The fact it feels ballsy to announce Olly now says everything about our process this year. Consider we now know that Rina was up for it, they've learned from that and not messed about and made sure they could secure a major player who does want it. Crucially too, Olly is 100% in the same vein as Sam in the sense they'll completely give themselves to the Eurovision party and build up.
Yes, they've definitely learnt but I think the rather bungled process of last year can be attributed to the delegation being tied up with hosting duties. Agree Olly will throw himself into it like Sam did - he may not be a match for Sam vocally but not many artists are!
@@tomgabbutt3066she was approached but took too long to respond and the BBC/TaP had already selected Mae by then and never responded to Rina. She was apparently "willing to accept the offer" but that doesn't sound like to me like an emphatic yes.
Olly can sing! period! It's a good a call as we can get. I think he'll want to do really well. He'll want a song that will go no. 1 in the charts. He has a European fan base. It's brilliant actually. With a super credible writing team!! He loves Eurovision! This is EXCATLY what we need to do to win! Nice to see ya Tom! Jonny Woooooooooooo x
Hiya!! as a long time years and years fan i thought I could shed a little bit of light on why people were saying his vocals might be off. Olly used to have quite shaky live vocals when his first album came out (like ten years ago) but he has definitely improved vastly over the years and ESPECIALLY through lockdown, his vocals are absolutely perfect nowadays
It's a Sin was written & released by the Pet Shop Boys in 1987, & it was a worldwide hit. In 2021 it was recorded by Years & Years to promote a Channel 4 TV series of the same name, about a group of gay men at the start of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Olly was the main character, acting alongside Stephen Fry & Neil Patrick Harris. At the 2022 British Academy TV Awards, it got 11 nominations, including best actor for Olly. So Olly is a talented singer & actor. He's also gay & the NY Times wrote a piece about twinks & referred to him as one, however he doesn't like the title, as he sees it as rather pejorative, as if men must be butch & anything else is inherently wrong. He's right, he's skinny, boyish, camp as anything but has more talent than most people just in his little finger. Personally, I think he's one of the best chances we've got at doing well in Eurovision because of his talent & understanding of the event. I'm not a fan of Olly's music, it's too pop for me, but I'm a fan of him. I'm so excited for the UK this year, Olly's the perfect choice.
oh wow, so he can act as well. i can kind of see that in his performance style actually as well. There is definitely a dramatic embodiment of a character that he brings to the stage. He is very very exciting, I think he's gonna go out of his way to put on an extremely good show
I was *so* excited to see this! I was worried that the U.K. was going to give up after what happened with I Wrote A Song. I’m so happy to see that they’re not giving up. 😊
What a turnaround the UK has had. Sam Ryder really did something to ignite that spark/interest for doing well. Regardless of the result Olly gets in the end (and I think it will be left side, just to mention that), I think this will be another entry that anyone from the UK will be proud of and that will do well on the charts. That's so important. As a Norwegian, I always take a bit of pride in what we send (even if it's an entry I don't like like Queen of Kings) so it's really fun to see that coming back for the UK locals 🙂 Now, can they inspire Ireland to get on that path?!
Hi Tom, thanks for the review - 'LA' is a reference to Russell T Davies' 'Its a sin'. It was said frequently by the character he played, particularly in the earlier episodes.
I highly recommend watching his Olly's live performance on Graham Norton of him singing 'Hallucination'. It's great, probably something like we're gonna get and definitely LIVE ;)
I am so excited for Olly singing for the UK! I think someone else already mentioned but the La comes from Its a Sin which he starred in - I’d also really recommend this for anyone it’s a fantastic show.
I’ve been wanting to watch that program because I’m a fan of Russell T Davis through Doctor Who and his other work, but it’s kind of on the back burner. Now I’ve got a reason.
Very excited to see how the UK is upping the ante with sending Olly, plus the involvement of Danny Harle signals a pop banger! I'll be watching the It's a Sin mini-series in the meantime 💙
This garuntees a UK win. Literally. Years & Years is amazing, and Ollys voice is fantastic. Congrats to the UK for winning Eurovision 2024 already. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I didnt know his name, but knew the hitsong he did with Years & Years. After the announcement of his name. I looked up material of him. I was happily surprised. He is a great artist Good choice for the UK. Looking forward to his song. btw our Joost also want the douze points,. Cool having 2 of this dudes already on the ESC 24 stage. Will be mighty interesting.
