The Philippines have claimed the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia title, with 19-year-old Carmelle winning over juries and viewers with her women’s empowerment anthem, Sobra-Sobra.
The competition’s youngest contestant emerged victorious from a field of 11 countries in Bangkok, earning 211 points—93 from the juries and 118 from the public vote. Thailand’s MANG x DAOU finished second with 170 points, followed by Vietnam with 164.
A front runner throughout the contest, Carmelle delivered a song whose catchy rap section helped make it one of the night’s standout entries. Her victory sparked celebrations inside the venue, where an enthusiastic crowd cheered on the performers and greeted the result with delight.
While the Philippines took the title, the inaugural competition offered several other memorable performances.
Thailand’s MANG x DAOU drew huge cheers from the home audience with their emotive duet, Aroma. Bangladesh’s Beatmosphere took a different approach, dispensing with a traditional backing track and using their beatboxing skills to recreate drums and basslines with their voices.
Laos’s Thinla also proved a crowd-pleaser, performing Bae in a traditional Lao hilltribe outfit. Her entry received an unexpected second airing when its music video played during an apparent technical disruption in the broadcast, making it the last song audiences heard before voting.
The contest used a voting format broadly similar to its European counterpart, with national juries and the public each accounting for half of the result, alongside additional points from a rest-of-the-world vote.
For Carmelle, the result secured both a personal triumph and a place in the competition’s history: its youngest performer became its first champion.
Final Top Three
- The Philippines: 211 points
- Thailand: 170 points
- Vietnam: 164 points
