Ahead of the Eurovision final, Olly Alexander, representing the UK, laughs about his one per cent chance of winning the contest. Alexander was part of the band Years and Years and has been a Bafta-nominated actor, with two number one albums and collaborations with Elton John and Kylie Minogue under his belt. Eurovision host Graham Norton has noted that Alexander’s experience gives him an added advantage in the competition. Alexander’s staging has become a talking point at this year’s contest, with his acrobatic performance wowing fans.
Performing “Dizzy” inside a mocked-up gymnasium shower room, surrounded by four male dancers in red boxing gear, Alexander appears to bounce off the walls and perform dance moves on the ceiling. All the effects are achieved with a combination of camera trickery and strong core muscles.
Alexander has been a fan since he was a child and had never been to the contest, let alone participated, so the scale of it took him by surprise. That scrutiny has only intensified this year over Israel’s participation in the contest, with pro-Palestinian groups, some musicians and Eurovision fans, calling for the country to be suspended due to the ongoing war in Gaza. Before being chosen as the UK’s entry, Alexander had also signed an open letter from an LGBTQ+ activist group calling for a ceasefire and describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide”.
Speaking in Malmö, Alexander confirms he has also “deleted all my social media apps on my phone” to avoid personal comments and focus on Saturday’s grand final. Despite his years of experience, performing for a TV audience of 160 million people still gives him the jitters. Having a guaranteed career outside Eurovision relieves some of the pressure. And what if he ends up at the bottom of the results table? “It doesn’t necessarily matter where you place, and that’s the approach I’m taking,” says Alexander
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