''LA'' is most definitely a reference to his character in a hugely successful & groundbreaking TV drama on Channel 4 called 'It's A Sin'. It went viral at the time. This will be a first for the UK (apart from the late 60's & early 70's) to send a very current established star to Eurovision. I don't imagine for one moment that he would go to the ESC with anything but a great song & great staging to go with it. Okay, it didn't go to plan last year but this will be the third year in a row that the UK have taken the contest really seriously & I for one am up for it.
Most of Olly's concerts and performances that can be found on youtube are from 2011-2014 , when he was still very young and new to the stage , of course his vocals were not the best at the time. He improved a big lot since then , his vocals since 2015-16 are very good and he always had crazy stage presence and charisma . I think he is the favourite to win Eurovision next year .
this is absolutely massive from us the penny has finally dropped his songs always chart he can sing he can perform he is a big name been there done that got the t shirt but also extremely humble guy and im Just so excited
As a UK viewer, I'd been looking forward to seeing your take on this! Apologies for a long comment but I have a lot to say... - I was utterly gobsmacked by the announcement for the reasons you outline and it would have been unthinkable until very recently. Whatever happens in Malmö, it's encouraging to see the BBC treating Eurovision with the respect it deserves and integrating it into one of its flagship shows. I think that will pay dividends at some point. - I had hoped that now the usual delegation are back and free from hosting duties, they would get a better handle on the selection process and I'm glad that's proven to be the case. It all felt rather bungled last year but I think was a price worth paying for a well-delivered show. - I'm not too worried about the vocals now I've seen that clip and he's clearly got the charisma and stage presence. Granted, he doesn't have the vocal capabilities of Sam Ryder (not that many people do) but I reckon the sort of song he'll be sending doesn't really require powerhouse vocals. If the whole performance stands out and the vocals are on point, I think he'll be fine. I Wrote a Song was fundamentally a radio song and I'm not convinced it would have stood out enough to do well even if sung perfectly. But that's academic and in the past now! - Conventional wisdom has it that the UK will always do better with the juries and should therefore focus on that segment of the vote, so it's interesting to see the BBC appeal more explicitly to the televote. On a related note, it'll be interesting to see if Norway makes a more concerted effort to score higher with the juries, where they've underperformed lately. - I'm encouraged by Olly's genuine enthusiasm and the more I hear, the more I think he's ideal for it. I understand he's going to promote the song extensively across Europe beforehand which should help enormously as it did for Sam Ryder and Jade Ewen. - As for Ireland, I hope a good UK result does spur Irish viewers to exert some pressure on RTE as it's hard to see how else they'd be forced to up their game. On a side note, do you think Ireland would benefit from sitting out a year to regroup if RTE were to decide to step up their efforts?
Super exciting with the news, because since 2014 I have been a big fan of the Years and Years vocalist and I have witnessed on social networks how he transmitted his love for Eurovision at the time of the beginning of the festival and I was looking forward to the fact that one day I went there and with great enthusiasm the dream came true for both him and me since he is a great artist with exceptional talent and incredible charisma and I am very sure that he will have an incredible proposal that will captivate the public. Great Olly, I wish you good 💪 luck from Spain 🇪🇦🇪🇨♥️🇬🇧
Olly is amazing. I really hope he brings a strong song because I know he is capable. Y&Y have had a lot of relatively big hits. I don’t know if I can name a lot of ESC artists whose 10-15 songs I know. You should definitely check out some of their music (especially their first album which is amazing) and you should sooo watch Its a Sin. It’s a brilliant show.
"La!" Is basically the catchphrase for the main characters in the series "It's a Sin" (I recommend it so much! my gosh I cried buckets though) one of those main characters (or one could say THE main character) was played by Olly ❤
It's sounds like he's had his song for a while and he 100% knows what song will work. Going for an upbeat song is such a good choice, his performance levels are up there with the best (such as Loreen). He has a beautiful tone to his voice and he will know how to use it in the best possible way!
Olly shares something cool wiht Loreen and Mustii: Drag Race judge in their home countries. In addition, Robin Bengtsson was a makeover guest on Drag Race Sverige. There are probably some other crossovers I cant remember.
