, setting up who will vie to make history&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":948607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-948606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=948606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/948607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=948606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=948606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=948606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}