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Eurovision 2024

Jonathan

Jonathan

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After the success of Liverpool 2023, it's time for Malmö 2024. Details are slowly being released, with the graphic identity package coming earlier this week, and I'd suspect hosts will be confirmed at some point in January. The BBC has just confirmed the UK's act for next year (been a while since we confirmed ours this far in advance), and it is...Olly Alexander. He's well-known for being the lead singer of Years & Years, and more recently played Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 mini-series 'It's A Sin', based around the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

To be brutally honest...I'm thrilled. :D The BBC have made an excellent choice, and I truly cannot wait to see what Olly comes up with for his Eurovision entry next year.
 
He’s a great choice. A good singer and great performer.

Obviously a lot bears down to the song and staging, but having Olly as an act is a good start. I feel he will do something very camp and flamboyant which will fit right in with Eurovision.
 
It will be interesting to see what this year's UK entry is. I previously hadn't heard of this person, but he seems like an accomplished singer.
 
My only worry is if Olly can pull off the live performance, the song choice will be very important. We've had several acts recently who have entered songs that sound great on the studio recording, but they can't pull it off on the night, acts like Blue and Mae Muller were fine on the single but couldn't pull it off on the live studio night. Hopefully Olly will be able to perform their song choice as well live.
 
jon81uk said:
My only worry is if Olly can pull off the live performance, the song choice will be very important. We've had several acts recently who have entered songs that sound great on the studio recording, but they can't pull it off on the night, acts like Blue and Mae Muller were fine on the single but couldn't pull it off on the live studio night. Hopefully Olly will be able to perform their song choice as well live.
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He's an accomplished performer who's track record really does speak for itself. This is the element I'm least worried about. He's a born live entertainer and thrives on a stage. It's the song and the staging that need to be vastly above where they've been recently.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
He's an accomplished performer who's track record really does speak for itself. This is the element I'm least worried about. He's a born live entertainer and thrives on a stage. It's the song and the staging that need to be vastly above where they've been recently.
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This was discussed in a Wiwibloggs video last night. He's known for nailing it live.

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqsQxCor_Vs

I don't want to get too confident yet, but I do think we stand a pretty good chance of a solid result with Olly Alexander.
 
Olly Alexander is also the only artist with relevant and recent chart success that we've entered into the competition, since Cliff Richard. He's the real first serious contender.

Katrina and the Waves were essentially one hit wonders, so was Sonia, and not really known in Europe.

Englebert Humperdinck hadn't had a hit in about 40 years by the time he entered. Bonnie Tyler was about 30 years since chart relevancy.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
He's an accomplished performer who's track record really does speak for itself. This is the element I'm least worried about. He's a born live entertainer and thrives on a stage. It's the song and the staging that need to be vastly above where they've been recently.
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I'm less worried than some other acts but there is of course a difference between singing for your fans who have paid to see you entertain them on stage and singing a note-perfect rendition of a song, engaging a TV audience to vote for you. I don't think thriving on stage is as relevant as thriving on live TV. Think of Loreen last year, looked weird in person as the set was built for the TV screen.
 
jon81uk said:
I'm less worried than some other acts but there is of course a difference between singing for your fans who have paid to see you entertain them on stage and singing a note-perfect rendition of a song, engaging a TV audience to vote for you. I don't think thriving on stage is as relevant as thriving on live TV. Think of Loreen last year, looked weird in person as the set was built for the TV screen.
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How about hosting a the live New Years Eve party show on BBC One? I know it's a smaller scale, but it's another notch. I think he's got this.

 
I do wonder if the choice to go with Olly, and the decision to announce it on prime time TV is a sign that the UK actually want to win?
It's no secret that many countries enter 'joke' acts because they want to keep their place in the contest but don't want to accidentally win it and have to host the next years show. Its even a key plot point of Fire Saga. The Big 5 are notorious for it, and I dare say we are the worst offenders.
But after the popularity of the show last year I suspect there's been a realisation that hosting the show has benefits. And that was without even having the winning act.
 
Tim said:
I do wonder if the choice to go with Olly, and the decision to announce it on prime time TV is a sign that the UK actually want to win?
It's no secret that many countries enter 'joke' acts because they want to keep their place in the contest but don't want to accidentally win it and have to host the next years show. Its even a key plot point of Fire Saga. The Big 5 are notorious for it, and I dare say we are the worst offenders.
But after the popularity of the show last year I suspect there's been a realisation that hosting the show has benefits. And that was without even having the winning act.
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I think it's a sign the BBC want to take it seriously, which is what we've needed to do for years. There's also the fact we've done quite well at Junior Eurovision since we returned to that competition in 2022.
 
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