Danny Harle!!!! I never knew he was producing this?! I LOVE 'Broken Flowers' (if you havent heard it, its so unusual and has layers and layers of interesting sounds and nuances that take you on a dreamy journey. Been a fan for a few years now so this is the positive i was looking for. Its going to be a weird, electronic dance-bop! Im predicting lots of energy, uplifting and slightly leftfield and alternative with quirky moments. Im much more excited now that i know hes on board! Olly seems like such a nice guy who has a style that really is leftfield so he'll gel well with Danny Harle! As for Germany, im sure i read Stefan Raab is back in charge. Or am i dreaming this up?! Michael Schulte thus far was Germany's Sam Ryder so to speak. Fingers crossed they can come back strong. I really want Spain, the UK, Germany AND Ireland to come back big and really ruffle some feathers! Ireland, if RTE dont take this year seriously, they need to literally just let another broadcaster take over the Eurovision reigns. Theyre so outdated and so out of touch, its painful.
at first i was a little worried because UK aren't known for staging so having a big name seemed a little like a cop out, but Olly seems to know what's up, so I'm getting really excited for them!!!
Very exciting to see this happening. This could be sooo good for creating momentum for Eurovision in the UK. Years & Years' first album was pretty big here as well; no kidding, I've always though a song like "King" was just the kind of song the UK should send to Eurovision. His live performance looks super promising; fingers crossed for a good song!
I remember years ago listening to their first album in my car and every single song that came on I was like “this would do so well at Eurovision” I’m so happy he’s doing it
I'm excited about UK this year, it was just thanks to Strictly that I knew Years & Years, they performed "King" live in a results show and I got interested. Olly's vocals there were a little shaky but that was years ago, so he's more mature and experienced now.
As talented as Olly is he doesn't need all the pressure put on him because he's successful I wish him all the luck in the world and hope I enjoy the song.
since being a Eurofan in July 2019, Olly is probably one of the few artists whom I know prior to their Eurovision-related involvements. from one of his tracks "Gold", but even that was from FIFA 16 as one of its soundtracks. the only other might be Flo Rida from 2021. if it was far earlier, there could be a good chance that the list included Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy as well.
I. AM. HYPED!!!!!!! i did see the rumour but it still took me by surprise (plus as a massive fan of year and years and strictly it was like christmas came a week early!), and im so excited. the only time i've ever heard of our entry before was bonnie tyler, but to have someone relevent that i know and love?? incred i'm very pleased to hear it will be an electronic pop song, its what he is known for, and i know he will produce an amazing stage show. i am very worried about his live vocals though, ive seen multiple live performances from him and they were much worse than the one you reacted to (the new years one a couple of years ago was particularly bad). hopefully we bring along a very strong backing singer 😅
I agree with you that the UK’s last place in 2021 was definitely the last straw to get them out of their slump and do better. I actually became familiar with Olly because he was the lead in Russell T Davies, miniseries it’s a sin, not through his music. Actually, I think Olly’s next step should be to reconnect with RTD and book a guest spot on Doctor Who.
I think it's safe to say that the BBC have changed their attitude towards the contest. From how well they hosted last year's contest on behalf of Ukraine, to them continuing to promote Mae afterwards, to last night's announcement, they clearly love the contest now. I'm still a bit cautious since the song hasn't been released yet, but Olly is still a very exciting pick.
Watch his live performance of Sanctify on BBC… it would be top 5 at Eurovision. His vocals have been fantastic in every live performance I’ve ever seen so no worries there
I would love for Olly to send 'it's a sin', but I think an 80s song originally released by the Pet Shop Boys wouldn't fly haha. Would love for you to check out his original music! (He was also in the tv show 'It's a Sin' which is why I think him and Elton picked that song. He's also a great actor! Watch 'it's a sin', it's really good and by Russel T Davies (warning: it's about the aids crisis). I have seen a few rough performances, but the difference between him and Mae is that Olly is really established, so I think he knows what he can and can't do well. It's not a wow voice but it could go really, really well. Or not.
I wouldn’t say Olly Alexander is at the top of his fame right now…I think the top of his fame was 2015 with the single King and the album Communion. I’d say 2015-2017 were the peak years for years and years (aka Olly Alexander), at least internationally..
Danny hearle was interviewed and he said he would love to write/produce a song that would win Eurovision and olly has said the same so you know they aint messing they’re gonna pull out all the stops, bells and whistles. Now starts the painful wait for the song.
