In short:
Carmelle Allyza San Juan Collado, 19, has won Eurovision Asia for the Philippines.
asserted
Collado → win → Philippines
Contestants from 11 countries competed in the competition.
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Contestants → compete → competition
Fans travelled from around the world to attend the event.
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Fans → travel → event
The Philippines had made musical history in Bangkok, claiming victory in the inaugural Eurovision Asia Song Contest.
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Philippines → make → Contest
Carmelle Allyza San Juan Collado took home the crown with an electric performance of the original song Sobra-Sobra, a tune she said was inspired by the strength of Philippine women.
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she → take → women
I'm really grateful that I made history," Collado said.
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Collado → make → history
The 19-year-old performer from Bicol comes from a family of entertainers and had been the youngest contestant in the competition.
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performer → come → competition
She is already known in her country after winning the Tawag ng Tanghalan singing competition, participating in Pinoy Big Brother and releasing a self-titled album this year.
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She → know → album
"I got singing from my mother's side," she told the ABC.
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she → get → ABC
"My mother sang, my grandmother sang, and also my grandfather.
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grandmother → sing → ?
My uncles and aunties, my cousins, they all sang.
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they → sing → ?
"I hope that I can leave audiences with a deep sense of connection and I hope I can make them understand that the Filipino music is universally relatable."
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music → hope → connection
Seventy years after Eurovision was created to help unite war-torn Europe through music, the competition has embarked on an ambitious new chapter in Asia.
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competition → create → Asia
The original Eurovision Song Contest is the world's longest-running international music competition, and is renowned for its music, spectacle and glamour.
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Contest → run → music
More than 130 million viewers tuned in to watch the contest in Vienna in May.
But the inaugural Asian edition did not generate the same fan following.
uncertain
edition → tune → following
Some of the region's largest and most influential nations, including India, China and Japan, were notably absent.
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Some → include → India
Instead, 11 countries took to the stage, with performers from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam competing for the hearts and votes of viewers.
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performers → take → viewers
But what the competition lacked in anticipation, it made up for in spectacle, with everything from colourful tuktuks paraded on stage, to awe-inspiring visual special effects and show-stopping costumes.
Adam Bryers and Lalla Stewart, who were dressed in matching sparkling silver outfits, flew from Perth to watch the musical extravaganza.
"We love Eurovision and we have Eurovision parties in Perth in our house and also with our friends," Bryers told the ABC.
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Bryers → lack → friends
I think it really suits the culture here, especially in places like the Philippines, so it will do well,."
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it → think → Philippines
Ran Macanang travelled from the Philippines to watch the show live, having followed the original competition for a decade.
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Macanang → travel → decade
"There are thousands of fans in the Philippines for Eurovision already, so knowing that Eurovision is finally coming to Asia, everyone is excited that finally someone from the Philippines can show the world our talents," he told the ABC while waving his nation's flag.
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he → be → flag
"Asia has what it takes to be as colourful as the main Eurovision in Europe.
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it → have → Europe
"
This year's winner will not receive any prize money or automatically gain the right to host the next competition.
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winner → receive → competition
The road to Eurovision Asia
Behind the lights and carefully choreographed performances, the road to Eurovision Asia was long and, for some contestants, heartbreaking.
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road → choreograph → contestants
For Thinla, the journey began in the rice paddies of south-western Laos, where she grew up singing and dancing while her parents cultivated the land.
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parents → begin → land
In a country where 15 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank, she said it was difficult to carve out a career as an entertainer.
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it → live → entertainer
"I started dancing because at the time I just wanted to make money to support my family," the 29-year-old said.
"
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old → start → family
Despite the challenges and the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Thinla secured a scholarship to study in China.
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Thinla → cause → China
But four years ago, shortly after returning to Laos, she lost her biggest fan: her father.
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she → return → fan
"I hope he can see me growing up like this and can see me perform because he loved it when I sang and performed for him," she said, tears running down her face.
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tears → hope → face
For Nepal's Pratik Himal Rai, the competition carried a profound sense of responsibility.
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competition → carry → responsibility
He was representing not only the dreams of his family, but also a nation still reeling from tragedy.
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He → represent → tragedy
In August, flash floods devastated communities along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers near the Nepal-Tibet border, killing at least 1,400 people.
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floods → devastate → people
More than 5,700 remain missing, including close family members of Rai's friends.
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5,700 → remain → friends
To all the lives that we have lost in the floods, we have lost them but their love for us is still there," he said.
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he → lose → us
Fierce competition
Yet, for all its ambition, Eurovision Asia's launch was mired in questions about public interest and organisation.
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launch → mire → interest
The competition's attempt to enter the American market in 2022 fell flat, getting poor viewing figures as it competed against more established shows such as American Idol.
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it → enter → Idol
Eurovision Asia has made a tentative start in its bid to capture the region's music fans.
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Asia → make → fans
In a market rich in musical heritage and global talent covering genres from K-pop to indie, the potential audience is vast.
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audience → cover → indie