Own Asiavision Song Contest 27

Own Asiavision Song Contest 27, often referred to as OASC #27, is the 27th edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Nadi, Fiji, following the country's victory in the 26th edition with the song "Happy Hour" by Rosette. It was the second time that Fiji had hosted the contest, having previously done so for the eighth edition. Organised by the Own Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster Fiji Television, the contest was held at the Prince Charles Park and Denarau Island Resort, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Palini and Rosette.

Forty-eight countries participated in the contest. Christmas Island made its debut this edition. Bangladesh, French Polynesia, South Korea and Vietnam returned to the competition, while Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kiribati, Macau, North Korea, Palestine, Qatar and Tuvalu withdrew for various reasons.

The winner was Tajikistan with the song "Nedoslavyanka" performed by Manizha. This was country's first victory in the contest. Tajikistan became the second Central Asian country to win the contest after Uzbekistan in the twenty-second edition. The podium was completed by Philippines and Jordan. Bangladesh, Samoa and India rounded up the top 6. Christmas Island, which scored 17th achieved their best result to date. The host nation Fiji finished pre-last.

Location
Further information on the host country: FIji

Host city
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population had grown to over 50,000. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Asians, Indian or Indigenous Fijians, along with a large transient population of foreign tourists. Along with sugar cane production, tourism is a mainstay of the local economy.

The Nadi region has a higher concentration of hotels and motels than any other part of Fiji. With its large Indo-Fijian population, Nadi is a centre for Hinduism and Islam in Fiji. It has the largest Hindu temple in the Southern hemisphere, and is a site for pilgrims called Sri Siva Subramaniya temple.

Nadi International Airport located 9 kilometres from the town, is the largest airport in Fiji. Thus, Nadi is the principal port of entry for air travellers to Fiji, even though it is on the opposite (western) side of the island of Viti Levu from the nation's capital and largest city, Suva.

Nadi has a tropical monsoon climate according to the Köppen climate classification, with hot temperatures year round. The city features a short dry season during the months of July and August, and a lengthy wet season covering the remaining months of the year. It receives substantially less precipitation than Suva on the windward side of Fiji.

Venue
Prince Charles Park is a stadium in Nadi, Fiji. The stadium has a nominal capacity of 18,000 people.

It currently hosts rugby union matches, football (soccer) matches, and special events. The venue hosted the final of the football Oceania Club Championship in 1999.

The park is home to the Nadi Rugby Union and Nadi Football Association. Govind Park has also hosted many international matches with teams from all continents. It has also hosted local football tournaments like the Fiji Fact, Battle of the Giants, and Inter District Championship. The ground is managed by the Nadi Town Council. Plans are underway to expand the nominal capacity to 30,000, making it the largest stadium in the Fiji Islands.

Denarau Island is a small private resort development on the western side of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji. The 2.55 km2 resort is reached via a short causeway over a creek and is located 5 km north west of the town Nadi and 10 km west of Nadi International Airport.

Denarau is known for its hotels and resorts, with the 18-hole Denarau Golf course as its centrepiece. The development includes international chains such as Hilton, Sheraton, Radisson, Westin, Sofitel and Wyndham (formerly Worldmark).

Denarau Marina is located in Denarau Island and provides sea transfer services to the island chains of the Mamanucas and the Yasawas.

Port Denarau, as well as containing Denarau Marina, is a shopping precinct with a variety of restaurants, a supermarket, bakery, hairdressers and tour operators.

Semi-final allocation draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 22 August 2021. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the Big Six would have to vote. The second part of the draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty-one countries participated in each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty-two semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Semi-final 1
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Fiji, Syria and Thailand also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Bahrain, China and Taiwan also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 48 participating countries eligible to vote.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Asiavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OABU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.

Active members

 * Due to the ongoing conflict which led to the collapse of the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, the OABU Executive Board agreed to suspend the membership of Radio Television Afghanistan, as the channel shut down and general entertainment such as televisions and music were banned across the country. However, the country will be allowed to return with a new broadcaster.
 * Despite initially confirming their participation, the broadcaster decided to withdraw from the current edition in protest to Vanuatu’s entry that is about the liberation of the West Papua province that is currently part of Indonesia.
 * The broadcaster failed to state their intentions regarding the upcoming edition, thus not being present in the final list of participants.
 * Upon arrival home, the North Korean delegation had been sacked by the government due to the poor showing of the country after their return. A come back in the near future was not ruled out if a new head of delegation will be appointed.
 * The OABU Executive Board announced that the entry that was submitted by the broadcaster was rejected for breaking the rules of the contest. The broadcaster refused to submit a new song and therefore decided to withdraw.
 * The head of delegation announced their resignation and the country would not be participating.
 * The broadcaster failed to state their intentions regarding the upcoming edition, thus not being present in the final list of participants.

Associate members

 * On 29 July 2021, Cook Islands Television announced their intention to debut in the twenty-seventh edition.
 * The broadcaster initially confirmed their participation in the contest and announced that they will finally send a new artist. However, some days later they announced their withdrawal for an undetermined amount of time and was demoted to associate broadcaster status until their return in the future.