All the participants • First Semi-Final • Second Semi-Final • Grand Final

🇸🇪 Sweden • 🇫🇷 France • 🇩🇪 Germany • 🇮🇹 Italy • 🇪🇸 Spain • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇪 Svezia: Marcus & Martinus – “Unforgettale” (Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt / Joy Deb / Linnea Deb / Marcus Gunnarsen / Martinus Gunnarsen – Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt / Joy Deb / Linnea Deb / Marcus Gunnarsen / Martinus Gunnarsen).

Twins Marcus & Martinus rose to fame as one of Scandinavia’s biggest pop sensations after winning Norway’s ‘Junior MGP’ in 2012. At the age of 9, their song To Dråper Vann hit the top 10 in Norway and was swiftly followed by their biggest hit to date, Elektrisk, which stayed on the charts for 66 consecutive weeks. With over 1.5 billion streams, the duo has gained a massive following and sold out arenas across Scandinavia and topped the charts in their home country, as well as in Sweden and Finland, with multiple hit singles. And, of course, the brothers also won Melodifestivalen, enabling them to represent their neighbours Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö.

• Selected entrant: Marcus & Martinus, occasionally known as M&M, are a Norwegian dance-pop duo consisting of identical twin brothers Marcus and Martinus Gunnarsen (born 21 February 2002; age 22; Elverum, Hedmark, Norway). They have released three albums: Hei, Together and Moments. Since winning Melodi Grand Prix Junior in 2012, they have won numerous prizes, such as Spellemannprisen in 2017. The duo won Masked Singer Sverige in 2022, and participated in Melodifestivalen in 2023 and 2024. They won the latter edition, and will represent host nation Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö with the song “Unforgettable”. 

Career.

2012: Debut and Melodi Grand Prix Junior. In 2012, Marcus and Martinus were contestants on the eleventh season of Melodi Grand Prix Junior. It was held at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway, and was broadcast live by NRK, hosted by Margrethe Røed and Tooji. They won the contest with the song “To dråper vann” (“Two Drops of Water”). The song peaked at number eight on the Norwegian Singles Chart.

2015–2016: Hei and Together. On 23 February 2015, they released their debut studio album Hei (Hi). The album peaked at number 1 on the Norwegian Albums Chart in week 46 of 2015 (15 November 2015) after having charted for 35 weeks, the last 20 not leaving the top ten. The album includes the single “Plystre på deg” (“Whistle at You”). On 24 July 2015, they released the single “Elektrisk” (“Electric”), featuring vocals from Katastrofe. The song peaked at number 3 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. On 25 September 2015, they released the single “Ei som deg” (“One Like You”) with Innertier. The song peaked at number 15 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. On 6 November they released the second version of their album Hei, “Hei (Fan Special)” with the same songs and some extras, one of the extras is Elektrisk. In May 2016, the duo released three singles. The first, “Girls”, featuring Madcon, debuted at number 1 in Norway and became their second single to reach the top 100 in Sweden after “Elektrisk”. The second and third, “Heartbeat” and “I Don’t Wanna Fall in Love”, followed just days after the release of “Girls” and debuted at numbers 21 and 37, respectively. They followed up “Girls” with the singles “Light It Up” and “One More Second”. In November 2016, they released their first English album titled Together. The album includes their hit songs “Girls”, “Heartbeat”, “Light It Up” and “One More Second”. In the week after its release, Together debuted at number 1 in Norway and Sweden and number 6 in Finland. As the Young Talent Act of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Concert, they performed “Without You” and “Bae” at Telenor Arena in Norway on 11 December 2016.

2017–2021: Moments. On the 28 January, Marcus and Martinus were one of the interval acts at the Finnish selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, performing a medley of their songs “Bae”, “Light It Up” and “Girls”. On the 13 May, Marcus and Martinus announced the Jury points for Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. On 21 May 2017, they released the single “Like It Like It” alongside American rapper Silentó. On 1 July, they released the single “First Kiss”. The same month, on 14 July, they performed on Swedish Crown Princess Victoria’s 40th birthday with their own song written especially for her (“On This Day”). In late July, they released the single “Dance with You”. On 15 October 2017, they released their single “Make You Believe in Love”. The single reached 34th place in Norway and 47th place in Sweden. It also featured in CelebMix’s 21 songs by Under-21s in 2018. On 4 November, they released their single “One Flight Away”. On 15 November they released their single “Never” On 17 November, they released their third album Moments. On 27 September, they released their single “Invited”.

In 2019, they released an EP called Soon. In 2020, they have released two singles, “Love You Less”, and “It’s Christmas Time”.^[17] In 2021, they were featured on the song “Miserabel” by Stig Brenner. Furthermore, Marcus & Martinus released the single “Belinda” together with Latin artist Alex Rose, which reached 20th place on the Norwegian singles chart. In November, they released the song “Feel” alongside Bruno Martini.

2022–present: The Masked Singer Sweden, Melodifestivalen and Eurovision. In the spring of 2022, they won the Swedish version of Masked Singer, being the first duo sharing first place. In addition the duo released their first single in 2022 called “When All the Lights Go Out”.

In 2023, they entered Melodifestivalen 2023 with the song “Air”, ultimately finishing in second place behind Loreen’s “Tattoo”. “Air” went on to win the OGAE Second Chance Contest for 2023 giving Sweden it’s 19th victory overall with Norway and Finland rounding out the top three. They again participated in Melodifestivalen 2024 with the song “Unforgettable”. On 9 March, the duo won Melodifestivalen with 177 points, and will represent host nation Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö.

