The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Basel, Switzerland, with the grand final taking place on Sunday 28 May AEST. This year's Australian contestant Marty Zambotto, known as Go-Jo, performed his song 'Milkshake Man', making it through to the semi-finals before being eliminated.

Go-Jo is a pop sensation who went viral in 2023 after he uploaded his song 'Mrs Hollywood' to TikTok, which now has more than 1 billion views on the social media platform.

Dr Brittany Ferdinands, senior lecturer in the Discipline of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney is an expert in online viral trends and influencer culture. She said social media platforms such as TikTok have blurred the line between influencer and musician, and social media now often plays a critical role in gaining exposure and enjoying success as an artist.

“Success today can mean building a niche fanbase that’s hyper-engaged, even before an artist signs a label deal,” she said.

Social media platforms have become powerful players in the music industry, according to Dr Ferdinands.

"Social media algorithms play the role of both artist and repertoire executive (representatives who traditionally discovered and signed new artists to a record label) and cultural tastemaker," she said.

"Algorithms on digital platforms can indicate emerging trends, are powerful tools in music discovery, and can dramatically enhance the visibility and public perception of an artist. They also provide a way for artists and fans to interact and connect with each other."

Apps with huge reach such as TikTok, which has billions of active users each month, have dramatically reshaped how musicians build audiences and attain fame.

“In today’s attention economy, success is no longer gatekept by record labels or radio play,” Dr Ferdinands said.

“Virality and algorithmic discovery can propel unknown artists onto global stages. What we’re seeing is a shift from traditional celebrity to what we call micro-celebrity, where musicians curate intimate, highly engaging online personas.

“And musicians who succeed on platforms such as TikTok often understand it’s no longer just about sound, it’s about creating a visual moment or a hook that the algorithm can latch onto. Music becomes ‘memeable’.”

Global competitions like Eurovision offer an interesting case study for examining the impact of social media on artists’ success in the music industry.

“Not only is Eurovision a broadcast spectacle, but it’s a digital phenomenon where fans remix, react to, and reframe performances in real-time," Dr Ferdinands said.

"Similarly, TikTok doesn’t just distribute music, it transforms it into participatory, meme culture where views function as currency, and exposure is a sign of online wealth.

“In this participatory music culture, fans aren't just listeners, they're remixers, trend-starters, and distribution agents. Audiences now play an active role in constructing an artist’s fame.”

TikTok has collapsed the distance between unknown artists and global stages. Artists no longer need traditional media infrastructure to ‘break through’, they need a moment that resonates, Dr Ferdinands said.

“Eurovision’s flamboyance and spectacle now lives far beyond the stage. It thrives in 10-second snippets, reaction duets, and algorithmic remix culture. TikTok extends the afterlife of Eurovision performances into everyday feeds.”

Hero photo credit: Georgios Kefalas/EPA/AAP.