Every time the UK does badly in Eurovision, it seems to bring out the worst in the British public, and 2012 was no exception. Commenters on Twitter and tabloid journalists suggested that it was time to quit Eurovision, simply because we didn’t win. Talk about sore losers! They also used the same old “political voting” excuse that has been irrelevant for three years, since jury voting levelled the playing field in 2009.
What these people don’t realise is that in Eurovision, you get what you give. In order to win the contest, you need to think about what would appeal to the viewers. Put in some effort, and you might just be rewarded. This is a competition with over 40 entrants each year, so the chance of winning is very small, but with the size of the UK music industry and our track record of musical success, the UK should have a better chance than most.
Here are my top 5 tips for the UK to succeed in Eurovision:
1. When choosing a Eurovision entrant, you need to imagine what someone who’d never seen this artist before would think of the performance. Potential entrants should be marked on vocal and performance ability, originality and likeability – their previous success is not relevant. None of the recent winners were internationally famous prior to Eurovision.
2. The song and artist need to have appeal which is broad enough to engage all the different cultures within Europe. It may seem impossible to create a song that Iceland would like as much as Romania, but both voted for Loreen and they both love Adele and Jennifer Lopez.
3. Just like in the UK, European music tastes are constantly evolving, so it is pointless to look back at what worked in Eurovision 5 or 10 years ago. Instead, look at what’s doing well across Europe right now. Euphoria fits perfectly with current trends, and that’s why it did so well.
4. We need to show Europe that we care! In order to win votes, the UK must play the game and prove to Europe that we deserve to succeed. We may not take Eurovision seriously, but to the smaller countries it’s hugely important and sending lazy or novelty entries is an insult to them.
5. The choice of entry should not be down to a team of TV producers, but instead to music experts who know what is popular in Europe. If the Eurovision entry was chosen by the record label that release the song, they would choose someone they believed would have chart success, as it would benefit them if they did.
In conclusion, the UK can definitely win Eurovision. We have some of the best artists and songwriters in the world, and if the BBC want a list of suggestions I’ll be happy to provide one. Then again, the last time I did that they still ended up choosing Pete Waterman! Perhaps there really is no hope…
I've said for the last couple of years that a track like Alexandra Burke's “Broken Heels” would've been perfect for Eurovision. I still think she could be pretty good at it, and would tick most boxes from your list above. Would be great if she could be convinced to do it at some pointin the next few years!
Yeah she'd be perfect! And her last single flopped so she could be available…