It’s important to have a thick pores and skin to participate in Eurovision which could be why final yr’s UK entrant, singer Olly Alexander, has already reached out to this yr’s hopefuls to speak in regards to the pitfalls of placing your self on the market.
Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, and Charlotte Steele – members of the country-pop woman group Bear in mind Monday – say they plan to get a drink date with the Years And Years singer earlier than they carry out within the contest in Could.
Lauren says they’d a “lovely chat” with Olly, and “drinks are pending” after he “reached out to us and has sent his well-wishes and given us some advice”.
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(L-R) Charlotte Steele, Holly-Anne Hull and Lauren Byrne of Bear in mind Monday are this yr’s UK Eurovision entrant
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Olly Alexander on the MTV Europe Music Awards 2024 in Manchester. File pic: PA
After all, positivity is a should in case you are the UK’s Eurovision entrant (Olly solely managed 18th place) and fortunately Bear in mind Monday have fairly a historical past of setting their critics to music, performing medleys on TikTok of a few of their trolls’ funniest feedback.
“Some people, you just won’t be their cup of tea, so, yeah, we started kind of singing those insults,” Lauren explains.
Holly-Anne says the general response to their track What The Hell Simply Occurred has been “overwhelmingly positive”, admitting they’ve been “taken aback by how kind and positive everyone’s been”.
So who’re this trio? Nicely, they’ve a background in musical theatre and have identified one another for years.
As Holly-Anne explains: “We met at sixth form college, we were all in the same performing arts class.
“We had been form of often called the three women that always sang each style, every thing, and I assume that is form of nonetheless what we’re doing.
“Our teachers constantly would knock on the door. I think we had an A level final paper due or something… which was not even slightly a priority. The priority was getting an incredible cover of My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard down pat,” she laughs.
Like former UK runner-up Sam Ryder, they already have an enormous fanbase of over half one million followers on TikTok, which must be a assist by way of successful votes.
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Bear in mind Monday stated they might be singing at college even when ‘we had an A stage closing paper due or one thing’
Though the ladies are huge followers of Bucks Fizz’s “iconic” 80s efficiency, they are saying they’ve no plans to tear off their skirts on the massive night time.
Charlotte refuses to say a lot in regards to the staging itself, however provides that “we are all from theatre backgrounds and I think that you can definitely expect some theatrics”.
Holly-Anne says they’ve “some incredible people working with us in terms of creative direction and styling.
“We simply cannot wait for everybody to see it.”
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The UK’s Olly Alexander performing through the 2024 Eurovision semi-final. Pic: Reuters
Eurovision being non-political didn’t cease politics creeping its manner into final yr’s occasion with a number of of the finalists referring to ongoing international disputes within the build-up.
This yr, between the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it is laborious to think about we is not going to see comparable scenes.
However Lauren hopes the peaceable message on the present’s coronary heart stays the main focus, as Eurovision “was designed to bring people together and bring countries together and celebrate artists from all around the world.
“So we’re simply actually trying ahead to doing that and celebrating, you already know, the music and the artistry that we get to form of witness.”
Round 200 million viewers are anticipated to look at the competitors within the Swiss metropolis of Basel, the place Bear in mind Sunday tackle 36 different hopefuls.
The band has two months to hone their efficiency and maybe the faces they should make when the votes are available, too.
Whereas they appear cool, calm and may’t cease singing now, Charlotte says to start out worrying in the event that they go quiet nearer the time, because the marker of them feeling nervous is “we go completely silent, like right before we go on stage.
“If we’re nervous, it is possible for you to to inform…however hopefully not on stage.”
