After a series of false starts due to the coronavirus pandemic, Montaigne has finally appeared as part of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The singer-songwriter shared a remotely-filmed performance of her entry, ‘Technicolour’, as part of the song contest’s first semi-final.
The high-energy performance saw Montaigne backed by a trio of dancers and an array of bright, colourful lighting. Watch the performance below:
Montaigne was not selected to go through to the grand final, with the singer acknowledging on social media earlier today that she was ready for the outcome given the disadvantage suffered by the performance being pre-recorded.
“It’s okay! I’m proud of the song and glad I got to share it with you on the Eurovision stage,” she wrote on Twitter earlier today. “Thank you for your support.”
babes, look. i knew this would happen. we were at a severe disadvantage. but it’s okay! i’m proud of the song and glad i got to share it with you on the eurovision stage. thank you for your support 💖
— Montaigne (@actualmontaigne) May 18, 2021
Montaigne originally shared the track back in March, debuting it live at Sydney’s Mardi Gras Parade later that month. A music video for the track, directed by Courtney Brookes, arrived earlier this month.
In April, the musician confirmed she would not be travelling to the Netherlands for this year’s Eurovision in Rotterdam, instead performing remotely from Australia due to COVID-19 concerns.
It marked the second time in a row Montaigne has missed out on performing overseas for the contest, with organisers cancelling Eurovision at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. The singer’s 2020 Eurovision song, ‘Don’t Break Me’, was not permitted to be reused.
Speaking to NME earlier this month, Montaigne discussed the role of events like Eurovision during times of crisis such as a pandemic.
“Performance offers story, and often a human story – even if it is, like, far-fetched or fantastical or nonsensical,” she said.
“I think it’s really important and powerful for those stories and those emotions to be told and expressed during a pandemic, in whatever way.”