The BBC has confirmed that singer-songwriter Mae Muller will represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Eurovision is returning to UK soil for the first time in 25 years this May, hosting the Contest on behalf of Ukraine following their victory in 2022.
On Thursday morning, it was revealed on the Radio 2 breakfast show that Mae will be performing her uptempo pop track I Wrote A Song at the live final in Liverpool.
London-born Mae has been an established figure on the UK music scene for the past few years, and is known for her frank and honest approach to songwriting, as evidenced on past singles like Therapist, Anticlimax, Dick, So Annoying and HFBD (which stands for Happy Fucking Birthday).
She previously supported Little Mix on their 2019 LM5 tour, and had chart success on both sides of the Atlantic with her 2021 track Better Days, featuring Neiked and Polo G.
Mae said: “I’m SO excited to participate in Eurovision this year and represent the UK! I’ve loved watching Eurovision all my life, so to compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant.
″I’m a huge fan of so many of the artists that have found success at Eurovision, from ABBA to Måneskin! Sam Ryder was so amazing last year and proved the UK can be back on the left-hand side of the leaderboard!”
The Better Days singer added: ”I wrote the song I Wrote A Song a few months ago when I was going through a hard time and wanted to feel empowered about relationships, so for it to be chosen for this year’s UK Eurovision song is honestly a dream!”
Mae first began teasing her tune on TikTok towards the end of February:
She’ll be hoping to follow on from the success of Sam Ryder, who finished in second place during last year’s final, giving the UK our highest Eurovision placement since 1998.
His song Space Man eventually peaked at number two in the UK singles chart, with Sam later bagging a number-one album and a Brit Award nomination in 2023.
Ukrainian entrant Kalush Orchestra were voted 2022’s Eurovision champions during last year’s show in Turin.
While the winning country traditionally hosts the following year’s event, organisers ruled that this would be unable to happen due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The UK will instead host Eurovision in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine, and the BBC has insisted it is still “committed to delivering a truly unique Song Contest that celebrates wonderful Ukraine and champions British music and creativity in all its diversity”.
Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC will also work closely with the BBC to develop Ukrainian elements of the 2023 show.
A presenting team made up of Hannah Waddingham, Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina will be fronting the semi-finals, with Graham Norton joining the trio for the live final.
Graham will continue to offer live commentary for BBC viewers in the UK alongside his presenting role, but will be joined by Mel Giedroyc in the commentary box.