Guy Sebastian has spoken out against the death penalty after receiving criticism for posting a track online in tribute to Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australians executed in Indonesia for their part in the Bali Nine drug ring.
The singer uploaded the video to Facebook on Thursday, overlaying recent and childhood photographs of the two men and images of their grieving families with the lyrics: “when you fire your bullet, look me in the eyes and take aim”, in reference to the fact that Chan, Sukumaran and the other six men executed on Wednesday did not wear blindfolds when facing the Indonesian firing squad.
Viewed by more than 700,000 people, the video has attracted support and criticism from Sebastian’s fans, but the singer insists it came from a place of “compassion”, not support for drug traffickers.
“I personally believe in compassion and that we all make mistakes and the answer is never to kill someone,” Sebastian told Guardian Australia. “I’m obviously not condoning drug trafficking. My whole point was that it was two lives lost and there are people hurting over that. It’s funny that people can find a negative in that.”
Speaking at his official send-off to Vienna where he will represent Australia at the 2015 Eurovision song contest, Sebastian said he started writing the Bali Nine song as he watched media coverage of Chan and Sukumaran’s final hours.
“I’ve got mutual friends of the family. I’ve got people who visited them who were friends of mine. It was a very public affair. I just felt compelled from seeing the family. I was seeing it, watching the families, the anguish and the desperation.”
Responding to online comments that he wasn’t equally vocal over Anzac Day, he pointed to his recent charity single with Lee Kernaghan, Spirit of the Anzacs. “I also did a free gig in London in tribute to the Anzacs. But that’s the beauty of being in the public eye – people are always going to have opinions and I respect that.”
Sebastian, who will sing his self-penned track, Tonight Again, as Australia’s inaugural Eurovision entry, is in full swing preparing for the finals in Vienna.
“I don’t take it lightly,” he said of carrying the nation’s expectations in the competition. “[Eurovision] is always fun but I dare say there wouldn’t be any performers on that stage that don’t appreciate the opportunity and at least take it very seriously as far as the performance goes.”
Collaborating with video director Bruce Ramos (who has also worked with U2 and David Bowie), Sebastian promised to put on a show. “I’m not going to reinvent the wheel but I’ve been doing this for a long time and, no, it won’t be simple. We’re using the screen and the staging to its fullest capacity. It’s going to be big.”
He has also been getting advice from 2014 Eurovision winner, Conchita Wurst, on a recent flight to Sydney. “I went, ‘Hey mate!’ and we just kind of hung out.” Wurst said of Sebastian: “He’s got this great voice, this great song and he’s already a star. He’s got everything it takes to be part of this great event.”
For the first time, Australian viewers will be eligible to vote for their Eurovision favourites, contributing to 50% of Australia’s scoring. A team of judges will make up the other 50%, led by record industry boss Amanda Pelman, presenters Richard Wilkins and Ash London, and musicians Danielle Spencer and Jake Stone of Bluejuice.
