The ultimate game of deception, backstabbing and trust has returned as the second series of The Traitors has kicked off on the BBC.
16.12.2023 - 21:59 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Olly Alexander will represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The news was announced during the Strictly Come Dancing final on Saturday night.
During the show Years and Years lead singer Alexander stepped out of a golden doorframe to read the small print about voting in the dance competition. Claudia Winkleman, the host, asked the 33-year-old if he had some news.
The drums started and Alexander said: "I do Claudia, I can exclusively reveal I will be representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest." He added with a smile: "What can I tell you? I'm planning it now, it's going to be spectacular I love Eurovision so, so, so much, I'm so excited, it's going to be great" before shouting "Sweden" alongside Winkleman.
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The song he will perform in Malmo next May has yet to be announced, but the BBC confirmed it was co-written by Alexander and Danny L Harle, who have produced hits for Dua Lipa, Chic and Charli XCX. Over the past decade with Years and Years, Alexander has scored five top 10 UK singles and two number one albums.
He won his Bafta for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in Channel 4 drama It's A Sin.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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Eurovision Song Contest.Shaul Greenglick was one of three soldiers recently reported dead by the Israel Defense Forces, via The Times Of Israel, following the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.According to Billboard, Greenglick auditioned for Israel’s The Next Star, a singing competition series through which the country’s Eurovision contestant is selected, while on furlough last month.He earned a place in the show’s next round but he reportedly dropped out of the contest in order to return to his military duties.Baruch Dayan HaEmetThis was 26 year old Cpt. (res.) Shaul Greenglick of the Nahal Brigade's 931st Battalion from Raanana who was killed in action in GazaHe was once a contestant on the Israeli singing show called "The Next Star"May his memory be for a blessing pic.twitter.com/GcycIWBCT4— Documenting Israel (@DocumentIsrael) December 26, 2023It comes just days after Yotam Haim, the drummer for Israeli heavy metal band Persephore, was killed by the Israel Defense Forces after being mistaken for a Hamas fighter.Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Israeli military have said 170 of its soldiers have been killed.
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Olly Alexander has signed a pro-Palestine letter which calls Israel an “apartheid state” and accuses it of genocide.It was revealed at the weekend that the singer and actor would be representing the UK at Eurovision next year in Malmö, Sweden, the hometown of this year’s winner Loreen.Before he was confirmed as the UK’s Eurovision entrant, Alexander had signed an open letter from LGBTQ+ activist group Voices4London, which called for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to allow aid into the area. The letter also condemned “Zionist propaganda” amid the war with Hamas.The letter says: “We are watching a genocide take place in real time.
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Eurovision Song Contest has been revealed – you can check it out below.The 68th Eurovision will take place in Malmö, Sweden, with the Grand Final of the competition due to be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024. This week, it was announced that Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander will represent the UK.Today (December 19), Fredrik Stormby from Sweden-based design studio Green Wall Designs has been confirmed as the Lighting and Screen Content Designer for the 2024 contest.The designer will join the senior production team along with production designer FlorianWieder to help create, design and deliver “a large-scale and spectacular show to a global audience of over 160million”.Green Wall Designs, which was co-founded by Stormby, is one of the world’s leading creative studios renowned for creating captivating visual experiences in music and live entertainment.The company specialises in video, lighting and scenic elements, and worked on Loreen’s winning performance at Eurovision 2023 back in May.
Olly Alexander has said he has “got a lot of music ready to go” following the news that he’ll be representing the UK at Eurovision 2024.Earlier this week, it was announced that the Years & Years singer is set to compete in the contest next year in Malmö, Sweden – the hometown of the 2023 winner Loreen. Alexander will succeed the UK’s previous contestant Mae Muller, who finished second to last.Speaking to Magic Breakfast yesterday (December 18), the artist explained (via Music News): “The song that I have for Eurovision I made with Danny L Harle, who’s a brilliant pop producer, and we made basically a whole album.“So I’ve got a lot of music ready to go so I’m so, so excited that it’s coming.”Alexander last released an album in the form of Years & Years’ third studio effort ‘Night Call’, which arrived in early 2022.
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Olly Alexander has said shares his hopes to “fly the flag for the country in the gayest way possible” when he performs as the UK’s entry at Eurovision 2024.The Years & Years singer will represent the country next year in Malmö, Sweden – the hometown of this year’s winner Loreen – as revealed during the Strictly Come Dancing final this weekend.He will succeed the UK’s previous contestant Mae Muller, who finished second to last in the 2023 competition.The artist previously shared on social media that it was “very difficult to keep quiet”, but that he has “wanted to do this for a long time.”In a statement released Saturday (December 16), the ‘King’ singer vowed to “fly the flag for the UK in the gayest way possible” and “put on an unforgettable performance”.While details about the song currently remain under wraps, Alexander has confirmed that it was co-written by Danny L Harle, who has produced Dua Lipa‘s new song ‘Houdini‘ alongside Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker.“It’s gonna be electronic, something you can dance to,” Alexander told the BBC. “But I can’t say much more than that.“I just can’t wait to get out there and meet the fans and everyone else taking part,” he added.
It's official - Olly Alexander will be representing the UK at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.The Years & Years singer broke the news to the nation during an equally exciting night, as he announced the secret while chatting to Claudia Winkleman at the Strictly Come Dancing final. The 33 year old spoke to the host after the final three celebs, Ellie Leach - who went on to win the show - Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier danced for the last time with their respective partners ahead of the results.
Olly Alexander has been announced as the UK’s Eurovision entry for 2024.The Years & Years singer will represent the country next year in Malmö, Sweden, the hometown of this year’s winner Loreen. He will succeed the UK’s previous contestant Mae Muller, who finished second to last in the 2023 competition.On socials, Alexander said it was “very difficult to keep quiet”, but that he has “wanted to do this for a long time.”“It feels like the right moment to start releasing music under my own name”, he added.