Aidan to become first Eurovision artist to tour in Australia
Malta entry hoping to boost his chances with tour as he sits at number 11 on the odds list
Aidan will become the first Eurovision artist to tour Australia as part of his promotional tour ahead of the song contest in May, according to his team.
The 26-year-old singer, who will represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest with his track Bella, is slated to perform in Melbourne and Sydney later this month.
The Australian leg forms part of Aidan’s wider Eurovision tour, as the artist aims to boost his odds of winning the contest. Eurovision bookmakers currently place Malta at number 11 in the odds list with a winning chance of just 2%.
Finland is the current favourite to win with Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen’s entry ‘Liekinheitin’, while France and Denmark the closest challengers.
Aidan's tour has already taken him to Lithuania - where he appeared as a special guest during the Eurovizija.LT Grand Final - and Sweden and Greece. He will also be taking the stage at the London Eurovision Party on April 19, the most anticipated Eurovision promo event of the year.
Aidan will perform in Melbourne on 27 March at the Maltese Community Council of Victoria in Parkville. The performance will be followed by an appearance at the OGAE (the official Australian Eurovision Fanclub) Preview Party at Harvey’s Sports Bar.
He will then travel to Sydney for a performance at La Valette Social Club in Blacktown. He will also perform at the OGAE Preview Party in Paddington.
No details have been given about how much the tour will cost and how it is being funded.
Aidan said he is delighted to bring his music to Australia and connect with both Eurovision fans and the Maltese community abroad.
Australia is the only country outside the European Broadcasting Area to compete in the popular contest. The country first participated in the competition in 2015 and will be represented this year by Australian singer Delta Goodrem.
She previously performed at the Isle of MTV in 2023, when her partner proposed in the gardens of the Phoenicia Hotel. Last year, the singer tied the knot in their 'fairytale' Maltese wedding.
Australia has a large Maltese diaspora, with many migrants settling in Sydney and Melbourne following World War II. Now, many second-generation Maltese-Australians continue to show pride in their roots by either promoting Maltese culture or cuisine Down Under.
The Eurovision Song Contest finals will take place in Vienna in May. Aidan will be performing in the second half of the semi-final.
Israel’s participation in this year’s event has led Iceland, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia to boycott the competition in protest at its killing of civilians in Gaza.
While artists and activists have called on Malta to suspend Eurovision participation, culture minister Owen Bonnici has said Malta will not boycott the contest, instead saying he encourages a "culture of dialogue".