Years And Years singer Olly Alexander has confirmed he’ll represent the UK at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The singer and star of It’s A Sin made the revelation during Saturday night’s live finale of Strictly Come Dancing, following Layton Williams’ routine to this year’s Eurovision-winning song, Tattoo by Loreen.
He also told the BBC: “I’ve loved watching Eurovision ever since I was a little kid and I’m beyond excited to be taking part next year. As a young boy I always looked forward to this incredible event of unbridled joy, the wonderfully chaotic mix of musical styles, theatrical performances, heartfelt emotion and humour.
“I really can’t believe I’m going to be a part of such a special legacy and fly the flag for the UK in the gayest way possible. It shall be an honour.”
Olly will be competing in Malmö using his own name, rather than as Years And Years, which has been a solo endeavour in recent years.
this was very difficult to keep quiet omg !! so excited to announce that I’m the uk's @Eurovision entry for 2024 💕 !!! i’ve wanted to do this for a long long time and it feels like the right moment to start releasing music under my own name 🥺 pic.twitter.com/zvfcjfPeNk
— olly alexander (@alexander_olly) December 16, 2023
He added: “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and it feels like the right moment to start releasing music under my own name.
“I’m determined to give it everything I’ve got and put on an excellent and unforgettable performance for you all!”
Details of Olly’s competing song are yet to be revealed, although it was co-written by Olly and Danny L Harle, who also penned Dua Lipa’s recent hit Houdini.
It’s fair to say Eurovision has been a mixed bag for the UK in recent history.
While we finished in second place back in 2021 with Sam Ryder’s Space Man, the following year Mae Muller came in at the bottom of the leaderboard with her track I Wrote A Song.
This year saw Loreen winning for Sweden for the second time, marking the country’s record-setting seventh victory.