The Eurovision Song Contest is taking place this week in the Ukraine which means, once again, the world’s biggest, most colourful and diverse group of competitors descends on one city to sing their little hearts out, and once again, a bunch of British critics rub their collective chins and wonder despairingly whether the UK has any kind of chance of victory, or whether Brexit has banged the final nail in the coffin of our already beleaguered prospects.
It’s been a long 20 years since the UK came home covered in glory, courtesy of Katrina and the Waves and ‘Walking on Sunshine’. So there’s really no pressure for Lucie Jones, this year’s UK entrant. However, she’ll be crossing everything she avoids the distinctly unpatriotic lack of fervour that greeted our 2003 entrant Jemini – an unedifying, if historic, nul points. Nobody needs that!
What can we tell you?
1. Lucie will be representing the UK at the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Kiev in Ukraine. The UK entry gets automatic entry into the final, so Saturday evening will be our first chance to watch her compete.
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Lucie Jones will be giving it her all on Saturday night in Ukraine, as well as a sneak peek in tonight's first semi-final
PA Wire/PA Images
2. Her song ‘Never Give Up on You’ is a Evanescence-sounding ballad, penned by former Eurovision contestant Emelie de Forest, The Treatment and Lawrie Martin.
3. 26-year-old Lucie comes from a tiny village called Pentyrch near Cardiff in Wales.
4. In 2007, she attended the World Scout Jamboree as a Scout, and was the main performer singing “Jambo”, the event’s theme song.
5. 8 years ago, she took part in ‘The X Factor’, the same year as Olly Murs, Edward and Stacey Solomon. She belted out ‘I Will Always Love You’ and got through to the live shows, where she eventually finished in seventh place. Her exit was sparked by Simon Cowell’s controversial choice to keep Jedward in the competition (coincidentally, also Eurovision entrants for Ireland in 2011).
6. She swore then she wouldn’t be taking part in any more talent contests.
7. It wasn’t all bad, though. She met her fiance Ethan, a French American chef from Chicago, when they were both trying their luck on the talent show. They will marry later in the year.
8. Lucie’s acting debut came in 2015, appearing in ‘Midsomer Murders’. This may be enough to secure her some extra votes from the Bosnian audience, where the programme remains at the top of the country’s list for viewing figures.
9. She’s triumphed on stage, too, with roles in ‘Legally Blonde’, ‘Ghost: The Musical’, ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Rent’.
10. Whatever Lucie may lose out on with Brexit and other political influences weighing in, she makes up for with enthusiasm. When she won the ‘You Decide’ competition to participate in the contest, she said:
“Eurovision is different. It’s amazing. It’s something that I’ve watched my whole life and as a singer you very rarely get the opportunity to represent your country. So I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
11. Her two favourite UK predecessors are Katrina and the Waves (1997) and, of course, The Fizz (1981). She will, no doubt, be seeking to emulate them in victory come Saturday night in Kiev. Altogether now... douze points!
Mel Giedroyc and Scott Mills host the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals live on BBC Four on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 May. Graham Norton hosts the Eurovision Song Contest final on BBC One on Saturday 13 May.
8 Reasons Sweden Owns Eurovision
MUNICIPAL MUSIC SCHOOLS(01 of08)
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Swedish children are raised on tunes, with municipal music schools popular since the 1970s, with access to instruments and lessons giving youngsters to try all sorts until landing on their favourite.Music reporter Anders Nunstedt explains, "During these decades success from artists like ABBA gave young Swedish musicians confidence that, even though Sweden is a small country, we can still make a big impact on the international music scene."Europe drummer Ian Haugland, who did two years at kommunala musikskolan says, "Apart from the drums I can also play a little guitar and keyboards, but not enough to scare the rats out of the cellar!"
SINGING IN CHOIRS(02 of08)
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According to Sveriges Körförbund (the Swedish choir union), roughly 600,000 Swedes sing in choirs, and the union represents about 500 choirs. While these numbers may not seem staggering at first glance, they actually make Sweden the country with the highest number of choirs per capita in the entire world. Sweden’s strong choral tradition comes from a deep-seated culture of singing folk songs, especially around Midsummer and major festivities like Christmas.
