Filipino singer Carmelle Collado has won the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia, taking the first title in the competition’s Asian edition at the grand final in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 19-year-old beat 10 other acts with her song “Sobra-Sobra”, topping both the national jury vote and the public vote. She collected 93 points from the juries and 118 from viewers, for a combined total of 211.
Winners were decided by national juries in participating countries and by viewers worldwide. Thailand’s MANG x DAOU finished second with 169 points for “Aroma”, while Vietnam’s Tóc Tiên was third on 165 points with “EM TIÊN”. Malaysia and Laos completed the top five, in that order.
Eleven acts took part in the grand final. The remaining entries represented Cambodia, Mongolia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, South Korea and Nepal.
Winning song celebrates women’s strength
'Sobra-Sobra' is an empowerment song written by Mat Olavides and Nica del Rosario. It celebrates women’s strength, confidence and self-worth.
In an interview after the win, Collado described the experience as an unexpected journey and said she had thoroughly enjoyed performing on the Eurovision stage.
From television contests to Asian champion
Before Bangkok, Collado had built a profile in the Philippine entertainment industry through several televised competitions.