Personal life. Marcus and Martinus are the eldest children to Kjell-Erik and Gerd Anne Gunnarsen. They also have a younger sister, Emma, who has also started a career in music. The family also have a dog named Tico.

Marcus is currently in a relationship, while Martinus is single.

Discography.

• Hei (2015)
• Together (2016)
• Moments (2017)

Filmography.

Films.

Year	Title	Role	Running time	Note
2017	Sammen om drømmen	Themselves	86 min (1 hr, 26 min)	Documentary for standard release
	Marcus & Martinus – Når barn blir popstjerner		44 min (0 hr, 44 min)	Television documentary on TVNorge and DPlay

Television.

Year	Title	Role	# of episodes	Note
2016	MMnews	Themselves	8 (Season 1)	News satire on DPlay
2017	Marcus & Martinus		6 (Season 1)	Docuseries on TVNorge

Tour.

Headlining.

• Together Tour (2016–2017)
• Moments Tour (2018)
• We Are Not the Same Tour (2024)

Supporting

• Jason Derulo – 2Sides Tour (2018)

Awards and nominations.

Year	Organization	Award	Work	Result
2017	Spellemannprisen ’16	Årets Låt (Song of the Year)	“Girls”	Nominated
		Årets Spellemann (Spellemann of the Year)	Marcus & Martinus	Won
2018	MAD Video Music Awards	Best International Act		Won

• Selected song: “Unforgettable” is a song by Norwegian music duo Marcus & Martinus, released as a single on 2 March 2024 through Universal Music. The song was written by the duo along with Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb and Linnea Deb. It will represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 after winning Melodifestivalen 2024. It reached number one on the Sverigetopplistan chart, becoming Marcus & Martinus’s first chart-topping song in Sweden.

Charts

Chart performance for “Unforgettable”

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Norway (VG-lista)	26
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	1

Lyrics of Unforgettable (English)

🇫🇷 Francia: Slimane – “Mon amour” (My love) (Slimane – Meïr Salah / Slimane / Yaacov Salah)

From the piano bars of Paris Pigalle, where he started, to his sold-out arena tours, Slimane’s journey is an ode to perseverance, talent and passion. Since winning The Voice (France) in 2016, Slimane’s rise in popularity has been meteoric, with 2 million albums sold, 5 NRJ Music Awards, 2 billion worldwide streams, 7 million followers on social media and a Victorie de la Musique to his name.The singer wrote the lyrics of Mon amour and co-composed the song with his inseparable partners and friends Yaacov and Meir Salah, with whom Slimane has been making music since the age of 15. His Eurovision hero is Marie Myriam – the last person to win victory for France!

• Selected entrant: Slimane Nebchi (born 13 October 1989; age 34; Chelles, Seine-et-Marne, France), also known professionally by the mononym Slimane, is a French singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence after winning season 5 of The Voice: la plus belle voix.

As part of his solo career he has achieved over twenty five chart entries on the French Singles Chart, including a number-one single as a featured artist with the song “Bella ciao”. Nebchi has released four studio albums during his career with three of them peaking at number-one on the French Albums Charts. He is scheduled to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song “Mon amour”.

Early life. Slimane Nebchi was born on 13 October 1989 in Chelles, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is of Algerian descent through his grandparents, who migrated to Paris from Biskra and Ghazaouet. He attended Lycée Jehan de Chelles, later moving to Les Lilas, a suburb of Paris, where he worked for la société ATEED.

Singing. He started putting music online including own compositions like “Toi et moi”, “Je n’y suis pour rien”, “Salem” and “Amour Impossible” the latter as a duo with Princesse Sofia. Before the French The Voice, he took part in a number of music competitions; Nouvelle Star in 2009, X Factor in 2011 and Encore une chance in 2012 and in season 2 of Je veux signer chez AZ. He performed during Star Music Beach Tour in 2012 with Richard Cross.

In 2015, he obtained a secondary role in Didier Barbelivien’s French musical Marie-Antoinette et le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, which launched in 2017.

In 2016, at age 26, he auditioned for season 5 of The Voice: la plus belle voix singing “À fleur de toi” originally by Vitaa. All four judges turned their chairs, indicating in the gameshow they wished to take him through to the next round. He opted to be in Team Florent Pagny. On 14 May 2016, he won the title with 33% of the public vote, beating his fellow finalist, MB14.

Discography.

Studio albums.

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Details	Peak chart positions						Units	Certifications
		FRA	BEL (Fl)	BEL (Wa)	GER	SWI	SWI (Ro)
À bout de rêves	Released: 8 July 2016 Label: ULM, Mercury, Universal Format: CD, digital download, streaming	1	116	1	—	4	1	FRA: 300,000 BEL: 10,000	SNEP: 3× Platinum BEA: Gold
Solune	Released: 26 January 2018 Label: ULM, Mercury, Universal Format: CD, digital download, streaming	2	—	1	—	8	1	FRA: 200,000 BEL: 20,000	SNEP: 2× Platinum BEA: Platinum
VersuS (with Vitaa)	Released: 23 August 2019 Label: Mercury Format: CD, digital download, streaming	1	78	1	99	6	—	FRA: 1,000,000 BEL: 20,000	SNEP: 2x Diamond BEA: Platinum
Chroniques d’un Cupidon	Released: 2 September 2022 Label: Mercury Format: Digital download, streaming	1	83	1	—	6	1	FRA: 100,000 BEL: 20,000	SNEP: Platinum BEA: Platinum

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details

Title	Details
Tourne le monde	Released: 5 April 2011 Label: Jasamara Format: Digital download

Singles.