Funny hearing Tom say he wished they'd send this song to Eurovision. Yeah, we should send a Pet Shop Boys 80s megahit every year. Actually, when Heart was at number 1 in the UK it was rumoured that the Pet Shop Boys had put it up for consideration for Eurovision and it had been rejected. No idea if thats true but its what I heard at the time.
Also that Brit awards performance of olly with Elton John that was in 2021 which came less than 2 weeks before the eurovision final in Rotterdam and we all know what happened with the UK then! Looking at the stage from that maybe the bbc got inspiration from that staging as that’s amazing staging as many said the staging dragged poor James Newman down to the lowest of the low the first act ever to get the double 0 points in the voting system we have now
it seems that affronting someones pride; whether it be the public, a broadcaster or a particular artist, is sometimes all it takes to turn things around. Id imagine all 4 of the other big 5 having a great result all in the same year would be a big enough event
@@alipanroosendaal9503 They're not even remotely comparable though. Jendrik was a comedy act but a non-entity as a musical artist, whereas Electric Callboy have sell out stadium tours. Whether they were actually really interested in participating, or just creating publicity is another matter though 😅
@@cricketsi11 I was not comparing them as artists but as being, in my opinion, acts that would not connect with a mainstream Europe-wide TV audience or many jurors. 👍
@@ESCTomYou got a point. However there is something as… caring a bit too much, maybe. As a man hailing from Sweden I am longing for a day when we could send something as jovial as… well, not Ikke perhaps, but as Let 3. Something with meaning but not scared to stick out. It’s as if with the huge audience Melodifestivalen garners and the soriousness with which it’s taken there is very little possibility to send anything that could change the view of Swedes as the good school girl who does all her homework and brings an apple to the teacher but is utterly harmless. Bring the chaos. Even Ikke can come if it would mean a break with the monotony that is Melfest. 😊
Sorry but are we talking about the same person. I saw him in a concert with other acts and he was just plain awful. He kept shouting at the audience to sing along and was continuously pointing the microphone and wanting the crowd to do all the work. I was totally underwhelmed with the performance. I'm a little concerned with the over hyped response in the comments.
The fact it feels ballsy to announce Olly now says everything about our process this year. Consider we now know that Rina was up for it, they've learned from that and not messed about and made sure they could secure a major player who does want it. Crucially too, Olly is 100% in the same vein as Sam in the sense they'll completely give themselves to the Eurovision party and build up.
The difference is that Sam is a superb singer.
Yes, they've definitely learnt but I think the rather bungled process of last year can be attributed to the delegation being tied up with hosting duties. Agree Olly will throw himself into it like Sam did - he may not be a match for Sam vocally but not many artists are!
Rina wanted to enter for UK? I'm gutted to hear she wasn't picked - Frankenstein was a banging tune and would've been a real contender :)
@@tomgabbutt3066she was approached but took too long to respond and the BBC/TaP had already selected Mae by then and never responded to Rina. She was apparently "willing to accept the offer" but that doesn't sound like to me like an emphatic yes.
@@patrickh3385 - interesting and maybe explains the decision to go the complete opposite way this year and confirm Olly Alexander much earlier. :)
Olly can sing! period! It's a good a call as we can get. I think he'll want to do really well. He'll want a song that will go no. 1 in the charts. He has a European fan base. It's brilliant actually. With a super credible writing team!! He loves Eurovision! This is EXCATLY what we need to do to win! Nice to see ya Tom! Jonny Woooooooooooo x
Two guys who love Eurovision and are about to enter with a party, can't wait > Joost vs Olly
Hiya!! as a long time years and years fan i thought I could shed a little bit of light on why people were saying his vocals might be off. Olly used to have quite shaky live vocals when his first album came out (like ten years ago) but he has definitely improved vastly over the years and ESPECIALLY through lockdown, his vocals are absolutely perfect nowadays
It's a Sin was written & released by the Pet Shop Boys in 1987, & it was a worldwide hit. In 2021 it was recorded by Years & Years to promote a Channel 4 TV series of the same name, about a group of gay men at the start of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Olly was the main character, acting alongside Stephen Fry & Neil Patrick Harris. At the 2022 British Academy TV Awards, it got 11 nominations, including best actor for Olly.
