When you look down the list of 39 countries that have entered this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, one country stands out like a sore thumb. One country where nobody is really sure what is happening. One country that has said “ooh, it’s an internal selection” and nothing more has been said.
I am talking about the United Kingdom. The last few years have seen a careful campaign building up to fevered speculation before the reveal (or in the case of Blue, the Sunday newspapers working it out and asking the BBC to confirm it just before they went to press). So in the spirit of making sure the BBC gets as much value as possible from the announcement, the ESC Insight team have sat down, sifted through some rumours, tried to ignore what Popbitch has posted, and come up with some likely names.
Kimberley Walsh
There was rather a lot of discussion about Girls Aloud finishing their Tour, announcing the break-up of the band, but not before one final mission – Malmo. And if you read the denials, it always specifcally says ‘Girls Aloud’, and not the members of Girls Aloud. That leaves the field open for a solo act.
And which of the singers has a new album out, an album of cover songs and two Fredrick Kempe songs, and has been immersed in the BBC hierarchy of Strictly Come Dancing just before Christmas? Oh and appearances at G.A.Y. to appeal to the target audience, and a live try-out at the National Televsion Awards? (Actually, best ignore that last one).
Dido
For men of a certain age, Dido holds a certain fascination. With Oscar nominations under her belt, gongs from Ivor Novello, the Brits, the World Music Awards, and MTV she has a CV that would make any press release proud. The other requisites are there – the new album is out March 4th, her backroom team have experience of the Song Contest outside of the UK, and she’s on the Radio 2 A-list for plays this week, standing out like a lighthouse in a stormy sea next to Josh Groban, David Bowie, Joe Cocker, and The Stereophoncs.
She’s also won a Razzie for Worst Original Song, which at least gives Terry Vision his first question.
Emile Sande
Short of asking Claire Balding to sing a song penned by Sarah Millican and Miranda Hart, Emile Sande is the closest we have to a BBC house singer. She even popped up on the Sports Personality Of The Year, generating more headlines than the moment the US TV networks edited out her performance at the London 2012 Olympics.
There would be a risk of going to Eurovision and failing, but that’s a risk any artist takes at the Contest. Mind you, other countries don’t have ‘The British Press’ ready to knife the Eurovision singer in the back as they step off the Easyjet flight from Copenhagen to Stanstead on May 19th. That might be the thought that makes Sande think twice.
John Barrowman
Because we can’t make it obvious we’re only choosing female vocalists, and Mr Saturday Night features on this list every… single… year…
Pixie Lott
Three number ones in five years, always the bridesmaid but never the star, and a third studio album ‘coming soon’? TV friendly star looking to burst back on to the music scene with a limited number of PR options? Victoria Louise Lott ticks a lot of boxes, but perhaps skips over one marked ‘ability to generate a character that would allow something snarky to be written’.
Danni Minogue
We’ll take Danni (after all, she’s been fired from ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ to be replaced by Sharon Osbourne), but we’ll be thinking of Kylie.
Hacksaw, ft. Sophie Ellis Bextor
Meet the dream team. The key to Eurovision is to appeal across the genres and the ages, so what better way to do that than with one of the key Punk Bands in the current West Country touring circuit, pair them up with the requisite female lead who can appeal to the husbands who leave their wives behind when they appear in the Eurovision audience, and then smash together the aggressive guitars, dulcet tones, and bring us punk/dance to Malmo!
Did I say dream? It’s closer to a nightmare
Your answers on a postcard, please!
To be fair, we’ve probably missed the name of who will sing for the BBC, so let us know your thoughts in the comments!
And before you have to ask… How Do You Solve A Problem Like Barrowman?
Well, the BBC is getting as much value as possible from remaining silent. What good that does versus hyping the actual act I don’t know.
Hacksaw ft. SEB is simply a dream team with extra fluids.
I’ll be happy with anyone that can sing live and well, but please not John Barrowman.
Zolan: Value for whom? Getting everybody INSIDE the UK worked up does not gain one a single vote.
All depends on what the BBC’s goal is. Is it to ‘win’ or is it to have a really great Saturday night TV show with a high audience. If it’s the latter, there’s no need for external PR. If it’s the former, then yes, I would agree, there’s no need to whip the UK into a frenzy. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between.
Not that I’m overly familiar with this particular social network, but if there’s a section on Vevo (a sort-of-branch-of-YouTube-just-for-music-videos-but-is-still-its-own-website-as-well) for British music, that is where the BBC should be looking. The few peeks I have had there show that there are a -lot- of British artists who are making cool, current, exciting Britpop with the funding for lovely 1080p music videos to boot, and yet never even seem to be on the British public’s concsiousness.
I honestly have no idea how it works, but we have so much great music in our country underneath the names that fill up the charts. I wish I could back this up with a couple more examples, but the first one that comes to mind is HURTS. I know they’ve been discussed here and there, but there are a lot more.
By the way I would loooove Dido. But I distinctly remember reading her answer to a question from a fan on her website about 8 years ago that asked if she would ever do Eurovision. I don’t remember her exact words, but she was extremely flippant and dismissive, seeming to have her mind very much in the “its all political” camp.
I would also carefully suggest Tunde Baiyewu, the former Lighthouse Family singer, who is also making a comeback this year with a new album out on March 4th! His first single is not Eurovision material, but is wonderful. Lighthouse Family’s music personally means a heck of a lot to me so I would probably not encourage his selection for the contest. If he didn’t finish highly, I would take it personally. That’s music, eh?