Charted singles.

Single	Year	Peak chart positions		Certifications	Album or EP
		FRA	BEL (Wa)
“Abîmée“ (with Léa Castel)	2017	37	8	—	À bout de rêves
“Nous deux“	2018	—	13	SNEP: Gold BEA: 2× Platinum	Solune
“Les choses simples“ (with Jenifer)		183	8	SNEP: Gold	Nouvelle page
“Versus” (with Vitaa)	2019	159	35	SNEP: Gold BEA: Platinum	VersuS
“Ça va ça vient“ (with Vitaa)		45	4	SNEP: Platinum BEA: Platinum
“XY” (with Vitaa)		182	47	SNEP: Gold
“Fais comme ça“ (with Vitaa and Kendji Girac)		—	—	SNEP: Gold
“Ça ira“ (with Vitaa)	2020	178	20	SNEP: Gold	VersuS – Chapitre II
“Belle“ (with Dadju and Gims)	2021	36	—	SNEP: Platinum	Le fléau
“Y’a rien“ (with Hatik)		103	—	—	noyé : vague à l’âme (Suite et fin)
“La recette“	2022	39	7	SNEP: Platinum	Chroniques d’un cupidon
“Chez toi“ (featuring Claudio Capéo)		110	19	SNEP: Gold
“Mon amour“	2023	26	11	SNEP: Gold	Non-album single
“—” denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist.

Single	Year	Peak chart positions			Certifications	Album
		FRA	BEL (Wa)	SWI
“Promesse“ (Patrick Fiori featuring Slimane)	2017	—	—	—	—	Promesse
“Bella ciao” (Naestro featuring Maître Gims, Vitaa, Dadju, and Slimane)	2018	1	13	41	SNEP: Diamond	Ceinture noire
“Safe Digga” (Mike Singer featuring Slimane)		—	—	—	—	Deja Vu
“Dis-moi qui je suis“ (Madame Monsieur featuring Slimane)	2020	—	—	—		Tandem
“A muntagnera“ (A Filetta featuring Slimane)	2022	—	—	—		Corsu – Mezu Mezu 2
“Les murs porteurs“ (Florent Pagny featuring Slimane)	2023	—	—	—		2bis
“Je t’offirai le monde“ (Nej’ featuring Slimane)		—	—	—		Athena
“Je restes, tu continues“ (Ycare featuring Slimane)		—	—	—		Nos futurs
“Qu’est-ce que’on était beau“ (Patrick Fiori featuring Slimane, Claudio Capéo, and Soprano)	2024	—	—	—		Le chant est libre
“—” denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other singles.

Single	Year	Album or EP
“Marie“	2017	Non-album single
“Maëlys“ (with Vitaa)	2019	VersuS
“À fleur de toi“ (with Vitaa)
“À la vie“ (with Vitaa and Amel Bent)
“Hasta la vista“ (with Vitaa and Gims)
“On My Skin” (with Vitaa and Camélia Jordana)
“Tu me laisses“ (with Vitaa and Dadju)	2020	VersuS – Chapitre II
“Bref, j’ai besoin d’une pause“	2021	Non-album single
“Dans le noir“	2022	Chroniques d’un cupidon
“Peurs“
“Les roses du Bois de Boulogne“
“Sentimental“
“Toi“
“La vie est belle“ (featuring Soprano)
“Les amants de la colline“ (featuring La Zarra)
“Maladie“ (featuring Lyna Mahyem [fr])
“Zina“ (featuring Manal)

Other charted songs.

Single	Year	Peak chart positions			Certifications	Album
		FRA	BEL (Wa)	SWI
“Paname“	2016	10	—[A]	—	SNEP: Platinum BEA: 2× Platinum	À bout de rêves
“À fleur de toi“		12	—[B]	—	BEA: Gold
“Le vide“		68	—	—	BEA: Gold
“Adieu“		75	—[C]	—	SNEP: Gold BEA: Platinum
“La famille ça va bien!“		139	—[D]	—	—
“On n’oublie pas“		192	—	—
“Je serai là“		120	—	—
“Frérot“		163	—	—	BEA: Gold
“Chez Laurette“ (with Michel Delpech)		137	—	—	—	J’étais un ange
“J’en suis là“	2017	14	—[E]	—	BEA: Gold	Solune
“Viens on s’aime“		103	10	—	SNEP: Platinum BEA: 2× Platinum
“Luna“ (featuring Boostee [fr])		—	10	—	BEA: Gold
“Avant toi“ (with Vitaa)	2019	11	2	45	SNEP: Diamond BEA: 2× Platinum	VersuS
“Pas beaux“ (with Vitaa)		112	5	—	BEA: Gold
“Je te le donne“ (with Vitaa)		12	3	—	SNEP: Diamond
“De l’or“ (with Vitaa)	2020	109	8	—	SNEP: Gold	VersuS – Chapitre II
“Des milliers de je t’aime“	2022	30	7	—	SNEP: Diamond	Chroniques d’un cupidon
“—” denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Musicals.

• 2015: Marie-Antoinette et le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge
  • “Tu penses à elle” (with Mickaël Miro)
  • “La terreur citoyen” (solo)
  • “La France” (with Kareen Antonn, Mickaël Miro and Valentin Marceau)
  • “La désillusion” (with Valentin Marceau and Mickaël Miro)
  • “Marie-Antoinette” (solo)

Filmography.