So Olly is a talented singer & actor. He's also gay & the NY Times wrote a piece about twinks & referred to him as one, however he doesn't like the title, as he sees it as rather pejorative, as if men must be butch & anything else is inherently wrong. He's right, he's skinny, boyish, camp as anything but has more talent than most people just in his little finger. Personally, I think he's one of the best chances we've got at doing well in Eurovision because of his talent & understanding of the event. I'm not a fan of Olly's music, it's too pop for me, but I'm a fan of him. I'm so excited for the UK this year, Olly's the perfect choice.
oh wow, so he can act as well. i can kind of see that in his performance style actually as well. There is definitely a dramatic embodiment of a character that he brings to the stage. He is very very exciting, I think he's gonna go out of his way to put on an extremely good show
@@ESCTom if you get a chance to watch It's a Sin, the tv series, do it! It's so good and incredibly moving. Keep a handkerchief ready.
I was *so* excited to see this! I was worried that the U.K. was going to give up after what happened with I Wrote A Song. I’m so happy to see that they’re not giving up. 😊
What a turnaround the UK has had. Sam Ryder really did something to ignite that spark/interest for doing well. Regardless of the result Olly gets in the end (and I think it will be left side, just to mention that), I think this will be another entry that anyone from the UK will be proud of and that will do well on the charts. That's so important. As a Norwegian, I always take a bit of pride in what we send (even if it's an entry I don't like like Queen of Kings) so it's really fun to see that coming back for the UK locals 🙂
Now, can they inspire Ireland to get on that path?!
So proud of my country. Hoping he brings us home a great result! I believe in him! 💪
Hi Tom, thanks for the review - 'LA' is a reference to Russell T Davies' 'Its a sin'. It was said frequently by the character he played, particularly in the earlier episodes.
It's Not a reference to LA the place. The phrase was said as la (as in ha).
I highly recommend watching his Olly's live performance on Graham Norton of him singing 'Hallucination'. It's great, probably something like we're gonna get and definitely LIVE ;)
I am so excited for Olly singing for the UK!
I think someone else already mentioned but the La comes from Its a Sin which he starred in - I’d also really recommend this for anyone it’s a fantastic show.
I’ve been wanting to watch that program because I’m a fan of Russell T Davis through Doctor Who and his other work, but it’s kind of on the back burner. Now I’ve got a reason.
Very excited to see how the UK is upping the ante with sending Olly, plus the involvement of Danny Harle signals a pop banger! I'll be watching the It's a Sin mini-series in the meantime 💙
This garuntees a UK win. Literally. Years & Years is amazing, and Ollys voice is fantastic. Congrats to the UK for winning Eurovision 2024 already. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I didnt know his name, but knew the hitsong he did with Years & Years.
After the announcement of his name. I looked up material of him. I was happily surprised. He is a great artist
Good choice for the UK. Looking forward to his song.
btw our Joost also want the douze points,.
Cool having 2 of this dudes already on the ESC 24 stage.
Will be mighty interesting.
''LA'' is most definitely a reference to his character in a hugely successful & groundbreaking TV drama on Channel 4 called 'It's A Sin'. It went viral at the time. This will be a first for the UK (apart from the late 60's & early 70's) to send a very current established star to Eurovision. I don't imagine for one moment that he would go to the ESC with anything but a great song & great staging to go with it. Okay, it didn't go to plan last year but this will be the third year in a row that the UK have taken the contest really seriously & I for one am up for it.
Most of Olly's concerts and performances that can be found on youtube are from 2011-2014 , when he was still very young and new to the stage , of course his vocals were not the best at the time. He improved a big lot since then , his vocals since 2015-16 are very good and he always had crazy stage presence and charisma . I think he is the favourite to win Eurovision next year .
This is probably gonna be one of the best UK entries in years
this is absolutely massive from us the penny has finally dropped his songs always chart he can sing he can perform he is a big name been there done that got the t shirt but also extremely humble guy and im Just so excited
yea and this will probably chart BEFORE the show as well, which will be the first time thats happened for aaaaages
@@ESCTom maes song was big before the show aswell but this will blow it out of the water
yea true, although i dont think she charted before ESC. it would be amazing to see olly chart BEFORe ESc as well as after the show
"La" is a saying from the TV show It's a Sin that Olly starred in.
As a UK viewer, I'd been looking forward to seeing your take on this!
Apologies for a long comment but I have a lot to say...
- I was utterly gobsmacked by the announcement for the reasons you outline and it would have been unthinkable until very recently. Whatever happens in Malmö, it's encouraging to see the BBC treating Eurovision with the respect it deserves and integrating it into one of its flagship shows. I think that will pay dividends at some point.
