Listen Up BBC! Here Are the Acts the United Kingdom Should Send to Eurovision

As we eagerly await the hopefully fruitful results of the BBC’s collaboration with TAP Music to reveal our entrant for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, we cannot help but fantasise of some of the artists we would love to see represent the UK. Whilst we haven’t had the best run of luck in recent years, we reckon that any of the below artists would be able to change our fortunes with their own material serving as a showcase for their suitability in the contest.

HYYTS

Up and coming Glasgow pop duo HYYTS have made no secret about their desire to represent the United Kingdom – apparently coming pretty close to doing so. Band members Adam Hunter and Sam Hunter gained a multitude of fans after supporting Daði Freyr on his UK tour and have a sound that would be perfect for the contest. The duo have dabbled in Europop (wait until you hear their upcoming cover of Ace of Bace’s The Sign), whilst their slinky electropop anthems such as SOS and Bullet showcase a sound that would take the UK’s entries in 2022.

Tom Aspaul

The Wolverhampton born singer, songwriter and producer has impressed with his debut album Black Country Disco and has a follow-up Life In Plastic arriving soon. Tom is serving Europop vibes on his most recent single Let Them (It’s All Love) – an earworming ode to moving on from heartbreak set to irresistible dancefloor beats. Tom is also a lifelong Eurovision fan and was part of the UK Jury for the 2021 Contest and his Twitter followers will be well aware of his love for iconic Euroqueen Natalia Gordienko. Sign him up!

Little Boots

Little Boots is producing some of her best material as part of her upcoming album Tomorrow’s Yesterdays – material that would be a stellar representation of British pop at Eurovision. Songs such as Silver Balloons and Crying on the Inside showcase a pop sensibility with intelligence, bittersweet emotion and bouncing dancefloor grooves. Like Tom, Little Boots is a fan of the contest and has shared her desire to put her hat into the ring.

JC Stewart

Northern Ireland’s JC Stewart is making his name as one of pop’s premiere rising talents through collaborations with producers such as Jonasu and Billen Ted, and his work with Niall Horan who co-wrote his single Break My Heart. The easy on the eye singer brings vocals racked in conviction and charisma on his incredibly current and immaculately produced pop tracks such as Don’t Say You Love Me and Rest Of My Life. Nearly three million monthly listeners can’t be wrong.

Ivory Layne

Ivory Layne may be based in Nashville, but the UK have never been against getting the support of an American in Eurovision. The singer has worked with an array of British producers on her soulful old-school flavoured pop gems including Celebrate – a lavish anthemic crowd-pleaser packing a huge sing-a-long chorus. Another one of these for ESC please, Ivory.

La Roux

Sporadically releasing English synthpop act La Roux – comprised of singer Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid – also make our list. With sizeable gaps between albums (five to six years), the high profile word of Eurovision may not be something that interests the duo but we cannot deny we think their brand of effortlessly cool synthpop would go down a storm. The suave Automatic Driver and anthemic International Woman of Leisure would be great examples of fresh sounding tracks for the Eurovision stage.

Yola

British soul singer Yola recently delivered album Stand for Myself – an effortlessly stunning collection with gorgeously constructed melodies and an impassioned message of standing up for oneself – themes that beautifully fit the spirit of Eurovision. Songs such as Starlight captured Yola’s soulful spirit and her country-flavoured sound might showcase a different sound to the UK at Eurovision.

Billy Cullum

The infectious pop sounds of rising talent Billy Cullum would go down a storm on the Eurovision stage. The Londoner has a tremendous ear for a great pop melody (just listen to his tracks such as Kiss Away and Boy Bye Bye), sounds great vocally, and has a natural charm and charisma.

NINA

She may be German born, but emerging queen of synth NINA has become an irreplaceable part of the British synthpop scene. NINA crafts beautifully icy soundscapes, at times elegantly uplifting and others atmospheric and introspective. NINA would undoubtedly be able to craft an impressive entry for the UK in a similar vein to her electronic gems Beyond Memories and Automatic Call.

Benedict Cork

British singer-songwriter Benedict Cork has been building an increasingly impressive discography with singles The Life We Planned and Miracle. The self-penned numbers showcase Benedict’s heartfelt lyrics against rousing emotive production that we could see soaring at Eurovision.

Twinnie

Tapping into the UK’s growing country scene, one needn’t look further than Twinnie – who released album Hollywood Gypsy in 2020 and has been championed in the UK by Eurovision’s radio home BBC Radio 2. Drawing influence from 90s country and modern day pop, Twinnie has a unique sound in the British music scene with tracks such as Chasing showcasing a her dynamism as a storyteller and vocalist.

HRVY

The nation’s favourite pop twink HRVY can turn his hand to a pop banger in an instant with the charismatic performer also boasting a sizeable international following. The singer’s recent singles Runaway With It and 1 Day 2 Nights showcase his undeniable charisma that would undoubtedly see Europe fall in love with him even further.

Will Young

Perhaps scorned by the global talent show circuit after his appearance on World Idol, we would nevertheless love to see Will Young take to the Eurovision stage. His appearance on The Masked Singer UK showed that he still has a clear love for being on stage, whilst singles such as All the Songs and his take on tracks such as Crying on the Bathroom Floor and Elizabeth Taylor showcase a pop maturity and effortless cool that would likely be well received during the ESC.

The Wanted

Boyband Blue gave us a respectable 11th place back in 2011, perhaps the recently reformed The Wanted could outdo that. The handsome man-band had success throughout Europe with hits including Chasing the Sun and Glad You Came. They have tried their hand at a couple of new tracks on their recent Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits LP with the club friendly Colours and Rule the World shining as Euro friendly dance anthems.

Foxes

British singer-songwriter Foxes returns this week with her album The Kick – a joyous celebration of overcoming heartbreak, loneliness and longing. Her fresh and original pop concoctions such as Dance Magic and Forgive Yourself sound like ready-made Eurovision competitors and are a perfect representation of the freshness of British pop. Foxes is a name that regularly comes up in rumours – hopefully there will be some truth in that one day.

JLS

JLS’s fusion of high energy pop and smooth R&B has made them a much-loved feature of the UK pop scene. Their reunion after a near ten year hiatus was met with album chart success and warmth by the British public who took to singles such as Day One and Postcard with the band later going on the headline an impressive arena tour. We would love to see the boys represent us and have no doubt they would make the UK proud.

Camden Cox

Another British Queen of the Clubs that would be an exciting choice is Camden Cox – a talent who makes euphoric dance music driven by her love for trance and deep house. Packing a haunting beauty into her voice, Camden shines atop bouncing dance rhythms on tracks including Over and Stay the Night. Camden is a presence who would get the Euro-party started.

Who do you think the BBC should be sending to represent the United Kingdom at Eurovision?