Today, the rehearsals for Eurovision 2024 continue in Malmö. The first half of semi-final two had their second rehearsals and the Big Five and Sweden had their first rehearsals. Countries rehearsing for the first time on Day 6 include the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy. The first to rehearse is the United Kingdom’s Olly Alexander.
Olly Alexander’s first rehearsal
The first to take the Eurovision 2024 stage at Malmö Arena in Malmö was the United Kingdom’s Olly Alexander. He will be competing in this year’s competition with his entry “Dizzy” after he was internally selected in December.
Following Olly Alexander’s first rehearsal, a clip of what went on was posted on the official TikTok account of the Eurovision Song Contest. The clip showed him before and after he took to the Eurovision stage for the first time, as well as giving us some insight into how well his first rehearsal went.
As soon as the official Eurovision TikTok is available, you can watch it here.
What did we learn about Olly Alexander’s staging?
The UK delegation’s stage notes to the Eurovision Reddit liveblog team describe Olly’s performance as transporting viewers into a “post-apocalyptic dystopian boxing gym locker room, aboard a spaceship hurtling towards Earth through a black hole in 1985.” The staging shows a gritty gym, reminiscent of George Michael’s “Outside” music video. Olly is joined on stage by four male dancers wearing red boxing gear. There is lots of sparks and fireworks at the end.
What we thought of Olly Alexander’s first rehearsal
After the United Kingdom’s first rehearsal, Tim gave his initial thoughts on the snippet that we saw.
As soon as our reaction to the first rehearsal is up, you can watch it here.
Who is Olly Alexander?
Olly Alexander’s career started in 2008 with acting roles. His musical career later launched in 2010 with Years & Years. In 2012 Years and Years released their debut single “I Wish I Knew”. In 2015 Years and Years went on to release their most successful single “King”, which became their first ever Number 1 single. Alongside King, the band went on to release their first Number 1 album “Communion” later that year.
Two albums followed Year and Years’ debut “Palo Santo” in 2018 and “Night Call” in 2022. While “King” remained the group’s only Number 1 single they had several other Top 10’s in the U.K. In early 2021, Olly Alexander starred in the critically acclaimed drama “It’s a Sin. Off the back of this appearance, Olly also released a cover version of the Pet Shop Boys’ track “It’s a Sin” alongside Elton John. In 2021 Olly also announced that the Years and Years project would become a solo project for himself.
“Dizzy” was written by Olly himself alongside Daniel Harle. Daniel Harle also produced the track alongside Finn Keane.
United Kingdom’s Eurovision History
The UK is one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest. Debuting at the second edition ever of the Contest in 1957, the United Kingdom 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 “Dizzy”? How do you think Olly will do in the final? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site / Eurovision.tv
Photo Credit:
Rory Gannon