The road to Bulgaria has officially begun, as Canada’s five Eurovision finalists were unveiled. Josiane, Rêve, TALK, Tyler Shaw and William Cloutier are vying to make history as the country’s first-ever Eurovision representative.
After a jury of music industry professionals narrowed down over 300 submissions, the decision now rests with Canadians. Voting for the top five is open until November 5 at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Canadians can head to cbc.ca/eurovision and vote a maximum of 10 times during the timeframe.
“Five artists. Five musical identities, Five dreams,” is how former MusiquePlus VJ Chéli Sauvé-Castonguay described the acts at the official unveiling announcement at CBC headquarters in Toronto. Each artist has the personality, vocal chops and stage presence to compete against the rest of Europe, but they all have very different artistic visions.
The most difficult decision for Canadians will be picking someone who can give the full Eurovision package. Which artist can deliver a standout song, awe-worthy staging, unforgettable outfits and possibly some jaw-dropping choreography? After this decision, Canada will have no say in the artist’s fate as it is unable to vote for its own representative in the actual competition.
Ireland-based Eurovision content creator Adam Mc Callig is excited about the lineup and who Canadians have to choose from. “There are some really talented vocalists…each artist has its original identity,” he says. “You need to be an artist that is original and authentic to get a good result at Eurovision, so there are some promising signs in this lineup.”
Before casting your votes, here is a bit more about the five finalists campaigning to be Canada’s Eurovision entry and why they should have your vote.
Josiane
Born in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Josiane studied medicine for six years before realizing music was her passion. Now she is ready to proudly show the world her vocal abilities and what it means to be Acadian.
Although she won La Voix in 2020, her debut album, Take Care, only came out earlier this year. The 12-track album gives listeners a chance to hear how seamlessly the pop singer moves between French and English and her range of songs from pop anthems to stripped-back ballads.
Asked why she should represent Canada, Josiane reveals she’s been dreaming of this moment since childhood. “Being here is the biggest dream come true for me and I’m ready to work hard…to put my whole heart into this…I’m Acadian, and I’m really proud of it. I sing in both languages, English and French. It’s part of who I am.”
Songs to listen to: Joisane recommends listening to Take Care Of You. “It’s a song I wrote for little Josiane.” Those discovering her should also listen to Lose It All which has over 3.7M streams on Spotify.
Rêve
Montreal-born singer Rêve wants to ‘devour’ the competition and has been campaigning for the chance to represent Canada since Mark Carney announced the country’s participation. The JUNO Award winner is ready to bring her fusion of pop, R&B and ‘90s Eurodance to the Eurovision stage. Her music has reached audiences across Canada and beyond, being featured on Canada’s Drag Race, Love Island and video games like Just Dance.
Her list of collaborators include those who have written songs at past Eurovision Grand Finales. CTRL + ALT + DELETE was written by Banx & Ranx, who worked on La Zarra’s 2023 entry Évidemment for France and more recently, Devourwas co-written by Michael Fatkin, who worked on Delta Goodrem’s 2026 entry Eclipse for Australia.
Not only does she have a potential songwriting team on speed dial, but she is ready to put her Eurovision knowledge to work. “I would take everything I’ve learned, that I've absorbed from watching all the amazing acts throughout the years on the stage and combine them with all of the skills that I’ve honed right here in Canada…and bring something truly unforgettable to the stage that would just push every boundary of anything that the Eurovision stage has ever seen,” she tells Canadians in her plea for votes.
Songs to listen to: Start with CTRL + ALT + DELETE and Devour. “They’re really fun, they’re really uptempo and you can hear the Eurodance influence,” she told the world at the unveiling announcement.
TALK
There is no doubt the Eurovision community will be talking about this colourful, flashy Ottawa finalist. TALK has taken over stages at Lollapalooza, Oshega and RADAR Switzerland with his powerful vocals and theatricality.
He won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2024 JUNO Awards and now wants to ‘break through’ as Canada’s representative in Bulgaria. And he’s doing the work. Since Canada’s participation was announced, TALK has been writing songs and meeting with professionals who have worked with other countries at Eurovision in order to build a team to take him all the way. “I want to keep things a little bit hush hush,” he said at a press conference. “I want to be prepared to the max.”
Songs to listen to: Listen to TALK’s latest single Goodbye Forever. “It’s a rock opera tune, and it’s very dramatic and very bold and full of life,” he told audiences at the Eurovision Song Contest finalist unveiling in Toronto.
Another good choice is Run Away to Mars, a ballad that became popular on TikTok and took him to The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Tyler Shaw
From winning the MuchMusic Coca-Cola Cover Contest to delivering countless hits in English and French and becoming a Canadian holiday staple, JUNO Award nominee Tyler Shaw has built a career on catchy songs and undeniable charm. Now, the BC-born singer, actor and father is ready to take his musical stylings to Europe’s biggest song contest.
Reflecting on his career, the artist says he has unintentionally been training for a moment like this. “I've done every single thing from an open mic night to arena stages over the last 14 years and this is the next step of my career…the next stage I need to go on to prove to myself and to everyone that Canada has what it takes.”
When it comes to his potential performance, Shaw may pull some inspiration from a Dutch winner. Asked which Eurovision performer stood out to him, he recalled Duncan Laurence’s winning performance of Arcade. “Simple. Impactful. His performance wasn't too crazy, but when you're watching it you're sucked into his world, the emotion of it all.”
Songs to listen to: For those unfamiliar with Shaw, he suggests listening to both the French and English versions of With You and the single Run to You. “That will give you an idea of what I perform.”
William Cloutier
The Québécois pop-singer from Drummondville, stepped into the spotlight at the age of 12, participating in La cour des grands. The appearance marked the beginning of his competitive streak that would see him on the teen reality series Minamania, Chanteurs masqués (Québec’s version of The Masked Singer) and Big Brother Célébritiés. He also won Star Académie, in a season featuring Lara Fabian who placed fourth for Luxembourg at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest – losing to Céline Dion. He also has theatrical training, appearing 360 times as Johnny Rockfort in the musical Starmania.
A natural competitor, Cloutier is ready to win Canada’s vote for this history-making opportunity. “I’m known for having a strong voice but first and foremost I am a showman. I want to create an act that’s larger than life…I want to bring all the creativity, the francophone culture of Quebec and Canada on stage.”
Songs to listen to: To get to know him better, Cloutier recommends listening to Nous, describing it as a powerful ballad that shows off his vocal range. Another popular song is Où on dansait autrefois with Zach Chico, which has over 2.4M streams on Spotify and showcases his country music side.
