Olly Alexander from Yorkshire is set to represent the UK at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Alexander announced that he was going to Eurovision during the final of Strictly Come Dancing. The current Years and Years singer is going to Malmo, Sweden to partake in the competition.
Alexander walked out of a gold door frame during the Strictly episode, where he proceeded to read some small print about voting during the dance competition. Claudia Winkleman suggested that Olly had some news, and it was then that he proceeded to reveal exclusively that he was going to be representing the UK.
Flying the Flag for the UK in Sweden
Olly Alexander currently has Eurovision odds of 50/1 on Paddy Power. Olly has vocalised his excitement at being able to represent the UK and told the public that he’s watched the Eurovision Song Contest since he was a young boy. With an eclectic mix of star-studded performances, nearly every genre is represented. From pop to heavy metal, dance and rap, punters will have to choose who they think is going to win, based on each country’s act. Although it’s possible to find betting tips online, the vote does come down to both the public and the judges. Each contest consists of three live television shows which are held over a week in May. Two semi-finals are then held on Thursday and Tuesday during Eurovision Week. The final is always held on a Saturday, with the “Big Five” countries, including the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France getting a fast-track pass. This means that Olly Alexander is going to be partaking in the final automatically, regardless of how many votes he is given.
How Voting Works in Eurovision
The votes in each country determine the winner. You have television viewers and you also have radio listeners. People can vote for their favourite song via telephone or SMS voting. You can also vote via the official Eurovision app. The votes are then tallied to create a top 10 list, with the jury, which consists of five music professionals, ranking their top 10 songs. When it comes to the semi-final qualifying round, this is determined by the public vote entirely. Voters will be given the chance to vote for Yorkshireman Olly Alexander when the show airs, with multiple votes allowed. The UK has won the Eurovision contest a total of five times in the past, with acts including Katrina and the Waves, Bucks Fizz and Lulu. Last year, the contest was held in Liverpool, with acts including Lord of the Lost, Marco Mengoni, Loreen, La Zarra and Alessandra. The UK saw their entry of Mae Muller with I Wrote A Song ranking 25th with a total of 24 points.
There’s hope that the UK will do better this year with the entry of Olly Alexander. His energy and passion for music are contagious, and it seems that both his fans and the entirety of the UK are behind him in his quest to bring the UK’s sixth win home.