THE SWEDISH GOVERNMENT LOVES ROCK MUSIC TOO(03 of08)
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Since 1997, the Swedish government has awarded its Music Export Prize in recognition of international musical achievements by Swedes. Past honourees have included Swedish House Mafia, Robyn, members of ABBA, The Hives, The Cardigans, Max Martin, and Roxette."Our well-developed social system makes it possible for people to create music even though they do not have a lot of income," says music industry researcher Daniel Johansson. This is often expressed as ‘socialbidraget som ligger bakom det svenska musikundret’ (‘the social welfare behind the Swedish music miracle’), highlighting the Swedish government’s support of musicians and artists through the Swedish Arts Council - allocating roughly SEK 1 billion (EUR 116 million) in the form of grants to performing arts every year.
SWEDES BEHIND THE SCENES(04 of08)
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Swedish songwriters lie behind many chart-topping pop songs today. Max Martin has penned catchy pop tunes for Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink, Usher, Backstreet Boys, and ‘N Sync. Shellback topped Billboard’s 2012 chart as the #1 producer and has written for Maroon 5. And there is RedOne, who has written for Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, and One Direction. "A lot of talent was attracted to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm where they recorded their smash hits alongside Swedish songwriters’, adds Nunstedt. ‘International acts like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys came to Cheiron and left Sweden with Billboard top hits in their hand luggage."Though Cheiron Studios closed its doors in 1998 due to Denniz Pop’s untimely death, its producers such as Max Martin have gone on to elevate Swedish songwriting globally.Sweden also boasts music video directors such as Johan Renck, who has directed music videos for Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, and Sweden’s own Robyn, as well as director Jonas Åkerlund, who keeps pushing boundaries with edgy music videos for Madonna, Lady Gaga, Moby, Christina Aguilera, Pink, and U2.
INDEPENDENCE IS VALUED(05 of08)
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Many Swedish artists take full control of their creative process – from songwriting to owning their own labels and marketing themselves independently – and pop rock sensation Robyn is just one example. She founded Konichiwa Records in 2005 to cover all aspects of her music career such as media management, recording contracts, and her creative process."I reached a point where it was no fun anymore," Robyn says regarding a previous record company relationship. "I wanted to alter my situation and create a bubble of my own where I could decide the parameters myself." This keeps their style and sounds organically unique without the pressures of third party management companies.
TECHNOLOGY(06 of08)
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Many Swedish artists also control how their music is consumed and disseminated digitally. Audio platform SoundCloud allows artists to upload, record, promote and share their original sounds. Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li actively uses SoundCloud to spread her music and share it with SoundCloud’s 20+ million member-strong communities of fans, followers, and fellow artists.Internationally acclaimed Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, more widely known as Avicii, organised the X You project which was touted as the world’s largest music collaboration – bringing together 4,199 people from 140 countries who contributed 12,951 melodies, basslines, beats, rhythms, breaks and effects – all made possible by technology.Sweden-based Spotify is the modern day digital equivalent of ‘word of mouth’ music recommendations. Started in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, Spotify allows users to freely listen to, stream, and share millions of music tracks to their computers and smartphones. Many artists, both international and Swedish, maintain Spotify profiles – Avicii is one of them.
EUROVISION(07 of08)
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Sweden’s annual Melodifestivalen is the most watched TV program in Sweden, with roughly 4 million viewers out of almost 10 million residents unleashing their inner music critic while voting. More importantly, the winner of Melodifestivalen goes on to represent Sweden in the annual Eurovision Song Contest – the world’s most watched non-sporting event.Sweden has won Eurovision five times, making it the second most winning country after Ireland which has won seven times.Winning Eurovision in 1974 with their chart topping ‘Waterloo’, it certainly has come full circle for ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus who, alongside Avicii, were tasked with composing the official anthem for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest held in Malmö, Sweden.
THE ABBA EFFECT(08 of08)
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It’s nearly impossible not to include the influence of ABBA in a list like this one. Chart-topping Swedish musical acts and songwriters keep passing the proverbial hit-making baton to each other as they move through the decades."We have a strong tradition of folk music in Sweden but I also think great artists serve as inspiration to other artists to make it," says Ian Haugland. "Let´s say The Spotnicks in the 60s inspired ABBA in the 70s which inspired Roxette in the 80s and so on."After ABBA, who ruled the 70s and early 80s to become the second most successful group ever behind the Beatles, came Roxette, Neneh Cherry, and Europe who rocked the 80s and early 90s.The 90s also brought with it Ace of Base and Neneh’s brother Eagle Eye Cherry alongside bands like The Cardigans who would later pass the baton into the early 2000s to the likes of indie rockers The Hives, Peter Bjorn & John, and Jens Lekman. Today, artists Robyn, Lykke Li, and Miss Li now dominate pop charts in their respective genres.