• 2016 – Léo Matteï, Brigade des mineurs as Raphaël
• 2018 – Break as Malik

Television.

France.

• 2007 – Popstars (M6, 4 season) – candidate
• 2009 – Nouvelle Star (M6, 7 season) – candidate
• 2011 – X Factor (M6, 2 season)– candidate
• 2012 – Encore une chance (NRJ 12) – candidate
• 2016 – The Voice (season 5) (TF1) – winner
• 2018 – Fort Boyard (France 2) – candidate
• 2018 – La France a un incroyable talent (M6, 13 season) – participation in the jury of the second semi-final
• 2019 – Miss France (TF1) – jury
• 2019 – Boyard Land (France 2) – candidate

Belgium.

• 2018-2019 – The Voice Belgique (7 & 8 season) – jury
• since 2020 – The Voice Kids Belgique (season 1) – jury

• Selected song: “Mon amour” (“My love”) is a song by French singer Slimane, released on 8 November 2023 by Noé Music. Described as an “ode to romance and love”, it was written and composed by Slimane, Yaacov Salah, and Meïr Salah. The song is scheduled to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It has so far entered the charts in France and Belgium and been certified gold by the SNEP.

Background and composition. “Mon amour” has music and lyrics by Slimane, Yaacov Salah, and Meïr Salah. The song was written in around 2022 during a music tour, with the song inspired by Slimane’s experiences in the Swiss city of Geneva. According to Slimane, the song to him is a “love letter to European hearts”, in line with much of Slimane’s music, which is mainly based on love. Slimane entered the Eurovision Song Contest as a way of means to share his work, his music, and to represent France. The song itself is described as an “ode to romance and love… with a poetic yet strong melody” by ESCUnited writer Arnaud Abadie.

Slimane was officially announced as France’s Eurovision representative for 2024 on France Inter on 8 November 2023. The song officially premiered on France 2 television show Journal de 20 heures later that day, with Slimane performing a live version.

Eurovision Song Contest.

Internal selection. France’s broadcaster France Télévisions officially announced their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on 7 June 2023, with France Télévisions officially announcing on 8 November 2023 that they had chosen to choose their artist internally in favor of a national final. On that same day, Slimane was officially announced as the country’s representative for that year.

At Eurovision. The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is scheduled to take place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and will consist of two semi-finals held on 7 and 9 May, respectively, and the final on 11 May 2024. According to Eurovision rules, all countries, except the host and the “Big Five” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), are required to qualify from one semi-final to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. As France is a “Big Five” country, the song is given automatic entry into the grand final.

Charts.

Chart performance for “Mon amour”

Chart (2023–2024)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	11
France (SNEP)	26

Certifications.

Certifications for “Mon amour”

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)	Gold	100,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history.

Release history and formats for “Mon amour”

Country	Date	Format(s)	Label
Various	8 November 2023	Digital download streaming	Noé Music

Lyrics of Mon amour (French Ι English)

Mon amour
Dis-moi à quoi tu penses
Si tout ça a un sens
Désolé si je te dérange

Mon amour
Te souviens-tu de nous?
Du premier rendez-vous?
C’était beau, c’était fou

Je t’aime
J’sais pas pourquoi
Je rejoue la scène
Mais c’est toujours la même fin qui recommence
Tu n’entends pas
Ma peine, on en fait quoi?
Est-ce que tu m’aimes ou pas?

Mon amour
Je ferai tout ce que je peux
Un océan dans le feu
L’impossible si tu le veux

Oh Mon amour
Allez reviens à Paris
Fais-le pour nous je t’en supplie
Je le promets j’ai compris

Je t’aime
J’sais pas pourquoi
Je rejoue la scène
Mais c’est toujours la même fin qui recommence
Tu n’entends pas
Ma peine, on en fait quoi?
Est-ce que tu m’aimes ou pas?

Dis-moi l’endroit, je t’attendrai
Et si tu ne viens pas, je t’attendrai
C’est bête je sais, je le ferai
Rempli d’espoir je t’attendrai

Je t’aime
J’sais pas pourquoi
Je rejoue la scène
Mais c’est toujours la même fin qui recommence
Tu n’entends pas
Ma peine, on en fait quoi?
Est-ce que tu m’aimes
Est-ce que tu m’aimes
Est-ce que tu m’aimes
Est-ce que tu m’aimes ou pas?

—

My love
Tell me what’s on your mind
If all of this makes sense
Sorry if I disturb you

My love
Do you remember us?
Our first rendez-vous?
It was beautiful, It was insane

I love you
I don’t know why
I play the scene again
But it’s always the same ending that keeps repeating
You don’t hear anything
What do we do about my pain?
Do you love me or not?

My love
I’ll do all that I can
Create an ocean in the fire
The impossible if you want me to

Oh my love
Please come back to Paris
Do it for us, I am begging you
I promise, I’ve learned my lesson

I love you
I don’t know why
I play the scene again
But it’s always the same ending that keeps repeating
You don’t hear anything
What do we do about my pain?
Do you love me or not?

Tell me the place, I’ll wait for you
And if you don’t come, I’ll still wait for you
I know it’s silly, but that’s what I’ll do
Filled with hope, I’ll will wait for you

I love you
I don’t know why
I play the scene again
But it’s always the same ending that keeps repeating
You don’t hear anything
What do we do about my pain?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Do you love me or not?

