{"id":949327,"date":"2026-10-28T11:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/949327\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T11:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:40:18","slug":"canadas-5-eurovision-finalists-say-contest-will-inspire-canadian-kids-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/949327\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s 5 Eurovision finalists say contest will inspire Canadian kids | story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who will Canada choose? Voting open until Nov. 5<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to vote: Who will Canada send to its first Eurovision Song Contest?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, CBC\/Radio-Canada unveiled the five musical finalists vying to compete to represent Canada on the world stage in Bulgaria in May 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The contest \u2014 which is in its 71st year \u2014 is known for its over-the-top, highly extravagant musical performances. Think the Olympics, but for musicians, songwriters and vocalists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canadians can vote up to 10 times per day on their favourite finalist until Nov. 5. At the end of November, one will be announced as the winner to represent Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s 5 finalists<\/p>\n

The five finalists competing for your vote were selected by a jury of industry professionals from more than 300 applicants from across Canada.<\/p>\n

Want to get an idea of who to vote for? You can head to cbc.ca\/Eurovision to check out performances from each finalist and vote on them there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The finalists include:<\/p>\n

\tWilliam Cloutier from Quebec. \u00a0
\n\tJosiane (Josiane Comeau) from Dieppe, New Brunswick. \u00a0
\n\tR\u00eave (Briannah Donolo) from Montreal, Quebec.\u00a0
\n\tTalk (Nicholas Durocher) from Ottawa, Ontario.\u00a0
\n\tTyler Shaw from Vancouver, British Columbia.<\/p>\n

What Eurovision could mean to Canadian kids<\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s 5 Eurovision finalists say the annual contest could mean a lot for Canadian kids in terms of inspiration, opportunity and representation. (Image credit: CBC)\u00a0<\/p>\n

CBC Kids News got a chance to ask the finalists what they think the competition could mean for kids across the country one day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Tyler Shaw, Eurovision is a chance for kids to see Canadians from diverse backgrounds on a massive platform \u2014 something he said he was missing as a young Chinese Canadian.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, that\u2019s what I’m doing, I\u2019m inspiring different kids coming from different cultures.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talk said that Canada\u2019s participation in the global phenomenon \u2014 and building more love for arts performance across Canada \u2014 could lead to more opportunities for kids across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see Canada doing well at Eurovision, we\u2019re going to see a lot more investment into arts and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

For R\u00eave, Eurovision is a place for any kid in Canada \u2014 even ones without dreams of being a musician \u2014 to see what confidence can look like.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[It teaches kids] to be confident in who you really are because Eurovision really rewards unapologetic maximalism and individuality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Josiane believes there’s a national pride and community that\u2019s built when kids get to see members of their country representing them on the world stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being inspired by dreaming bigger and dreaming to go to Eurovision, I think it\u2019s amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And finally, William said it’s a chance to remind kids to chase their dreams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like kids now because it\u2019s literally a dream come true, so I think it\u2019s the best idea to represent what we are feeling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?<\/p>\n

Although you may not have heard of Eurovision before, the annual talent competition \u2014 which began in 1956 \u2014 is a household name to most Europeans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bulgarian singer Dara performs her winning song Bangaranga at the Eurovision Grand Finale on May 16, 2026. Most years, Eurovision’s winning country hosts the following year, which is why the finals are going to be hosted in Bulgaria in 2027.\u00a0 (Image credit: Christian Bruna\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The contest is a chance for up-and-coming artists to springboard their careers and is known for its over-the-top, out-loud performances with extravagant costumes and pyrotechnics.<\/p>\n

Similar to the Olympics, the contest brings together different countries \u2014 32 with Canada\u2019s inclusion \u2013 that put forth talents to represent them on the world stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After seeing the performances, people from around the world have the chance to vote for a winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the contest\u2019s focus on joy and entertainment, it hasn\u2019t been without controversy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the 2026 Eurovision, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia boycotted the contest to protest Israel’s continued inclusion in the event while the war in Gaza continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n

European broadcasters did not disqualify Israel and the country\u2019s participation remains controversial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s first Eurovision<\/p>\n

Canada is the first country to join Eurovision since Australia in 2015.<\/p>\n

We became eligible earlier this year after CBC\/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, a requirement for competing countries.<\/p>\n

Although this is the first time Canada as a country will compete, it\u2019s not the first time a Canadian has taken part.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Canadian icon C\u00e9line Dion won Eurovision when she was 20 years old. (Image credit: Bruno Torricelli)<\/p>\n

Back in 1988, 20-year-old C\u00e9line Dion won Eurovision, competing on behalf of Switzerland singing a song called Ne partez pas sans moi.<\/p>\n

\ufeff\ufeffHave more questions? \ufeffWant to tell us how we’re doing? Use the \u201csend us feedback\u201d link below. \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who will Canada choose? Voting open until Nov. 5 It\u2019s time to vote: Who will Canada send to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":949328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":["post-949327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949327","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=949327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/949328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=949327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=949327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=949327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}