BBC calls on brains behind pop titans to find Britain’s next Eurovision winner

Anita Singh
·2 min read
The management company behind Dua Lipa, seen here performing at this year's Brit Awards, said it was time for Britain to take the contest as seriously as the rest of Europe - Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
The management company behind Dua Lipa, seen here performing at this year's Brit Awards, said it was time for Britain to take the contest as seriously as the rest of Europe - Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
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The BBC has hired the management company behind some of the UK’s biggest pop exports in a bid to end its run of Eurovision flops.

Tap Music, which represents Ellie Goulding and Dua Lipa, will lead the search for next year’s UK contender, and its founders, Ben Mawson and Ed Millett, say it is time to take the contest as seriously as our European neighbours do.

Viewers often claim that the UK fares badly due to political voting – James Newman scored nul points with his song, Embers, this year – but Mr Mawson suggested that the quality of the music was a more likely reason.

“For many years, we’ve witnessed the United Kingdom not doing as well as we would have liked, when pop music is something we usually excel at,” he said.

“The simple fact is it’s time to show what we can do and the wonderful musical talent we have. Ultimately, we can’t blame politics. It’s time for the UK to mirror the positive spirit of our European counterparts and really deliver the best of what we have to offer.”

James Newman was all smiles despite ending up in last place, with the dreaded nul points, at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest - AP Photo/Peter Dejong
James Newman was all smiles despite ending up in last place, with the dreaded nul points, at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest - AP Photo/Peter Dejong

Other big British names are lending their support to the search, in a sign that the UK no longer wants to be seen as a Eurovision joke.

They include Sir Elton John, who said: “British pop music has led the world for seven decades now. In a changing world, we must find new ways for it to continue to thrive.

“There aren’t many televised events that are as big and genuinely global as Eurovision, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to remind the world yet again of the depth and diversity of our talent. I can’t wait to see what gems our friends at Tap Music will unearth.”

Record labels will be encouraged to put forward their acts for next May’s contest, which takes place in Turin, Italy.

Kate Phillips, the controller of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said: “In the UK, our love for Eurovision is as big as ever and we have grand ambitions for the 2022 contest.”

The UK has not won the competition since 1997, when Katrina and the Waves triumphed with Love Shine A Light.