Earlier today, the UK national broadcaster BBC revealed that the song and artist which have been chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest will be revealed on Monday 3 March.
After months of speculation, the BBC have announced via their Facebook and Twitter pages that the artist and song internally selected to represent the United Kingdom will be revealed in a BBC Red Button exclusive show called Eurovision 2014: The UK Launch. The show, which will be hosted by BBC semi-final commentator Scott Mills, will air at 20:25 CET (19:25 GMT) on Monday 3 March and will run for 12 minutes. As well as being broadcast via the BBC Red Button service, fans will also be able to view the show via the eurovision.tv website.
In a blog written by BBC executive producer Guy Freeman, it was revealed that the selected act had been found via BBC Introducing; the site which helps to discover unsigned musicians within the United Kingdom. A number of talented artists have been discovered through BBC Introducing; artists include Ed Sheeran, Florence & the Machine, Rizzle Kicks and Jake Bugg.
Mentioned within the blog, Guy reveals:
Early on in plans for 2014, we took the view that we needed a bespoke, contemporary song, written specifically to suit the conditions of the competition – rather than trying to get lucky with a pre-existing track from an artist.
[…]
The choice of song is inextricably linked to the ability of its singer. And the process of finding a song that’s right for the competition and marrying it with an artist who can perform it live, perfectly, to millions of TV viewers and in front of a live arena audience is definitely an art, rather than a science.
Being part of the Big 5, the United Kingdom and their chosen representative will automatically qualify to the grand final on the 10 May in Copenhagen.
The United Kingdom debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1957 with the song All performed by Patricia Bredin, eventually ending in 7th place. The UK have won the competition 5 times; in 1967, 1969, 1976, 1981 and 1997. The UK have also finished in second place with a record total of 15 times.
The BBC have opted for an internal selection for the past 4 years; 2011 with Blue, 2012 with Engelbert Humperdinck, 2013 with Bonnie Tyler and 2014. Last year, Bonnie represented the UK with the song Believe in me. Automatically qualifying to the grand final, Bonnie ended in 19th place with a total of 23 points.
Stay tuned to esctoday.com for the latest news on the United Kingdom and the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest.
