G-Nat!on: “We’re so excited to bring that K-Pop flair to Eurovision”

Turin is growing ever closer, and the line-up for Eurovision 2022 is quickly being confirmed. Australia is next to choose their act, with Eurovision – Australia Decides just around the corner! This Saturday February 26th at 8.30pm AEDT (10.30am CET), 11 acts will take to the stage, and artists are busily preparing themselves for their live performances.

In the lead-up to the live shows, we caught up with Isla and Emma, one-third of the powerhouse of harmonies G-Nat!on, and learnt about their staging, their Eurovision experience, and how it was to work with Leea Nanos.

Hi ladies, and thank you for joining us today! What inspired you to participate in Australia Decides?

Isla: Watching it, really!
Emma: Yeah, we love how inspiring, how diverse and how creative the show is and we really wanted to be a part of it, so when we got the opportunity we just couldn’t say no!
I: We got the call from management and we freaked out!
E: Like, is this a prank? But it wasn’t a prank, it’s real.
I: And it’s happening in a few days!

Do you have a favourite Eurovision song?

E: I always go back to the same one. It’s embarrassing because if they ever see this, they’re gonna be like, “she’s like this crazy fan,” but I love Måneskin from last year. I love their whole vibe and energy as artists, and I think we can learn a lot from them as a group.

Well if you get to Turin, you might get to meet them!

E: I know, don’t tell me that!
I: And we get to watch them perform!
E: I might not be okay! (laughs)

You’re well versed in competition, having served some massive performances on The Voice Australia. Do you think that’s been good preparation for Australia Decides?

E: Yeah I think so!
I: Yeah, getting to work on a TV show and then coming back to do another TV show, it’s a bit different – not a reality TV show, more a competition–
E: The Voice was very fast paced – each week a different performance, different choreo, different arrangement – but I like that this time, you get so much time to perfect the 3 minutes. It’s a longer process but we’ve enjoyed getting into the details of our performance and really perfecting the harmonies.
I: And the outfits!

You mention the outfits – can you share with us anything more about your staging concept?

I: We do quite a bit of camera work.
E: Quite a bit of choreo as well, as usual.
I: Costume-wise, we definitely were inspired by some K-Pop. We looked at some BLACKPINK and their outfits – it’s a little bit military, [they’re] really cool outfits!

Speaking of K-Pop, aspiring K-Pop artist and Australia Decides alumnus Leea Nanos co-wrote your song. Have you been able to work closely with her, and has she offered you any advice for the Australia Decides stage?

E: We met her first on The Voice actually, she’s so sweet. She’s an amazing writer. When we heard the song and found out it was written by her, we were so excited to get our hands on it and put our own G-Nat!on flair and sound on it. The song’s amazing, we’re so excited to bring that K-Pop flair to Eurovision because it’s something we don’t think the competition has really seen.

You are such a strong force of female empowerment – what does it mean to you to have the chance for a global platform to spread the message of girl power?

E: Girl power has always been a part of our brand. It’s something that we think is always relevant and always important to promote, so going into Australia Decides on this national stage is really an amazing opportunity to show young women that you can dream big, you can do it if you put your mind to it, and we’re so humbled to be able to inspire other young women.
I: Eurovision is always about storytelling and songwriting, and “Bite Me” is all about confidence, just going out there, owning it yourself, being who you are, so I guess that’s a part of our message, and it’s so exciting that we get to do it on stage, and with a song that means so much to us.

What is your favourite lyric in the song?

E: Look, I feel like it’s pretty self explanatory (laughs) but I like the “bite me” part, because the song follows this arc and then goes, “bite me!” So it’s like saying “take it or leave it, this is who I am, if you don’t like it, bite me,” and I think that part of the song is the strongest and really sends the message home.
I: My favourite bit’s the bridge when we go, “Come and play with fire,” and there’s the buildup and the big harmony. With the buildup, it’s a cool, cool lyric to sing.

Would you want to get some pyro involved in Turin, so the audience can “come and play with fire”?

I: Oh yeah, fireworks!
E: Absolutely! It wouldn’t stop, the whole time! (laughs)

Have you listened to the other artists’ songs? Do you have any favourites?

I: I am obsessed with Jude (York)’s song!
E: I’m obsessed with Voyager, it’s so fun.
I: Jude’s – I love the almost Harry Styles-esque [style], I’ve added it to my playlist. I know all the lyrics now – I’m gonna have to tell him when I meet him that I love it so much! Jaguar, her song’s sick!
E: Really everyone! I think that’s what we love is that everyone’s songs are so different! We’ve got ballads, we’ve got pop anthems – I really like that everyone’s bringing something different so you can’t pick a favourite, you just love them all!

Thank you so much for your time, and best of luck for the national final!