The five finalists vying to represent Canada in the Eurovision Song Contest have been revealed.
Taking part in the long-running song competition for the first time ever will be Francophone pop singer William Cloutier (Victoriaville, QC), Acadian singer-songwriter Josiane (Dieppe, NB), dance-pop singer Rêve (Montreal, QC), alt-rocker Talk (Ottawa, ON) and pop singer Tyler Shaw (Richmond, BC).
The five artists were selected from 325 applicants by a jury of music industry professionals and public broadcasting executives as part of CBC’s broadcast, Eurovision Song Contest: Canada’s Choice.
According to CBC, artists were graded on their “vocal ability, stage presence, artistic experience, musical vision and availability, as well as their potential to deliver a strong performance on an international stage.”
The final decision will be made by the voting public, who can now watch the finalist performances at CBC.ca/eurovision, and vote for the artist they believe should compete (up to ten times).
Voting will be open until Thursday, November 6 at 11:59PM PST, with the winner being announced some time before December.
The chosen will then participate in the 71st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Although 2027 marks the first year Canada will take part in the contest, Canadian artists have competed before by representing different countries in past years. Most famously, Céline Dion won the contest for Switzerland in 1988.
Canada will be the first country from the Americas to join the contest, and the second from outside the European Broadcasting Area, following Australia.
The decision was announced earlier this summer, when CBC/Radio-Canada became a full Member of the European Broadcasting Union, following a vote at the 96th General Assembly in Prague.
Watch the announcement below.