Eurovision:You Decide is the most recent name of a BBC television programme that was broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The show had previously gone under several other names,including Festival of British Popular Songs (1957),Eurovision Song Contest British Final (1959–1960),The Great British Song Contest (1996–1999),Eurovision:Making Your Mind Up (2004–2007),Eurovision:Your Decision (2008),and Eurovision:Your Country Needs You (2009–2010),but was known,for most of its history,as A Song for Europe.
The United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 66 times. Its first participation was at the second contest,in 1957,and it has entered every year since 1959. The British participant broadcaster in the contest is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The country has won the contest five times:in 1967,with "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw;in 1969,with "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu ;in 1976,with "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man;in 1981,with "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz;and in 1997,with "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves. The UK has also achieved a record sixteen second-place finishes,the first in 1959 and the most recent in 2022.
Oliver Alexander Thornton,known professionally as Olly Alexander,is an English singer,actor and LGBTQ activist who rose to prominence as the lead singer of the English pop band Years &Years,who achieved two No. 1 albums on the UK Albums Chart,a No. 1 single and five Top 10 entries on the UK Singles Chart. Between 2021 and 2023,he continued to release music under the name until their dissolution in 2024. During their career,Years &Years were nominated for six Brit Awards.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Never Give Up on You" written by Daniel Salcedo,Emmelie de Forest and Lawrie Martin. The song was performed by Lucie Jones. Songwriter Emmelie de Forest represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" where she won the competition. The British entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv,Ukraine was selected via the national final Eurovision:You Decide,organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through the combination of a public vote and the votes of an eight-member professional jury.
Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Running on Air" written by Nathan Trent and Bernhard Penzias. The song was performed by Nathan Trent. On 19 December 2016,the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) announced that they had internally selected Nathan Trent to compete at the 2017 contest in Kyiv,Ukraine,while "Running on Air" was presented to the public on 28 February 2017.
Eurovision:Come Together was a one-off television programme,organised and broadcast by the BBC,to determine the most popular song in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest,as voted for by the British public. Hosted by Graham Norton,the show was broadcast from Television Centre,London on 16 May 2020,and served as an alternative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020,which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nineteen past Eurovision entries,chosen by an assembled jury,took part in the event,with the winner determined by online voting. It was won by the winning song of the 1974 contest,"Waterloo",originally performed by Swedish group ABBA.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Embers" written by James Newman,Conor Blake,Danny Shah,Tom Hollings and Samuel Brennan. The song was performed by James Newman,who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam,Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "My Last Breath" before the event's cancellation. Newman was announced as the British entrant on 19 February 2021,while the song "Embers" was presented to the public on 11 March 2021.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Liverpool,United Kingdom,as Ukraine,the winner of the 2022 contest with the song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra,was unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion of the country. The contest was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU),with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) acting as host broadcaster on behalf of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC). It was held at Liverpool Arena,and consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May and a final on 13 May 2023. The three live shows were presented by British singer Alesha Dixon,British actress Hannah Waddingham,and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina,with Irish television presenter Graham Norton joining for the final.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin,Italy. British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder represented the country with his song "Space Man",which he co-wrote with Max Wolfgang and Amy Wadge. He was selected as the 2022 UK entrant by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in collaboration with record label TaP Music and their management company.
"Space Man" is a song by British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder,released as a single on 22 February 2022 through Parlophone Records. It represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin,Italy,after being internally selected through TaP Music and the BBC,the British broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest. Co-written by Ryder,Amy Wadge and Max Wolfgang,it appears on Ryder's debut studio album There's Nothing but Space,Man!,which was released on 9 December 2022.
"Silent Storm" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter Carl Espen,released as a single on 18 February 2014. Described as a powerful ballad about finding one's place in life,it was written by Josefin Winther and produced by Magnus Skylstad. The song represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen,Denmark after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2014,Norway's national selection for the event. The song finished eighth overall with 88 points.
"Queen of Kings" is the debut single by Norwegian-Italian singer Alessandra Mele. It was written by Mele alongside three other songwriters,and was released on 9 January 2023 through Starlab Music. The song represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023,where it finished in fifth at the final with 268 points.
The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Dizzy" written by Olly Alexander and Daniel Harle,and performed by Olly Alexander himself. The British participating broadcaster,the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),internally selected both the song and the performer.
"Veronika" is a song by Slovenian singer-songwriter Raiven. Inspired by the story of Veronika of Desenice,it was composed by Raiven along with five others,with lyrics also coming from Raiven. The song was self-released on 20 January 2024 through Virgin Music Group,and represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024,where it placed 23rd with 27 points.
"Fighter" is a song by Israeli-Luxembourgish singer-songwriter Tali Golergant,written by Ana Zimmer,Dario Faini,Manon Romiti,and Silvio Lisbonne. It was released on 12 January 2024 by Bel Air Records. Self-described as a song about how humans suffer and persevere through struggles,the song represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 –the first Luxembourgish entry in the contest in over 30 years,with the country last competing in 1993. At the contest,it finished in 13th place at the grand final with 103 points.
"No Rules!" is a song by Finnish visual artist Teemu Keisteri,known professionally by his stage name persona,Windows95man. It was written and composed by Henri Piispanen,Jussi Roine,and Keisteri,and released on 16 January 2024 through All Day Entertainment Oy. The song represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024,where it placed 19th with 38 points at the grand final.
"Hollow" is a song by Latvian singer-songwriter Dons. Originally released in Latvian under the title "Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts" on 11 September 2023,its English version was released on 2 January 2024 by Universal. The song was written by Dons,Kate Northrop,and Liam Geddes,and represented Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024,where it placed 16 with 64 points. In the process,the song became the first Latvian entry to qualify for the grand final since 2016.
"The Code" is a song by Swiss singer Nemo. It was written by Nemo along with three other songwriters and was released on 29 February 2024 through Better Now Records. It represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024,where it won the contest with 591 points. In the process,the song became the first victory for the country since "Ne partez pas sans moi" by Celine Dion in 1988 and the first winning song in the history of the contest by a non-binary artist.
"Jako" is a song by French-Armenian world music duo Ladaniva. The song was originally released on 29 September 2023 on the duo's debut self-titled album as a track,and was written by Audrey Leclercq,Jaklin Baghdasaryan,and Louis Thomas. It represented Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024,where it placed in 8th at the grand final with 183 points.
Polari is the upcoming debut studio solo album by British singer,songwriter,and actor Olly Alexander,releasing 7 February 2025 through Polydor Records. The album was primarily produced by Danny Harle with additional co-production from Finn Keane and Vince Clarke. The album,named after the hidden language,is Alexander's first full project under his own name following three previous albums with Years &Years,the last of which was released in 2022. The lead single 'Cupid's Bow' was released 11 October 2024,and was followed by subsequent singles "Polari","Archangel",and "When We Kiss". The album also includes "Dizzy" the UK's entry for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Alexander co-wrote all thirteen of the album's songs.
