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Philippines wins inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia

Summarised from 4 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 15 Nov, 05:02 · Archive

Nineteen-year-old Filipino singer Carmelle won the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok with her women's empowerment song Sobra-Sobra, securing 211 points.

The Philippines has won the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia, held in Bangkok on Saturday night. Nineteen-year-old Carmelle Collado took the title with her song Sobra-Sobra, a pop and rap track featuring lyrics in both English and Tagalog mixed with traditional Philippine instruments, the kubing and kulintang.

Carmelle secured 211 points in total – 93 from the jury and 118 from the public vote – finishing 41 points ahead of the host nation Thailand, who came second with 170 points. Vietnam placed third with 164 points and Malaysia fourth with 152 points. The voting system matched the European Eurovision, with the public vote accounting for 50 per cent of the result and national juries the other 50 per cent, with additional points awarded from a rest of the world vote.

Eleven countries competed at the One Bangkok Arena in central Bangkok, including South Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The competition lasted two and a half hours and featured performances from notable acts including Bangladesh's beatboxing group Beatmosphere and Laos's Thinla, who performed in a traditional Lao hilltribe outfit. Bulgarian singer Dara, who won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in May, also performed her winning song Bangaranga.

Carmelle, who grew up beside railway tracks in the Bicol region of south-eastern Luzon and has competed in televised talent contests since the age of 12, was described as the youngest contestant in the competition and an obvious favourite. Her song Sobra-Sobra celebrates female empowerment and includes lyrics such as 'When I show my strength too bad you can't stop me' and 'I won't put myself down'. After her victory, Carmelle told the Associated Press: 'I made history, since this was the first time. It's such a big responsibility for me, because this one is a global stage, so thank you everybody who voted for me.' She described the song to the Guardian before the final as 'about how unapologetic, independent and strong Filipinas are' and said it described her and all Filipino women.

The show opened with a routine celebrating the host country, featuring Muay Thai fighters alongside drag performers on street food carts. The 11 acts were then driven to the stage in tuk-tuks carrying their national flags. Major regional nations including China, Japan and India were absent from the event.

Eurovisión bosses launched the Asian competition aiming to 'evolve Eurovision together with Asia'. The future of the contest depends on a huge commitment from broadcasters and sponsors. This expansion follows the American Song Contest, a US spinoff that featured acts from all 50 states but lasted only one season. The original Eurovision Song Contest received 131 million viewers this year, whilst tickets for the Bangkok event were still available just hours before it began.

Philippines wins inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia
Image: The Guardian

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In this story: Carmelle Collado · Philippines · Thailand · Vietnam · Bangkok · Dara · Bulgaria · Eurovision Song Contest

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