Philippines Wins Inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok

The Philippines has been crowned the first champion of the Eurovision Song Contest Asia, after singer Carmelle won the inaugural edition in Bangkok on Saturday with her track "Sobra-Sobra."

Carmelle collected 211 points to finish ahead of Thailand's act Mang x Daou, who placed second with 179 points, and Vietnam's Tóc Tiên, who came third with 164 points. Malaysia and Laos completed the top five.

Eleven countries took part in the first Asian edition of the storied song contest, staged in the Thai capital, with Cambodia, Mongolia and Korea among the competitors.

As with the European original, which recently celebrated 70 years, the results were decided through a combination of national juries and a public vote. A separate "rest of the world" vote carried the same weight as one participating country, with audiences in 183 countries and territories worldwide having their say.

The contest was aired in the participating nations and streamed on Eurovision's official YouTube channel. EBU members TVP of Poland, Sveriges Radio of Sweden, Kan of Israel and SBS of Australia also broadcast the event, which was hosted by Thai television stars Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop.

Beyond the competition itself, Thai superstar Jeff Satur performed alongside this year's Eurovision winner Dara, who took first place for Bulgaria at the May contest with her track "Bangaranga." The show opened with a special performance celebrating the host city, was produced by Voxovation and Bangkok-based S20 Productions, and was sponsored by Zoop.

"Congratulations to Carmelle and the Philippines on becoming the first-ever winners of Eurovision Song Contest Asia," said Eurovision director Martin Green. "What an historic achievement! This inaugural edition was a major milestone and brought together an extraordinary range of musical talent, cultures and creative voices from across the region."

Green added that, as the Eurovision Song Contest marks 70 years, seeing its spirit of unity through music take on a new life in Asia was a significant moment, and one he hoped would inspire artists and audiences for years to come.

"Bringing the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia to life in Bangkok has been an extraordinary journey," said Assaf Blecher, executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest Asia. "Congratulations to Carmelle and the Philippines on making history as our first-ever winners. This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Eurovision in Asia."