🇩🇪 Germania: ISAAK – “Always on the Run” (Greg Taro / Isaak Guderian / Kevin Lehr / Leo Jupiter – Greg Taro / Isaak Guderian / Kevin Lehr / Leo Jupiter)

ISAAK embarked on his musical journey as a street musician at the age of 12. Fueled by a deep passion for music, he honed his skills in playing the guitar, piano, ukulele and drums. It was during this formative period that he not only cultivated his unmistakable voice, which has resonated deeply with his audiences, but also developed a captivating stage presence. A devoted family man and husband, music has always been at the heart of ISAAK’s life. A big break for the singer arrived in 2021, when he won the talent show Show Your Talent. His early experiences as a street performer have shaped his artistry today, instilling in him a deep connection to both his craft and his audience.

• Selected entrant: Isaak Guderian (born 31 January 1995; age 29; Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), known mononymously as Isaak, is a German singer. He is set to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song “Always on the Run”.

Early and personal life. Guderian was born in 1995 to an Icelandic mother and a German father and grew up in Porta Westfalica, North Rhine-Westphalia. He currently lives in Espelkamp with his wife and two children.

Career. Guderian began his musical career as a street musician, subsequently forming a band. In 2011, he took part in the TV talent show X Factor with a version of the Oasis hit “Wonderwall”.

At 18, Guderian founded his own company for organising local and alternative musical events. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he started composing music, and in 2021 he won Show Your Talent, marking his breakthrough. Guderian took part in the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song “Always on the Run”, ultimately winning the right to represent the country at the contest.

Discography.

Singles.

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album or EP
		GER Single Trend.
“Too Late”	2020	—	Non-album singles
“Sober”		—
“One Life”	2021	—
“Shelter”		—
“Free”		—
“Impact”		—
“Water to the Seed”		—
“Finally”		—
“Baby Steps” (with David Puentez)	2022	6
“Home”		—
“Postcard”	2023	—
“Always on the Run”	2024	—
“—” denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

• Selected song: “Always on the Run” is a song by German singer-songwriter Isaak, released on 19 January 2024 through Good Kid Records and Polydor Records. Self-described as an insight into the singer’s “conflicting” mind through a “powerful sound” paired with “calm moments”, it is set to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Eurovision Song Contest. On 16 February 2024, Guderian performed at the German national final event for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 alongside eight other contestants. Ahead of his performance, the singer had not been favoured as a contestant. The ballot was evenly divided in viewer voting and the assessment by an international jury, both of which assigned him with the maximum 12 points, for a total of 24 points, 4 ahead of runner-up Max Mutzke.

Shortly after the national final, it was announced that the word “shit” in the song’s lyrics would be changed, as required by the contest’s regulations prohibiting vulgar language.

Lyrics of Always On The Run (English)

🇮🇹 Italia: Angelina Mango – “La noia” (Boredom) (Angelina Mango / Madame – Angelina Mango / Dario Faini / Madame)

With 4 platinum records, two gold records, and a completely sold-out tour, Angelina Mango was one of the break-out stars of 2023 in Italy. Her music is a mix that brings together different influences, including Italian and American rap, R&B and instrumental music. In her songs, the singer-songwriter addresses issues and themes that are relevant to her, such as the anxieties of GenZ, love, the need for freedom and the value of family. Beloved by her fanbase on social media, Angelina Mango has a huge following, particularly on TikTok. 

• Selected entrant: Angelina Mango (born 10 April 2001; age 22; Maratea, Basilicata, Italy) is an Italian singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence after her singles “Ci pensiamo domani” and “Che t’o dico a fa’”, peaked within the top ten on the Italian singles chart in 2023. They were both preceded by the release of her second extended play Voglia di vivere, which reached number two on the Italian Albums Chart. In 2023, she participated in the twenty-second edition of the Amici di Maria De Filippi talent contest, finishing second and winning the singing category.

Mango won the Sanremo Music Festival 2024 with her song “La noia”, and will represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Early life. Angelina Mango was born on 10 April 2001 in Maratea, in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, to Laura Valente, former singer of Matia Bazar, and Giuseppe Mango, simply known as Mango. She was raised in Lagonegro, also in the province of Potenza, with her older brother Filippo (born 1995), with whom she shares a passion for music. Growing up in a musical family environment, she learned to sing and to play the piano and the guitar. At the age of 5, she took up dance, which she practiced for 10 years. She joined a cover band as a singer where her brother played the drums, performing in several clubs around their hometown. She did her first studio appearance at 10 on Mango’s La terra degli aquiloni as backing vocalist and later performing “Get Back” by The Beatles in duet with her father, on his last record L’amore è invisibile.

In September 2014, she enrolled at liceo scientifico, before suspending her studies following her father’s death on 8 December 2014. In 2016, she moved to Milan with her family, where she continued her studies and started singing in a band with her brother as a drummer.

Career.

2020–2021: Monolocale. On 13 November 2020, Mango released her first single “Va tutto bene”, which anticipated her debut extended play Monolocale. In 2021, she opened the concerts of the Parola Tour by Giovanni Caccamo and Michele Placido, performing in November 2021 during the Milan Music Week. In the same period, she participated in the selections of Sanremo Giovani, with the song “La tua buona colazione”, not being selected among the finalists.

