Where UK's Eurovision entries are now - from fleeing the country to Glastonbury
The UK hasn't had the best Eurovision run in recent years - but while the contest has ruined some music careers, others have risen to become the biggest stars of the industry
The Eurovision Song Contest final takes place this Saturday, May 17, at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland. It's the 69th Eurovision, having been held every single year since 1956, except 2020 when it was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Infamously, the UK isn't known for having a lot of luck when it comes to final results in recent years. Whether it's our separation from the continent across the Channel or our love of beans on toast, we haven't always been super buddy-buddy with some of the other voting nations.
Our last win was in 1997, but we've also shown our talents with a record 16 second-place finishes. And, whether our act is any good or not, we're guaranteed a place in the final every year as one of the 'Big Five' who contribute the most to the contest financially.
This year's entrant is country trio Remember Monday, and Ladbrokes told the Mirror that we're set to be dead last of the Big Five acts. But, a low placement might not stop them from doing well in the future. While some Eurovision acts have faded into obscurity after the show, others have gone on to have sparkling careers. Here's a look at what our last five acts have been up to since their time on the Eurovision stage.
2024 - Olly Alexander
In something of a twist from the UK, Olly Alexander was already pretty well-known before he entered Eurovision. Famous for being the lead singer of pop band Years & Years, Olly already had some number one albums to his name as part of the group.
He was also a successful actor, having appeared in shows such as Skins and It's a Sin, and films including The Riot Club and 2012's Great Expectations. Unfortunately, none of this helped him on stage, with his performance of 'Dizzy' only securing him 18th place with 46 points.
Despite the middling marks at Eurovision, Olly's career is still going from strength to strength. He's a common name on festival lineups, and released his debut solo album, Polaris, this February. He also got a Blue Peter badge for his musical efforts, making him the icon of every kid out there.
2023 - Mae Muller
Mae Muller competed on home turf when Eurovision was held in Liverpool, but it didn't work in her favour. The London-born singer performed 'I Wrote a Song', but came second last at 25th place, with a dire 24 points.
The BBC expected her to do better, working with TaP Music, who'd achieved second place the year before. Despite not doing too well, Mae announced her debut studio album during her Eurovision run, which came out that September. The album, 'Sorry I'm Late,' got decent reviews but only reached 33rd place on the UK albums chart, and Mae then announced a hiatus from music in January 2024.
She left her music album and became an independent artist, but has mainly remained fairly quiet. May then released a single this March, but hasn't shared any major news about exciting future plans.
2022 - Sam Ryder
Finally, a good position. Sam Ryder smashed a lot of records with this one. He came second place overall, which is the best position the UK has achieved since 1998. He also earned 466 points, which is the most a UK entry has ever achieved. If that weren't enough, he won the Marcel Bezençon Award for best entry according to press votes.
Sam performed 'Space Man', which took over British radio both before the show and for months after. The pop rock star was already doing okay thanks to posting covers on TikTok during the pandemic, but is one of the rare acts for whom Eurovision was a real breakthrough. His debut album 'There's Nothing but Space, Man!' went straight to the top of the charts, and he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards - the first time a Eurovision entrant has got the nod.
The Essex-born star has gone on to bag a stream of accolades, and even performed with Queen's Brian May on one of his records. Most recently he topped the charts in Korea for his collaboration with Korean musician Kim Min-seok, has been nominated for another Brit Award, and will even be performing at Glastonbury this summer.
2020/2021 - James Newman
James Newman was selected for the competition in 2020, and returned in 2021 after it was cancelled - but he might wish he hadn't. The North Yorkshire man came in last place with his song 'Embers', with a damning zero votes.
Prior to getting nul points, James wasn't doing too badly for himself. Working as a songwriter in London, he co-wrote Rudimental and Ella Eyre's hit song 'Waiting All Night', which went straight to number one. He achieved the same when working with Calvin Harris, and also collaborated with stars including Ke$ha and Toni Braxton.
Despite it all, he went on to secure dead last. Speaking after the competition, he mused: "Maybe people just didn't like my music. We tried as hard as we could. I need time to process what it is that we could have done better." It seems he might still be processing - bar the release of a single last year he's remained quiet on the music front.
2019 - Michael Rice
History repeats itself, and usually not in a good way. Just before James Newman came in last, Michael Rice beat him to it two years before. Michael performed 'Bigger than Us,' and the other entrants clearly were. He finished in 26th place, but managed to snag 11 points despite his major loss.
Michael's music career started in 2014, when he entered The X Factor, and did fairly well for himself by making it through to the bootcamp stage before being eliminated. He then tried out another singing competition, BBC's All Together Now, and won its very first season in 2018. Then, it all came falling down when he came last in Eurovision - and he had an unusual explanation for his loss. "I always knew I was going to come in this position because of Brexit," he said after the competition. 'Do you know what? If it was Gary Barlow or Elton John, they still probably would have come last too.'
Considering his feelings about Brexit, the pop singer decided to carry on with TV singing competitions across the pond and entered American Idol last year. He did incredibly well, getting voted in by all three judges which sent him straight through to Hollywood week. Unfortunately, he made it no further than that. Michael also released two singles last year, neither of which charted, but it doesn't look like he's done with the music game yet.
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