- I had hoped that now the usual delegation are back and free from hosting duties, they would get a better handle on the selection process and I'm glad that's proven to be the case. It all felt rather bungled last year but I think was a price worth paying for a well-delivered show.
- I'm not too worried about the vocals now I've seen that clip and he's clearly got the charisma and stage presence. Granted, he doesn't have the vocal capabilities of Sam Ryder (not that many people do) but I reckon the sort of song he'll be sending doesn't really require powerhouse vocals. If the whole performance stands out and the vocals are on point, I think he'll be fine. I Wrote a Song was fundamentally a radio song and I'm not convinced it would have stood out enough to do well even if sung perfectly. But that's academic and in the past now!
- Conventional wisdom has it that the UK will always do better with the juries and should therefore focus on that segment of the vote, so it's interesting to see the BBC appeal more explicitly to the televote. On a related note, it'll be interesting to see if Norway makes a more concerted effort to score higher with the juries, where they've underperformed lately.
- I'm encouraged by Olly's genuine enthusiasm and the more I hear, the more I think he's ideal for it. I understand he's going to promote the song extensively across Europe beforehand which should help enormously as it did for Sam Ryder and Jade Ewen.
- As for Ireland, I hope a good UK result does spur Irish viewers to exert some pressure on RTE as it's hard to see how else they'd be forced to up their game. On a side note, do you think Ireland would benefit from sitting out a year to regroup if RTE were to decide to step up their efforts?
I agree. I hope this is the wakeup call that RTE need. But if they don't wake up, then they need to hand their Eurovision duties over to someone else.
'La' might be a reference to a line from the show 'it's a sin' which olly was the lead in
Super exciting with the news, because since 2014 I have been a big fan of the Years and Years vocalist and I have witnessed on social networks how he transmitted his love for Eurovision at the time of the beginning of the festival and I was looking forward to the fact that one day I went there and with great enthusiasm the dream came true for both him and me since he is a great artist with exceptional talent and incredible charisma and I am very sure that he will have an incredible proposal that will captivate the public. Great Olly, I wish you good 💪 luck from Spain 🇪🇦🇪🇨♥️🇬🇧
Olly is amazing. I really hope he brings a strong song because I know he is capable. Y&Y have had a lot of relatively big hits. I don’t know if I can name a lot of ESC artists whose 10-15 songs I know.
You should definitely check out some of their music (especially their first album which is amazing) and you should sooo watch Its a Sin. It’s a brilliant show.
"La!" Is basically the catchphrase for the main characters in the series "It's a Sin" (I recommend it so much! my gosh I cried buckets though) one of those main characters (or one could say THE main character) was played by Olly ❤
It's sounds like he's had his song for a while and he 100% knows what song will work. Going for an upbeat song is such a good choice, his performance levels are up there with the best (such as Loreen). He has a beautiful tone to his voice and he will know how to use it in the best possible way!
He can really pull off the softer parts though too, so i hope he shows that side too
Olly shares something cool wiht Loreen and Mustii: Drag Race judge in their home countries. In addition, Robin Bengtsson was a makeover guest on Drag Race Sverige. There are probably some other crossovers I cant remember.
If the BBC can replicate something like this, we have a contender...
a early Christmas present thanks Olly can't wait to see you preform are song for Eurovision 2024 let's go and win it 🤞 crossed ❤❤
Danny Harle!!!! I never knew he was producing this?! I LOVE 'Broken Flowers' (if you havent heard it, its so unusual and has layers and layers of interesting sounds and nuances that take you on a dreamy journey.
Been a fan for a few years now so this is the positive i was looking for. Its going to be a weird, electronic dance-bop! Im predicting lots of energy, uplifting and slightly leftfield and alternative with quirky moments. Im much more excited now that i know hes on board!
Olly seems like such a nice guy who has a style that really is leftfield so he'll gel well with Danny Harle!
As for Germany, im sure i read Stefan Raab is back in charge. Or am i dreaming this up?! Michael Schulte thus far was Germany's Sam Ryder so to speak. Fingers crossed they can come back strong. I really want Spain, the UK, Germany AND Ireland to come back big and really ruffle some feathers!
Ireland, if RTE dont take this year seriously, they need to literally just let another broadcaster take over the Eurovision reigns. Theyre so outdated and so out of touch, its painful.
