The Eurovision Song Contest is back again this year, with British fans hoping for a long-awaited triumph. Who is the UK’s contestant and what are their chances of winning?
What Is the British Entry?
Dizzy by Olly Alexander is the song chosen to represent the UK this year. Olly was the lead singer in Years & Years, who racked up a number of hit singles, as well as having a successful acting career. He has been working as a solo artist for the last couple of years and Dizzy first came to the attention of the British public when he played it on Strictly Come Dancing last year.
He quickly became heavily backed in Eurovision betting. However, when we look at the current odds, Dizzy is now quite far behind the favourites such as Switzerland, Croatia and Italy. Other bet types include the winner of the semi-finals but as one of the original Big Five countries, the UK gets automatic entry to the final stage.
The British song has already been released by Polydor Records and has had mixed reviews. It’s been praised for its energetic disco feel and synth-pop style, but some reviewers have felt that it lacks strength. The singer says that the lyrics are about feeling intense emotions for someone special.
What Other Songs Are In the Running?
A look at the Eurovision odds calculator at the time of writing suggests that Switzerland is the favourite to win. With odds of 9/5, the song The Code by Nemo is ahead of Croatia at 10/3 and Italy at 5/1. The Code is about the singer coming to terms with their non-binary identity. Nemo will take part in the second semi-final.
The Croatian entry is Rim Tim Tagi Dim by Baby Lasagna and it would be the country’s first Eurovision winner if successful. It’s described as being a humourous song based on the way many Croatians leave the country to find work elsewhere. Italy is to be represented by Angelina Mango with her song La noia. Based on Latin American Cumbia rhythms, it won the Sanremo Music Festival this year to gain entry to Eurovision and reached number four in the singles chart in Italy.
Full Details of the Event
Sweden is the host of the 68th edition of this song contest. This honour was given to the Scandinavian country thanks to Tattoo by Loreen winning last year’s event in Liverpool. They chose the Malmö Arena in the city of the same name as the venue. Three live shows will be beamed across Europe from these, with Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman acting as the local hosts. The semi-finals are scheduled for 7 and 9 May, with the final on 11 May.
Reviews to date suggest that the British entry has an uphill task to try and claim the prize for the UK this year. The last British victory came back in 1997 with Love Shine a Light by Katrina and the Waves but we’ll need to wait until the big day to find out whether Dizzy gives British music fans a chance to celebrate again.
Be the first to comment