One of the most highly-publicised partnerships in recent contests has now come to an end as TaP Music announced that they will not work with the BBC to select their entrant for Eurovision 2024.
TaP Music announces they will not help select the UK Eurovision 2024 entrant
TaP Music announced in a tweet on 1st August that they have parted ways with the BBC following a two-year partnership which saw the UK finish second in 2022 and co-host the contest in 2023.
In their statement, TaP specifically expressed their pride at expanding the audience for Eurovision in the UK as well as the performances of Sam Ryder and Mae Muller, whom TaP helped select as UK entrants. They also emphasized that while their partnership had been productive, they felt “it was time to pass the baton back” to the BBC.
The BBC have not announced further details for their Eurovision 2024 selection process.
You can read TaP Music’s full statement below:
TaP Music’s Collaboration with the BBC
The BBC first announced their collaboration with TaP Music for Eurovision 2022 on 21st October 2021. This came following the UK’s infamous last-place result at Eurovision 2021 which saw James Newman earn the dreaded ‘nul points’.
TaP Music then selected Sam Ryder to represent the UK at Eurovision 2022 with “Space Man”. Sam eventually placed second, securing the UK’s best Eurovision result since 1998 and earning praise for being a positive ambassador for the UK and the contest. As result of this placement, the BBC then accepted the opportunitiy to co-host the 2023 contest with 2022 winners Ukraine due to the ongoing war.
TaP agreed to select the UK’s 2023 entrant in September 2022. In March, they revealed that the UK host entry would be Mae Muller’s “I Wrote a Song”. After drawing the closing position in the Grand Final, Mae ultimately finished in 25th place.
Both Sam and Mae saw considerable success as a result of their Eurovision participation. Each of their entries charted in the top ten of the UK Official Chart, and they have earned multiple high-profile performing opportunities in the months since.
The United Kingdom’s Eurovision Journey
The UK is one of the most successful countries at the Eurovision Song Contest. Debuting at the second ever edition of the Contest in 1957, the United Kingdom has won the competition on five separate occasions. The most recent win for the UK was in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves, singing “Love Shine A Light”. The UK also holds the record for the number of second place finishes – currently at 16.
In 2023, Mae Muller represented the UK on home soil in Liverpool with her song “I Wrote A Song”. At the close of voting, the UK finished 25th in a field of 26, earning a total of 24 points. Of these, 15 points came from the jury, whilst the remaining 9 came from the televote.
What do you think of this announcement? How do you think the UK should select its next entry? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!
News Source: TaP Music
Photo Source: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
