Around the World
The Philippines’ Carmelle, 19, wins the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok with “Sobra-Sobra”
- What happened
- Carmelle won the first Asian edition of Eurovision with 211 points, ahead of hosts Thailand on 170, topping both the jury vote and the public vote.
- Why it matters
- Eurovision in Asia had been talked about for decades with many false starts; this was the first time the contest has been staged outside Europe as a regional edition.
- What’s next
- It is not yet clear how committed regional broadcasters are to holding the contest again or expanding it beyond 11 countries, the BBC reports.
How this story developed
- 20:58First report
- 21:172nd source
- 21:17Confirmed
- 22:013rd source
- 20:58First reportSouth China Morning Post
- 21:172nd sourceBBC News World
- 21:17ConfirmedWas: Single source
- 22:01Latest3rd sourceThe Guardian World
Full story
A clear winner
The Philippines won the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia on Saturday night in Bangkok, the BBC, the Guardian and the South China Morning Post reported. The 19-year-old singer Carmelle, the youngest act in the contest, took the title with “Sobra-Sobra”, a dance-pop song with a rap section, sung in Tagalog and English and backed by the traditional Philippine instruments kubing and kulintang.
She finished on 211 points, 93 from the juries and 118 from the public, ahead of the hosts Thailand’s MANG x DAOU on 170, the BBC reported. Vietnam came third, according to the Guardian. Eleven countries took part. As in Europe, half the result came from national juries, who voted at a dress rehearsal on Friday, and half from viewers around the world, who could not vote for their own country.
“I made history”
Carmelle grew up beside the railway tracks in the Bicol region of south-eastern Luzon and has been competing in televised talent contests since she was 12, the Guardian reported. She said the song celebrates female empowerment and was meant as a tribute to Filipino women.
“I made history, since this was the first time. It’s such a big responsibility for me, because this one is a global stage, so thank you everybody who voted for me.”
Carmelle, winner, The Guardian World
Other acts stood out too. Bangladesh’s Beatmosphere sang with no backing track, making drums and bass with their voices. Laos’s Thinla could not hear her own music during her performance, and her rehearsal was broadcast after the live shows; she finished fifth. The 2026 Eurovision winner Dara from Bulgaria performed during the show.
Will it come back?
Eurovision in Asia had been discussed for decades without materialising until now, the BBC said. Many in the crowd at the One Bangkok Arena were established fans of the European contest who had travelled from abroad, and the hall thinned out soon after the trophy was handed over.
The BBC said it is still not clear how much commitment there is among regional broadcasters to keep the contest going and to grow it beyond 11 countries.