TikTok star Go-Jo will represent Australia at Eurovision in May, the 10th musical act to head represent his country since Australia joined the annual European song contest a decade ago..
Marty Zambotto, a 29-year-old Sydney-based singer-songwriter, went viral in 2023 after he uploaded a clip to TikTok of himself performing his song Mrs Hollywood while busking around Sydney. To date, the song has racked up more than 60m digital streams and 1bn views across all platforms.
Zambotto told Guardian Australia when he got the Eurovision news he initially thought it was a prank. “I was like ‘where’s Ashton Kutcher?’,” he said, adding: “I love music and singing – to be representing a country for doing what I love? There’s no better feeling.”
The 29-year-old grew up in the small town of Manjimup, Western Australia, on a self-sustained, off-grid property built from recycled materials , with no running water, electricity or phone reception.
“It was very isolated, away from society,” he says, “so I learned how to think and be creative in a very individual way. When it came to me going to school, I was introduced into society a lot more and I felt quite like an outsider. Over the years, I learned to be comfortable with who I am, and I learned that people really appreciated it.”
As Go-Jo, Zambotto has cultivated a massive fanbase online, posting high-energy clips of himself busking and interacting with members of the public. Mrs Hollywood’s success was fuelled by clips of him inviting passersby to join him for an impromptu guitar solo.
For Eurovision, Go-Jo will perform a new song titled Milkshake Man, written in collaboration with Australian pop band Sheppard, in which he invites the audience to “come and take a sip from my special cup / I’ve heard that you could use a little pick-me-up. / What can get you high when you’re oh so sad? / It’s the milk from the milkshake man”. He goes on to boast about his flavours, which include chocolate, vanilla, creme brulee and “a caramel banana you have got to see”.
Zambotto hopes Milkshake Man will be a “motivational push” for audiences: “Through the lyrics and the story of the song, I hope to inspire people to feel like the most colourful version of themselves and feel confident.” As he sings, “The shake is not a drink it’s a state of mind / it’s the secrets of the power you were born to find.”
Paul Clarke, Australia’s creative director for this year’s Eurovision contest, which will be held in Basel, Switzerland, in May, described Zambotto as having “a unique connection with audiences”, adding: “We know he’ll get a lot of love from the Eurovision community.”
Milkshakes aside, Go-Jo is known for his health-themed content, often offering free broccoli while he busks. He wouldn’t confirm if broccoli will make an appearance on stage in Basel, telling the Guardian: “The Milkshake Man is always on a health kick.
“I just want to live up to the song and be myself and be the most expressive, larger than life character – which is what a lot of people see me as.
“That’s what I want to take to the stage – and show everyone else around the world that Australia is a really fun place. We have beautiful cultures here. And a lot of scary spiders.”