2022–2023: participation in Amici, and Voglia di vivere EP. After signing a contract with Sony Music and starting to write and produce new songs together with producer Enrico Bruni, Mango participated in the Concerto del Primo Maggio and in the Musica da bere music competition in 2022, where she won the Live Award. Also in the same year, she began to publish some singles, including “Formica”, “Walkman” (produced by Tiziano Ferro), and “Rituali”. In September 2022, she participated as a guest in the program broadcast on Rai 3 Via dei Matti nº0.

In November 2022, Mango was admitted as a competitor to the twenty-second edition of the musical talent show broadcast on Canale 5, Amici di Maria De Filippi, in which she finished in second place and won the singing category. She opened Elisa’s concert at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome on December, and performed at the concert broadcast on Canale 5, Capodanno in musica. During her participation in Amici, she released the singles “Voglia di vivere” and “Mani vuote”.

On 12 May 2023, Mango released the single “Ci pensiamo domani”, which anticipated the EP Voglia di vivere, released on 19 May 2023. “Ci pensiamo domani” reached the top ten of the singles chart and was certified triple platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 copies. The EP debuted at number two on the Italian albums chart and was certified gold for sales exceeding 25,000 copies. In June and July 2023, she participated in some festivals organized by the major national radio and television broadcasters, including Battiti Live and TIM Summer Hits. On 6 October 2023, she released the single “Che t’o dico a fa’”, which reached number two on the Italian singles chart and was certified platinum.

2024: Sanremo Music Festival and Eurovision Song Contest. Angelina Mango competed in and won the Sanremo Music Festival 2024 with the song “La noia”. She also performed a rearranged version of “La rondine”, originally performed by her father, ranking number 2 in the fourth night dedicated to live covers. The morning after her victory, she confirmed that she would represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Following the contest, Mango is scheduled to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival on 22 June 2024.

Discography. 

EPs

• Monolocale (2020)
• Voglia di vivere (2023)

Television.

Year	Title	Network	Role	Notes
2022–2023	Amici di Maria De Filippi	Canale 5	Contestant	Winner of the singing category
2024	Sanremo Music Festival 2024	Rai 1		Annual music festival – Winner with the song “La noia”
	Eurovision Song Contest 2024	Rai 1, EBU		Annual music festival – Contestant with the song “La noia”

Awards and nominations.

Year	Award	Nomination	Work	Result
2022	Musica da bere	Live Award		Won
2023	Critics Award	First place in the Singing category	Herself (at Amici di Maria De Filippi)
	Radio Award
	Lunezia Award	Musical-literary value	Ci pensiamo domani
2024	Sanremo Music Festival	Big Artists	“La noia”	1st Place
	Eurovision Song Contest	—		Pending
	OGAE Poll	Best Song of Eurovision 2024		Pending

• Selected song: “La noia” (“Boredom”) is a song by Italian singer Angelina Mango. It was written by Mango and Madame and produced by Dardust, and released on 7 February 2024. The song was Angelina Mango’s winning entry for the Sanremo Music Festival 2024, the 74th edition of Italy’s musical festival which also doubles as a selection of the act for the Eurovision Song Contest, and will represent the country at the 2024 event. The song was also recognized with the “Giancarlo Bigazzi” Award for the best musical composition.

“La noia” reached number four on the Italian singles chart and has been certified double platinum by the FIMI, for selling over 200,000 units. It has also reached the charts in Switzerland, San Marino, and Croatia.

Composition. The song was written by Angelina Mango with Madame and produced by Dardust. The singer confirmed that it is inspired in its rhythms by cumbia: “I met with Madame and Dardust humanly, even before we met artistically, and that helped us find the line of the song: when I heard the sample, I thought it might be good for Sanremo. The idea of cumbia came out while chatting with them; it’s the way I deal with life. […] [This song came out of] a reflection on time. Boredom is seen as a negative thing, but actually it is time that you dedicate to yourself, it allows you to discover yourself. Between a life of highs and lows and one of boredom, I will always choose one of highs and lows, but I will always leave myself time for boredom [as well].”

Critical reception. The song has received generally favorable reviews from Italian music critics.

Andrea Laffranchi of Corriere della Sera described the song as “upbeat, fresh, carefree” with “a latin soul” and “a refrain that smells of Mediterranean tradition.” Silvia Danielli of Billboard Italia wrote that the sounds are associated with reggaeton and cumbia, finding it “an excellent hit” with “interesting” lyrics. Filippo Ferrari of Rolling Stone Italia appreciated the production, reporting that it “will amaze those who have not yet focused on it.”

Il Messaggero stated that the narrative style of Madame is perceptible, while Dardust is recognizable “in the guitars of the refrain.” Andrea Conti of Il Fatto Quotidiano said the song “comes straight away, so straight, leaving no escape” whose lyrics come across as “a wide-ranging reflection on life, from relationships to business,” on which Mango “sings beautifully.”

Music video. A music video to accompany the release of “La noia”, directed by Giulio Rosati, was first released onto YouTube on 7 February 2024. Alessia Musillo of Elle Decor Italia associated the image of the singer to Medusa and describe the narrative as the representation of “the process of dressing a sacred woman”, in which “the braided hair looks like tree branches and resembles, without veils, the head of a Gorgon out of its time”.

Sanremo Music Festival. Italian broadcaster RAI organised the 74th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival between 6 and 10 February 2024. As had been the case since 2015, the winner would earn the right of first refusal to represent Italy at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

On 3 December 2023, Angelina Mango, was announced among the participants of the festival, with the title of her competing entry revealed the following 19 December. Mango went on to win the festival, coming second with the public and first with the press and radio juries in the final round of voting.

Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consist of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. As a member of the “Big Five”, Italy automatically qualifies for the final.

Discussing her participation in Eurovision, Mango commented that she and the songwriting team were considering the possibility to change part of the lyrics to English or Spanish ahead of the contest. On 6 March 2024, RAI released an official statement of participation, confirming that the song had been reworked to comply with Eurovision regulations requiring that entries do not exceed a length of 3 minutes, and shortly after Mango confirmed that the lyrics would remain in Italian. For the revamp, two verse repetitions were cut from one chorus.

Charts.

Weekly chart performance for “La noia”

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Croatia (HRT)	22
Greece International (IFPI)	34
Global 200 (Billboard)	110
Italy (FIMI)	4
Italy Airplay (EarOne)	1
San Marino (Radio San Marino RTV)	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	11

Certifications.

Certifications for “La noia”

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)	2× Platinum	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Lyrics of La noia (Italian Ι English)

Quanti disegni ho fatto
Rimango qui e li guardo
Nessuno prende vita
Questa pagina è pigra
Vado di fretta
E mi hanno detto che la vita è preziosa
Lo la indosso a testa alta sul collo
La mia collana non ha perle di saggezza
A me hanno dato le perline colorate
Per le bimbe incasinate con i traumi
Da snodare piano piano con l’età
Eppure sto una Pasqua guarda zero drammi
Quasi quasi cambio di nuovo città
Che a stare ferma a me mi viene
A me mi viene

La noia
La noia
La noia
La noia

Muoio senza morire
In questi giorni usati
Vivo senza soffrire
Non c’è croce più grande
Non ci resta che ridere in queste notti bruciate
Una corona di spine sarà il dress-code per la mia festa

È la cumbia della noia
È la cumbia della noia
Total
Ah, è la cumbia della noia
La cumbia della noia
Total

Quanta gente nelle cose vede il male
Viene voglia di scappare come iniziano a parlare
E vorrei dirgli che sto bene ma poi mi guardano male
Allora dico che è difficile campare
Business parli di business
Intanto chiudo gli occhi per firmare i contratti
Princess ti chiama princess
Allora adesso smettila di lavare i piatti

Muoio senza morire
In questi giorni usati
Vivo senza soffrire
Non c’è croce più grande
Non ci resta che ridere in queste notti bruciate
Una corona di spine sarà il dress-code per la mia festa

È la cumbia della noia
È la cumbia della noia
Total

Allora scrivi canzoni?
Si, le canzoni d’amore
E non ti voglio annoiare
Ma qualcuno le deve cantare
Cumbia, ballo la cumbia
Se rischio di inciampare almeno fermo la noia
Quindi faccio una festa, faccio una festa
Perché è l’unico modo per fermare
Per fermare
Per fermare, ah

La noia
La noia
La noia
La noia

Muoio perché morire
Rende i giorni più umani
Vivo perché soffrire
Fa le gioie più grandi
Non ci resta che ridere in queste notti bruciate
Una corona di spine
Sarà il dress-code per la mia festa

È la cumbia della noia
È la cumbia della noia
Total
Ah, è la cumbia della noia
La cumbia della noia
Total
Total

—

🇪🇸 Spagna: Nebulossa – “ZORRA” (VIXEN) (Mark Dasousa / Mery Bas – Mark Dasousa / Mery Bas)

This synth-pop duo from Alicante features Mery Bas providing vocals and Mark Dasousa on synths. The band won Spain’s pre-selection show Benidorm Fest with “ZORRA”, which stayed in the upper echelons of the Spanish charts for weeks on end, also becoming the second-most viral hit on streaming platforms globally during February. The lyrics are autobiographical and were conceived as self-therapy by Mery, who needed to express herself to shake all the feelings of discrimination she has felt for being a free-spirited woman. She decided to embark on a musical career after turning 50, and the artist wants to encourage people to break free from society’s labels and to celebrate their identities and liberty.

• Selected entrant: Nebulossa (is a Spanish electropop duo from Ondara, consisting of singer María “Mery” Bas (born 18 September 1968) and keyboardist and producer Mark Dasousa (born 2 January 1974).

On 3 February 2024, the duo won the Benidorm Fest 2024 with the song “Zorra”, earning the right to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Life and career. Bas and Dasousa have been married for over 20 years. Together they have two children.

Nebulossa formed in 2018. The name of the group alludes to nebulae (nebulosa in Spanish) because on a trip to Port Ainé they went to an astronomical observatory where they constantly mentioned them. The double S is a symbolic reference to the Catalan language, where many words use this spelling.

In 2022, as a trio together with Ophelia Alibrando, they participated in Una voce per San Marino, San Marino’s preselection contest for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, but did not progress past the audition stage. Nebulossa competed in Benidorm Fest 2024, the Spanish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, with the song “Zorra”. They placed first in their semi-final on 30 January 2024, qualifying for the final, which they won.

Discography.

Studio albums.

List of studio albums, with selected details

Title	Details
Poliédrica de mí	Released: 26 May 2021 Label: Atomic Records Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles.

As lead artist.

Single	Year	Peak chart positions	Album or EP
		SPA
“La colmena“	2020	—	Poliédrica de mí
“Océano de palabras“		—
“Armada roja“		—
“Alud de inconformismo“		—
“Anoche“		—
“Glam”	2021	—
“1N84” (with Rocío Saiz)	2022	—	Non-album singles
“Me pones a mil“	2023	—
“Cuando te veo“		—
“Me ha dado porno“		—
“Zorra“		5
“—” denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist.

