Australia still has a chance at Eurovision glory in this weekend’s grand final, despite the elimination of its official entrant.

Teenager Silia Kapsis, who was born and raised in Australia of Cypriot and Greek descent, will represent Cyprus in the hotly anticipated event.

Kapsis, who is just 17 and the youngest contestant at this year’s Eurovision, sings for the island nation. It will be one of 10 contestants in Saturday’s grand final in the Swedish city of Malmo.

The other national entrants are Serbia, Portugal, Slovenia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Finland, Croatia, Ireland and Luxembourg.

Sadly, Australia’s Electric Fields was eliminated in the first semi-final.

Silia Kapsis hopes she will do Australia proud in the competition.

Who is Silia Kapsis?

Kapsis, who was born and raised in Sydney, will perform her son Liar in Saturday’s final.

In 2022, she released her debut song, Who Am I?, which she wrote when she was just 12. She followed it up with singles No Boys Allowed and Disco Dancer last year.

Additionally, Kapsis has been the lead singer for the Australian Youth Performing Arts Company, Eurovision said.

In addition to singing and songwriting, the 17-year-old has also worked with some of the world’s most-renowned choreographers.

Kapsis said she was incredibly proud to be competing in Eurovision.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me, especially because I’m 17. I’m representing my country and my culture,” she said.

She’s also not the first Australian to represent Cyprus at Eurovision. Last year, another Australian-Cypriot, Andrew Lambrou, also represented the country of his family’s origin.

Lambrou finished 12th in 2023. He competed alongside Australia’s participants, Voyager, which came ninth.

After making it through to this year’s final, Kapsis recognised Australia’s participant, Electric Fields were “talented people who show culture”, Eurovision said.

She hopes Australia will rally behind her as she strives to make the country proud as she progresses to the next stage.

Who is the favourite to win Eurovision?

Bookies already have a few favourites to win this year’s competition.

Croatia’s Baby Lasagna (real name Marko Purisic) and Ukrainian duo alyona alyona and Jerry Heil are among bookmakers’ top five, together with Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland.

Streaming data from Spotify also suggests a strong chance for host nation Sweden.

“For Ukraine, this is a big platform … I think this is the place where you can state your mind freely, openly and for the world to listen,” Ukrainian fan Victoria said, as she arrived for the show.

Ukraine’s folk-inflected pop song Teresa & Maria, which has a strong dance beat and fast-paced rap, is about union, kindness and love, as well as the resilience and strength of women, according to its performers.

Meanwhile, fans at Malmo for Eurovision are dressing up as Croatia’s Baby Lasagne.

The artist’s entry Rim Tim Tagi Dim is about a young Croatian who leaves his home aspiring to become a “city boy” with better opportunities.