Mesh masks, Nana’s lampshade and the other Beck: what to watch for at Eurovision Asia

The first ever Eurovision Asia song contest takes place in Thailand on Saturday, and it won’t disappoint those hoping for some bizarre acts

The first ever Eurovision Asia is being held in Thailand on Saturday. The event is a more compact affair than the European version has become, and with only 11 countries competing, it isn’t a straightforward cultural import.

None of the entrants have gone near wacky Eurovision vibes such as having a singing turkey or banana-eating wolves. Restrictive attitudes to homosexuality in some of the countries where the show will be broadcast have also tempered the overt campness and LGBTQ+ representation with which Eurovision has come to be associated – there will certainly not be an equivalent of Olly Alexander getting sweaty in a grubby gym changing room.

Some habits die hard, however: when singing to an international audience, nearly half the entries still lean on English lyrics. Here is what to look out for, for better or worse …

Hotly tipped by fans and bookies to win the inaugural tournament, this dramatic, string-swept power ballad from the former Masked Singer Malaysia winner has landed the coveted final slot in the running order. While the music video for Aina Abdul’s Bluest Sky is an epic set on a beach full of flames, the team have opted for pared-back staging for the live show.

Carmelle’s Sobra-Sobra is representing the Philippines, and is considered another frontrunner. It is a feminist anthem stating that women are neither “‘too much” nor “not enough”, and it mixes a contemporary Philippine pop sound with a middle section in which Carmelle raps in an increasingly strident tone.

Thinla, meanwhile, is representing Laos with Bae, a track whose chorus revolves almost entirely around repeating the word “Bae”. Sonically, it occupies similar territory to Tarkan’s Şımarık – better known in the English-speaking world via the now Maga-aligned Holly Valance’s cover Kiss Kiss.

Mang x Daou, if you’ll excuse the pun, risk stinking out One Bangkok Forum on Saturday with their duet Aroma. Even though they hail from the host nation, it is hard to see this ballad tugging much on the heartstrings of the audience, although the jury may like its overcomplicated structure. Cambodia’s Monetrey has also taken the ballad route with I Let You Go, which, given the three-minute time limit on Eurovision songs, makes the decision not to have his vocal come in for the first 30 seconds frankly bizarre. People in the arena will surely be thinking his mic has failed.

Mongolia are sending Beck, but if you are expecting something akin to his recent Ride Lonesome album, think again, as it is an entirely different Beck. Ganbatyn Munkhbayar, who also uses the moniker Beck, is a man of many talents. With careers in music and acting already under way, he has also stood for election. There was a hint of scandal about Mongolia’s entry – the song that won the national final was found to have been previously released, so Beck has ended up singing Chamguigeer (Without You), which was the runner-up, instead.

Nepal, in contrast to some of these acts, definitely got the staging memo. En route to the final, Pratik Himal Rai’s rock number Ananta Maya featured him in an ornately ruffled top posing inside a tent while blokes in balaclavas writhed menacingly around him. Nepal’s answer to Kneecap, in other words.

For Bangkok, the gauze tent is out in favour of a heart-shaped arch (lest you miss the fact that it’s a love song), and the balaclavas have been swapped for strange mesh masks. It is a pleasant enough slice of guitar-driven Eurovision fodder, though his unwelcome forays into falsetto arguably warrant a trigger warning and might be tricky for him live.

Tóc Tiên got her early industry break by reportedly exaggerating her age to meet competition entry requirements. No need for that now: at 37, she is one of the lineup’s veterans. Her entry, Em Tiên, deploys two classic Eurovision tropes. First, it’s essentially two songs stitched together – a moreish synthpop track that suddenly hikes up the bpm for the final 30 seconds, morphing into something off the Vengaboys’ cutting-room floor. Second, at the national final, the performers all appeared to be wearing their nanas’ lampshades. Sadly, this looks to have been ditched for the grand final performance.

Presenters have become vital to the Eurovision mix. From Hazel Brugger’s deadpan delivery in Basel to Hannah Waddingham’s star turn in Liverpool and the seemingly omnipresent Petra Mede, the chemistry needed in a team is paramount. In Bangkok, hosting duties fall to Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop, but the show should at least avoid the kind of tone-deaf skit about “gays taking over Eurovision” that Austrian broadcaster ORF dished up in Vienna earlier this year. There is at least one tried-and-tested European booking for Saturday: Dara, the 2026 Eurovision winner, will be bringing her Bangaranga to Bangkok for the interval show.

Eurovision Asia will be broadcast on SBS in Australia, and on the Eurovision YouTube channel in Europe at 14.30 CET (13.30 GMT). The organisers have handily made a compilation video so you can check out all the contestants in one sitting: