The Philippines wins Eurovision's first Asia contest

The Philippines won the first Asia edition of Eurovision on Saturday after a night of power ballads, pop-dance hits and pyrotechnics from the makers of the cult European kitsch fest.

Viewers and juries from the 11 participating nations and audiences online chose the 19-year-old pop star Carmelle as queen of the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia, for her upbeat call to female empowerment.

Hosts Thailand finished close behind in second place, followed by Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos, with Nepal, Cambodia and Bangladesh languishing at the bottom of the points table.

Eleven countries had joined the competition that organisers hope will start a new chapter for Eurovision, a cultural phenomenon in Europe for its lavish outfits, soaring vocals -- and sometimes tricky geopolitics.

"I'm genuinely impressed with what they've done, the vibe and the music," said Alex Cobham, 33, a British Eurovision fan who lives in Thailand and could not believe her luck when it was staged in Bangkok.

"It's embodying the spirit for sure -- camp, fun, gorgeous, good songs."

Eurovision is the world's biggest televised live music event, drawing 131 million viewers in 2026, and over the past 70 years has helped to launch the careers of global superstars such as ABBA and Celine Dion.

But the big question is whether it takes off in Asia, the world's most populous region with more than enough music shows of its own.

The audience was small in Bangkok on Saturday but the energy was big, particularly for Thailand's pop duo Mang x Daou, who performed a love duet.

The contestants who sat watching on the sidelines also got in on the fun, dancing to Laos' pop hit and head-banging to the rock song performed by Nepal's Pratik Himal Rai.

"I'm very pleased it's come to Asia. We've been waiting so long!" said Malaysian mega-fan Fauzan, 37, one of the first in the queue to enter the concert hall.

He was wearing a blue corset over a white trouser suit in honour of his nation's entry Aina Abdul, who performed her song inside a giant water droplet wearing a dress that took 600 hours to make.

Singing must be live and some of the performers struggled, but the producers ramped up the energy, with a pop track by Vietnam's Toc Tien morphing into a heavy dance tune.

The Asia edition was organised by commercial television -- unlike Eurovision, which is run by national broadcasters -- and the contestants were mostly well known in their home countries.

But some have a less typical background, including Mongolian singer Beck, a trained economist who advises his country's deputy prime minister.

The expansion comes as Eurovision marks its 70th birthday under a cloud, with 2026 viewing figures down 35 million on-year after a boycott by five countries over Israel's participation.

Organisers brush off any link between this controversy and the Asia show, noting the contest has been trying to expand for years. There was a US version in 2022, but it fell flat.

India, Japan and China were notably absent at Saturday's contest.

But Martin Green, director of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision, said it could take "two, three, five years" to establish the brand.

"Eurovision number one was basically with seven singers doing two songs each with a pot plant and a microphone," he told reporters, saying Saturday's show was "profoundly not the case".