Eurovision 2026 was launched in Vienna on Tuesday and the song competition is already dividing fans over a tune that compared Australia with Austria.
A snippet of the novelty number was later shared to TikTok, with some users appreciating the song’s humour, while others slammed it as ‘slop’ generated by AI.
The upbeat pop tune performed by Go-Jo, real name Marty Joe Zambotto, was a nod to his appearance in the beloved music contest in 2025.
‘I was actually supposed to go home to Australia,’ Go-Jo, 30, said, who’s song Milkshake Man failed to make the finals last year.
He continued with the joke introduction, ‘But instead I landed in Austria because some idiot confused Australia with Austria.’
Go-Jo then belted out the song alongside Austrian hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski, which included the lyrics, ‘Opposites we’ve had enough of this there ain’t no more room for failure Austria, Australia.’
Eurovision 2026 was launched in Vienna on Tuesday and the song competition is already dividing fans (Pictured: Aussie performer Go-Jo)
A snippet of the novelty number was later shared to TikTok , with some users appreciating the song’s humour, while others slammed it as ‘slop’ generated by AI
The song included references to Australia’s reputation for dangerous wildlife, with the lyrics, ‘Spiders, snakes and shark attacks, Australia would kill me.’
Meanwhile, Go-Jo replied with his own cultural ‘slam’ on Eurovision’s host country, ‘Your desserts, they cause heart attacks, and winter sports don’t thrill me.’
The trio performed the song on a stage emblazoned with the Austrian and Aussie flag, and dancers dressed as ‘outback’ characters in khaki and wide brimmed bush hats.
At one point a giant sign with a kangaroo silhouette hung over the stage with the message, ‘No Kangaroos in Austria.’
Austria was ‘represented’ by one dancer wearing a ski outfit, while a female performer wore a kitsch version of the national costume, which included a skirt, fitted bodice and apron.
The song finished with the crowd chanting, ‘I say kanga, you say roo,’ as a giant ‘kangaroo’ danced on the stage.
‘This is so alarming,’ one fan responded on TikTok, while another asked, ‘Are they using AI?’
‘The AI composed this song,’ agreed another person on the same thread, after another Eurovision fan dismissed the tune as ‘AI slop’.
Go-Jo then belted out the song alongside Austrian hosts Victoria Swarovski (left) and Michael Ostrowski (centre)
‘Thanks for ruining my week,’ commented another.
Still, a few fans on the same thread seemed to appreciate the song’s humour, ‘Love Go-Jo,’ said one, while another added, ‘This interval act was… something.’
Joked a third viewer, ‘Wait…this isn’t satire.’
It comes after Delta Goodrem unveiled the first breathtaking glimpse of her hotly anticipated Eurovision 2026 staging.
The Aussie singer, 41, will represent the nation in Vienna this week with her anthem Eclipse, and the first official rehearsal footage released over the weekend has already sent fans into meltdown.
In the dazzling 30-second clip, Delta commands the stage in an ethereal couture masterpiece dripping in gold and Swarovski crystals.
Insiders are already calling Australia one of the most visually ambitious Eurovision performances to date.
Set against dramatic beams of light, cascading shadows and swirling smoke, Delta’s staging transforms Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle into a shimmering cosmic spectacle inspired by the shifting brilliance of a solar eclipse.
Delta is set to perform the tune on Thursday for Eurovision 2026’s second semi-final.