I saw Olly in SF. This will be the Olly show with Eurovision in the background. 🤣😍
Oh you saw him in the audience?
James Newman was in the seat behind me! ☠️
😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
at first i was a little worried because UK aren't known for staging so having a big name seemed a little like a cop out, but Olly seems to know what's up, so I'm getting really excited for them!!!
Very exciting to see this happening. This could be sooo good for creating momentum for Eurovision in the UK. Years & Years' first album was pretty big here as well; no kidding, I've always though a song like "King" was just the kind of song the UK should send to Eurovision. His live performance looks super promising; fingers crossed for a good song!
I remember years ago listening to their first album in my car and every single song that came on I was like “this would do so well at Eurovision” I’m so happy he’s doing it
La is what the characters say to each other in It’s a Sin
Tom is beside himself with this news!
i got tearful watching this… excitement, hope, wine 🥲😇
The winner is 🏆 Olly Alexander
Olly will be amazing at Eurovision, can't wait!!!! 🎉😊🥳🪩🪅
This is absolutely huge news. Delighted.
The "La" is likely a reference to the drama " It's a sin" which Olly started in. The housemates would say "La" whenever they greeted each other.
I agree about finding someone fast it will give him time to practice and practice all the time to get it right and ready
I'm excited about UK this year, it was just thanks to Strictly that I knew Years & Years, they performed "King" live in a results show and I got interested. Olly's vocals there were a little shaky but that was years ago, so he's more mature and experienced now.
As talented as Olly is he doesn't need all the pressure put on him because he's successful I wish him all the luck in the world and hope I enjoy the song.
maybe they the 26 stands for all finalists an the 25 for all who will finish behind the UK next ESC😅 🇬🇧🤞🇬🇧🤞🇬🇧
omg could you imagine, the total confidence 😂
without they 🙄
since being a Eurofan in July 2019, Olly is probably one of the few artists whom I know prior to their Eurovision-related involvements. from one of his tracks "Gold", but even that was from FIFA 16 as one of its soundtracks. the only other might be Flo Rida from 2021. if it was far earlier, there could be a good chance that the list included Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy as well.
Not sure where my other comment went but think the 25 is on a makeshift bus stop, so might just be the destination (as in London 2025?)
I think the road speed sign (25) is reference to the UK hosting again in 2025 should Olly win next year.
I. AM. HYPED!!!!!!!
i did see the rumour but it still took me by surprise (plus as a massive fan of year and years and strictly it was like christmas came a week early!), and im so excited. the only time i've ever heard of our entry before was bonnie tyler, but to have someone relevent that i know and love?? incred
i'm very pleased to hear it will be an electronic pop song, its what he is known for, and i know he will produce an amazing stage show. i am very worried about his live vocals though, ive seen multiple live performances from him and they were much worse than the one you reacted to (the new years one a couple of years ago was particularly bad). hopefully we bring along a very strong backing singer 😅
I agree with you that the UK’s last place in 2021 was definitely the last straw to get them out of their slump and do better.
I actually became familiar with Olly because he was the lead in Russell T Davies, miniseries it’s a sin, not through his music. Actually, I think Olly’s next step should be to reconnect with RTD and book a guest spot on Doctor Who.
Man seeing all the fan hyped artist reveals lately really has me excited for DMGP!
La is from It's a Sin, the TV drama he starred in. The characters said La as a catchphrase and it caught on among fans.
Tom saying "saucy" is one of my favorite things about his videos. 😂❤
I think it's safe to say that the BBC have changed their attitude towards the contest. From how well they hosted last year's contest on behalf of Ukraine, to them continuing to promote Mae afterwards, to last night's announcement, they clearly love the contest now.
I'm still a bit cautious since the song hasn't been released yet, but Olly is still a very exciting pick.
I’ve thought for years (or maybe Years & Years?) Olly would be great at Eurovision.
Watch his live performance of Sanctify on BBC… it would be top 5 at Eurovision. His vocals have been fantastic in every live performance I’ve ever seen so no worries there
I would love for Olly to send 'it's a sin', but I think an 80s song originally released by the Pet Shop Boys wouldn't fly haha. Would love for you to check out his original music! (He was also in the tv show 'It's a Sin' which is why I think him and Elton picked that song. He's also a great actor! Watch 'it's a sin', it's really good and by Russel T Davies (warning: it's about the aids crisis).
