Philippines Wins Inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Thailand

The Philippines has won the first ever Eurovision Song Contest Asia.

Carmelle, representing the Phillippines, scooped first place with the track “Sobra-Sobra,” earning 211 points.

She beat Thailand’s act Mang x Daou, who came second place with 179 points, and Vietnam’s Tóc Tiên, who took third place with 164 points. Malaysia and Laos rounded out the top five.

The first ever Asian edition of the contest was held Saturday in the Thai capital of Bangkok. Eleven countries took part, including Cambodia, Mongolia and Korea. Like the European edition, which recently celebrated 70 years, points were awarded via a combination of national juries and public vote.

A “rest of the world” vote also awarded a set of points equivalent to that of one participating country, with audiences from 183 countries and territories worldwide having their say.

The contest was aired in the participating countries as well as on Eurovision’s official YouTube channel. EBU members TVP (Poland), Sveriges Radio (Sweden), Kan (Israel) and SBS (Australia) also broadcast the contest, which was hosted by Thai TV stars Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop.

As well as the competing countries, Thai superstar Jeff Satur performed alongside this year’s Eurovision winner Dara, who took first place for Bulgaria in the May contest with her track “Bangaranga.” The show, which also included a special opening performance celebrating the host city, was produced by Voxovation and Bangkok-based S20 Productions. It was sponsored by Zoop.

“Congratulations to Carmelle and the Philippines on becoming the first-ever winners of Eurovision Song Contest Asia,” said Eurovision director Martin Green. “What an historic achievement! This inaugural edition was a major milestone and brought together an extraordinary range of musical talent, cultures and creative voices from across the region.”

“As we celebrate 70 years of the Eurovision Song Contest, seeing its spirit of unity through music take on a new life in Asia is a significant moment, and one we hope will inspire artists and audiences for years to come.”

Assaf Blecher, exec producer of Eurovision Song Contest Asia, said: “Bringing the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia to life in Bangkok has been an extraordinary journey.”

“Congratulations to Carmelle and the Philippines on making history as our first-ever winners. This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Eurovision in Asia.”