The five finalists vying to represent Canada at the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest have been announced. They are Montreal dance-pop artist Rêve, Quebec vocalist William Cloutier, Ottawa pop-rocker Talk, New Brunswick singer-songwriter Josiane and B.C. pop crooner Tyler Shaw. CBC/Radio-Canada revealed the competitors Tuesday at a splashy media event in Toronto. The public broadcaster says 325 artists from across Canada applied earlier this year for a chance to become the country’s inaugural representative at the international music competition. The public will be invited to vote for Canada’s Eurovision entrant, with the winner set to be announced by December. Canada will make its official debut at the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, set to take place next May in Burgas, Bulgaria. It will be the first new country to join the competition since Australia in 2015. CBC/Radio-Canada said its music team sifted through applications to make initial selections before a seven-member jury chose the finalists at an Oct. 8 meeting in Toronto. The panel included Montreal International Jazz Festival programming director Maurin Auxéméry, choreographer and director Sam Chouinard, television composer and musical director Orin Isaacs, social media strategist and Eurovision specialist Shawn Myers, and soprano Élisabeth St-Gelais. Rounding out the jury were Radio-Canada executive vice-president Dany Meloul and CBC executive vice-president Douglas Smith. CBC/Radio-Canada said the winning artist will then work with leading music-industry talent to develop Canada’s Eurovision song and performance. Eurovision is considered one of the world’s largest live music spectacles. Organizers say more than 130 million viewers across 35 markets watched this year’s edition. The event also drew unprecedented social engagement, including more than a billion views on Instagram alone. The competition has helped propel several major artists to international fame. Céline Dion’s 1988 win for Switzerland, with the Swiss-written song “Ne partez pas sans moi,” launched her to international stardom. The contest also helped turn ABBA from a Swedish touring band into global superstars, while Italy’s Måneskin achieved international success following their 2021 win. The competition has also faced controversy. Israel’s participation amid the conflict in Gaza prompted five public service broadcasters — from Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and Iceland — to boycott this year’s event. Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ has confirmed a second consecutive boycott of both participating in and broadcasting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. In contrast, the Netherlands is making a complicated return; while its entertainment broadcaster AVROTROS continues its boycott, the umbrella public broadcaster NPO has stepped in to ensure the country competes in Burgas. In 2022, the European Broadcasting Union banned Russia from participating in the contest following its invasion of Ukraine. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2026.