I have seen a few rough performances, but the difference between him and Mae is that Olly is really established, so I think he knows what he can and can't do well. It's not a wow voice but it could go really, really well. Or not.
He sounds like Luke black 👀 looks like Duncan Laurence
👀 Btw I am so Happy for him
He's an Official Eurovision singer now 🥰😻😌
I wouldn’t say Olly Alexander is at the top of his fame right now…I think the top of his fame was 2015 with the single King and the album Communion. I’d say 2015-2017 were the peak years for years and years (aka Olly Alexander), at least internationally..
He is a lot more relevant than the artists UK used to send in the past, he had an album go to number 1 as recently as 2022 in the UK
I don't think popularity will be the factor. Song has to good.
Danny hearle was interviewed and he said he would love to write/produce a song that would win Eurovision and olly has said the same so you know they aint messing they’re gonna pull out all the stops, bells and whistles. Now starts the painful wait for the song.
Funny hearing Tom say he wished they'd send this song to Eurovision. Yeah, we should send a Pet Shop Boys 80s megahit every year. Actually, when Heart was at number 1 in the UK it was rumoured that the Pet Shop Boys had put it up for consideration for Eurovision and it had been rejected. No idea if thats true but its what I heard at the time.
My first thought was Olly London when I read this, now that could have been interesting😅
God no! He is toxic
He could do a ballad, acoustic, non English version
Also that Brit awards performance of olly with Elton John that was in 2021 which came less than 2 weeks before the eurovision final in Rotterdam and we all know what happened with the UK then! Looking at the stage from that maybe the bbc got inspiration from that staging as that’s amazing staging as many said the staging dragged poor James Newman down to the lowest of the low the first act ever to get the double 0 points in the voting system we have now
La, stands for "It's a Sin" channel 4 series...
You are right, Tom. We are all looking at Germany. How will they respond? Surely their pride will be tweaked eventually, won't it?
it seems that affronting someones pride; whether it be the public, a broadcaster or a particular artist, is sometimes all it takes to turn things around. Id imagine all 4 of the other big 5 having a great result all in the same year would be a big enough event
Germany should have selected Electric Callboy to represent them when they campaigned for it, it would have been amazing!
@@cricketsi11 Amazing...like Jendrick, and also received almost no points. 😉
@@alipanroosendaal9503 They're not even remotely comparable though. Jendrik was a comedy act but a non-entity as a musical artist, whereas Electric Callboy have sell out stadium tours. Whether they were actually really interested in participating, or just creating publicity is another matter though 😅
@@cricketsi11 I was not comparing them as artists but as being, in my opinion, acts that would not connect with a mainstream Europe-wide TV audience or many jurors. 👍
Btw Olly Alexander didn't need Eurovision but ESC needs big Names sometimes 👉👈💅🏻
This might put a rocket up RTE Ireland to get someone who can bring it because let be fair the Irish song can't be worse than this years offering
Prediction: The song is called Lying Awake or something like that.
I am ashamed. Shows my age that I knew Olly from looks from The Great British Bake Off... I am now very excited and find him a strong singer!
As long as they don't put him on a treadmill! How about 3 costume changes in a hampster wheel??? Only joking!!!
To be fair, Germany did send a cracking song last year.
completely agree, BUT that same system very almost sent Ikke
@@ESCTomYou got a point. However there is something as… caring a bit too much, maybe. As a man hailing from Sweden I am longing for a day when we could send something as jovial as… well, not Ikke perhaps, but as Let 3. Something with meaning but not scared to stick out. It’s as if with the huge audience Melodifestivalen garners and the soriousness with which it’s taken there is very little possibility to send anything that could change the view of Swedes as the good school girl who does all her homework and brings an apple to the teacher but is utterly harmless. Bring the chaos. Even Ikke can come if it would mean a break with the monotony that is Melfest. 😊
LA is in reference to its a sin
Now Australia cannot send Troye Sivan. One twink is enough. :P
@@keithpeters5810 OMG I thought he's 19.
Sorry but are we talking about the same person. I saw him in a concert with other acts and he was just plain awful. He kept shouting at the audience to sing along and was continuously pointing the microphone and wanting the crowd to do all the work. I was totally underwhelmed with the performance.
I'm a little concerned with the over hyped response in the comments.
Maybe you saw him on an off day? Loads of people say he’s great live
So overrated