The UK Artists: 2018 –

2018 Storm – SuRie

SuRie aka Susanna Marie Cork was no stranger to the Eurovision stage having twice provided backing vocals for successful Belgian entries.  In Lisbon she had to overcome a stage invader grabbing her mic mid-song, but continued quite heroically to complete the song.  Sadly she ended the night in 24th position, the third UK entry in four years to do so.

2019 Bigger Than Us – Michael Rice

MIchael won the 2018 series of BBC singing show “All Together Now”.  He won a national final where each of three songs was performed by two separate artists.   The song was co-written by 2019 Swedish representative John Lundvik.  Sadly it trailed in last of twenty-six in the Tel Aviv final.

For 2020 the BBC internally selected song and singer, and James Newman was set to travel to Rotterdam perform “My Last Breath”.  However on March 18th the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Embers – James Newman

The UK joined many other countries in giving their artist from the abandoned 2020 contest a free pass to 2021 and so James Newman went to Rotterdam with another interally selected song, this time called “Embers”.   Sadly the end result was the second UK “Nul Points” as the song failed to score with either juries or televoters.

2022 Space Man – Sam Ryder

After the 2021 disaster the BBC again went with an internal selection, this time in partnership with TaP Music.   The selected artist was Tik-Tok sensation Sam Ryder,  who embarked on pre-contest promotion across Europe unlike any UK artist in recent years.  Once in Turin, a sensational performance and staging put the UK at the very top of the scoreboard, and an overall second place after a landslide televote for Ukraine.  The sixteenth UK entry to finish runner-up and a sustained chart hit, Sam even got to perform at the Platinum Jubilee.

2023 I Wrote A Song – Mae Muller

The BBC stuck with TaP Music for a second year hoping to replicate the 2022 success, and at a contest on home soil for the first time since 1998. Despite a modern song and the supposed “pimp” slot in the running order, Mae trailed in just one place from last.