Yes it would be nice if one of the meritable aforementioned was chosen BUT the BBC would only contribute to the demise of their careers by ridiculing them on their broadcasts,giving their follow up recordings no airplay , presenting the contest as a laugh, dictating to the public that all music ,without exception ,at eurovision is of no worth whatsoever so its unlikely that any of more established acts would take up the offer. The BBC could make the national selection as big as ex factor if they only put out more positive PR -which they could easily do-S and put a bit more money into it.Sadly the BBC and the very anti song contest press seem bent on the contests demise as a credible and popular event
@Eric. I meant value for the BBC. Free, self-maintaining publicity and hype for saying nothing.
Now, if that also increases interest in the contest within the UK more than revealing the act would, then that addresses my implied question as to the ‘good’ [for the contest] it does.
As I understand it, reviving public interest/confidence in the contest is the core issue, well worth targetting in its own right.
Of course actually winning would help enormously with that, but it seems even less plausible that secrecy does any good on that front.
But I also question whether the BBC wouldn’t get just as much value by giving people something substantive to buzz about.
i think Dido would be a good choice . my top choice would be Hurts though
Now from what I can tell from watching some of the videos of the 1998 contest, there was some enthusiasm and fun there that I haven’t seen repeated by a UK audience in years.
It is good of the BBC to try and build the interest from the public, it helps with ratings but what also helps with making the contest work and the UK not come at the bottom of the table is to have the artist or a sponsor of the artist pay for them to tour Europe before the contest. It worked for Jade in 2009 when we came 5th.
It is interesting as well that on the morning of the contest if you watch the news, there is always a piece about the contest and the perfect song. This perfect song is normally from some wacky professor who has listened to nothing by the 70s and 80s Eurovision winners. All this does is feed the outdated stereotype of the contest within the British public. The BBC need to both convince the UK public to back the artist and song, but also to help reflect the new side of the contest.
What about the rumour they were working with Strictly?
UK have not had a fun dancing/show performance in years…
Please don’t ask Dannii Minogue to sing. We certainly don’t, that why she moved to the UK.
Send anyone. Find a good song, and a person who can sing who has some sort of charisma and personality.
Chris: “Send anyone…”
I agree, but that’s exactly what the current strategy can’t do. The rumour mill can only work with Names that are already in the public arena, and the eventual revelation relies on pre-estblished fame and reputation to compensate for the lack of dedicated PR.
Also, I’m not sure the UK public would give the same respect to a performer they haven’t already heard about.
I choose … Imogen Heap for ESC.
If I could choose I would have either chose emilie sande or adele. But adele is sadly not on that list.
All of them are various degrees of horror
Think the BBC could draft in Carrie Underwood and her Azeri Tribute Dress?
Carrie Underwood is not British as far as I know. I would prefer somebody young and not well-known but if BBC will go for established artist, I would consider Morrissey or Pet Shop Boys.
We’re probably not going to get anything from the BBC until mid-March. Also, I have no clue who’s going to do it. So, until something happens, I’ll cling to my dream that this will represent the UK in Malmö and totally kill the competition.
Interesting call on Chvrches. I’ll ask then when I interview them in March if they would ever consider it. I still think Rachel Sermanni would be a smart Scottish choice for ESC.
Well the artist will be announced on the 18th of March.
If we want to win, we have to send an act that will get votes.
Which Britsh act is currently a global phenomenon: One Direction.
5 good looking boys who can sing is a win win
Agreed, but you’d think that if it was One Direction the BBC would make a bigger play than announcing them on the Ken Bruce show
Chvrches would be amazing.
One Direction – if you are not a dedicated fan their stage performances are kind of boring…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPMIW8neXOA
– and what could they gain, getting even bigger?
they can only loose by having a bad day performance
I prefer a Jedward show any day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLk9unzoM8I
BBC needs to find an artist with potential to break worldwide. Once the artist has become global it is to late, an artist wanting to relaunch their career can work, but it is highly unlikely…
A current artist that REALLY WANTS a market even bigger than UK would be perfect, but Eurovision is crowded with hopefuls – an artist is not enough, you need a really good song too! (Fairytale, Euphoria)
Well this is a totally random post here , but could Olivia Newton John be a huge outside possibility ???
She’s over in the UK in March, has just cancelled her concert in Glasgow on 18th March ,due to “scheduling problems” – could that means she’ll be busy with the press when its announced ???
Oh, and she’s also admitted in a GT interview this week that she’ll be playing “Long Live Love” during her forthcoming UK Tour – strange one that, as she’s always maintained she didn’t actually like the song. Apparently she’s warmed to it these days !!
There were also rumours months ago that she was about to record something new musically – but no-one’s said much about that ( YET !!)
I would say its s stretch but not beyond the realms of possibility !!!!
I think that it is Sam Gray. Mainly because he has shown he wants to do Eurovision already by taking part in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, that means you don’t end up sending a person who doesn’t want to be there. He is an up and coming artists who has managed to reach no.3 in the iTunes charts, he was interviewed by 4Music last month.
Terry Wogan with a sequel to The Floral Dance?
As normal we will get hyped up then dropped like a stone when its turns out to be someone who has no merit or cant sing live…I have no idea why big names are being discussed because of the way the BBC treat Eurovision no well known artist will touch it….and its not the contest to blame its the BBC
I`ve heard it will be a female singer and a power ballad.March 18th could be the day they announce on Graham Norton`s show on BBC1. Don`t laugh, but Petula Clarkes name has been mentioned !!