UK entry act Olly Alexander has joked that he “probably won’t win” the Eurovision Song Contest. The 33-year old singer has been chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the contest in Malmo, Sweden, later in May.
Olly was revealed during the Strictly Come Dancing final as the 2024 entrant to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. He originally shot to fame after becoming the lead singer of the pop band Years & Years.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “I’m probably not going to win.” Olly said getting in the top half would be an achievement, adding: “That’d be good. But the performance is challenging so success will be not falling over and managing to hit the high note.”
Speaking about signing up for Eurovision, he shared: “It’s fun. The drama. But also I’m ten years into my music career and I haven’t had a big hit for a while. I’m not Dua Lipa — I’m not streaming crazy amounts — and this is a route to lots of people hearing your song.”
The singer has also addressed the controversy surrounding his upcoming performance. Olly has come under intense pressure to quit the competition after a group of queer artists asked him to withdraw in protest over Israel‘s involvement.
Prior to being chosen as the UK entry, Olly signed a letter calling the attacks on Gaza “a genocide.” The letter, organised by the group Voices4London and signed by 1,400 people argued that Israel was responsible for “a violent history of occupation.”
The letter signed by Alexander said: “Death overflows from our phone screens and into our hearts. And, as a queer community, we cannot sit idly by while the Israeli government continues to wipe out entire lineages of Palestinian families.”
A Jewish charity called for Olly to be replaced and demanded the BBC to cut ties with the singer. The BBC and a representative of Olly have previously been contacted for comment by Express.co.uk.
Speaking about the pressure, Olly said: “Obviously there are a lot of things I wish were different. And this is so much bigger than me and Eurovision, it really is. But, obviously, I wish there wasn’t a war or this insane humanitarian crisis. I wish for peace and I have found this experience, at times, extremely …I’ve just felt really sad and distressed.”
He continued: “But I still believe it’s a good thing when people come together for entertainment. That’s why I wanted to do Eurovision.”
Organisers behind Eurovision have consistently rejected calls to ban Israel from competing, amid the ongoing war in Gaza. In 2022, Russia was banned from the competition in wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Eurovision Song Contest begins next week, with the final taking place on Saturday 11 May.