Single	Year	Album or EP
“Conectados (Remix)” (Anora Kito featuring Nebulossa and David Van Bylen)	2022	Anora Kito
“Histeria de lo nuestro (Versión retro)“ (Marsella featuring We Are Not Dj’s and Nebulossa)		Non-album single

• Selected song: “Zorra” (‘Vixen’) is a song by husband and wife Spanish synth-pop duo Nebulossa. The song won Benidorm Fest 2024 and will represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö. It has so far peaked at number five in Spain and been certified Gold.

Eurovision Song Contest. 

Benidorm Fest 2024. “Zorra” competed in Benidorm Fest 2024, a song festival organised by RTVE to select Spain’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest since 2022. It took place at the Palau Municipal d’Esports l’Illa de Benidorm in Benidorm, Valencian Community. Sixteen artists and songs competed over three shows: two semi-finals on 30 January and 1 February and the final on 3 February 2024. Each semi-final featured eight songs and four qualified for the final. The results of each show were determined through a combination of public voting, a demoscopic jury and an expert jury.

“Zorra” won the first semi-final with 149 points, and subsequently won the final with 156 points. In the semi-final, “Zorra” received the most points from the expert jury, while in the final, “Zorra” received the most points from the demoscopic jury and televote, and tied on point with “Dos extraños (Cuarteto de cuerda)” by St. Pedro in the expert jury.

Lyrical content. The title of the song, repeated multiple times in the lyrics, literally means “vixen” (i.e. a female fox) but is also connected to vulgar connotations, as it is more often used to mean “bitch” or “slut” in Spanish slang. It was therefore brought into question as potential infringement of Eurovision regulations. However, the European Broadcasting Union, in charge of organising and supervising the contest, explained in a public statement to El País that the use of the word does not constitute a breach of the rules.

The word zorra was explained by Wiwibloggs as “one of the most blatant cases of built-in sexism within the Spanish language”; the euphemistic meaning of the male equivalent zorro has positive connotations, while zorra is most often used as a misogynistic insult. The song – with its theme of women’s empowerment – uses this and attempts to reappropriate the insult; the lyrics criticise a society that views women negatively for everything, and embrace the attributes of female independence that may be called zorra. The last line of the first verse is “Cambiar por ti me da pereza“, i.e. “Can’t be bothered changing for you”.

On 7 February 2024, RTVE announced that the official English title of the song would be “Vixen”, and Nebulossa released a music video of the song with official English lyrics, in which zorra is translated as “vixen” throughout. Official translations of the song have also been released in French, German, Italian and Swedish.

Music video. A music video for the song features references to transgender singer and politician Manuela Trasobares, who has been tagged with the negative stereotypes of a zorra, and the recreation of an iconic moment from the 1990s of Trasobares throwing a glass on the floor during a talk show while calling for women’s liberation. Nebulossa had also referenced this moment after their performance in the final of Benidorm Fest.

Charts.

Chart performance for “Zorra“

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	5

Certifications.

Certifications for “Zorra”

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	Gold	30,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Lyrics of ZORRA (Spanish Ι English)

🇬🇧 Regno Unito: Olly Alexander – “Dizzy” (Danny L Harle / Olly Alexander – Danny L Harle / Olly Alexander)

As he embarks on the first release under his own name, Olly Alexander remains one of the world’s most trailblazing modern pop stars. Across three hugely successful albums to date, the singer, actor and fashion icon has scored two UK number 1 albums, 10 UK Top 40 singles and was recently awarded the BRIT Billion Award (with 6.5 billion streams globally). With his band Years & Years evolving into a solo project and, in 2024, a brand-new solo era, Olly has become a once-in-a-generation voice: the Russell T Davies show “It’s A Sin” won Best New Drama at the National Television Awards, with Olly also nominated for Leading Actor at the 2022 BAFTA Television Awards, for his performance in the series. Olly has headlined arenas and festivals worldwide and collaborated with the likes of Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys.

• Selected entrant: Oliver Alexander Thornton (born 15 July 1990; age 33; Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England) is an English singer, actor and LGBT+ activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the pop band Years & Years who achieved two number one albums on the UK Albums Chart, a number one single and five top ten entries on the UK Singles Chart. Between 2021 and 2023 he continued to release music under the name until their dissolution in 2024.

As an actor, he rose to critical acclaim for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series It’s a Sin (2021). For his portrayal he was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor and the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor. Alexander is set to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden with his song “Dizzy”, which marked his first release under his own name.

Early life. Oliver Alexander Thornton was born on 15 July 1990 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. His mother, Vicki Thornton, was one of the founders of the Coleford Music Festival. Alexander attended St John’s Primary School in Coleford and Monmouth Comprehensive School. While at Monmouth Comprehensive School, he acted in two school plays: Guys and Dolls, as Benny, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, as the Corporal. After completing his GCSEs, Alexander studied Performing Arts at the Hereford College of Arts. The New York Times reported that he wrote his first song on his father’s Casio keyboard aged 10. His parents separated when he was 13, and he and his brother Ben, who is autistic, were thereafter brought up solely by his mother.

He obtained the services of an agent when he was 16, while auditioning for a part in British TV series Skins. In a YouTube video uploaded from NylonMagazineTV, Alexander said he dropped out of the Hereford College of Arts to pursue his acting career as parts were offered, stating: “I started acting when I was young; it just sort of happened. I dropped out of school to work around the world, which was amazing.” “I really wanted to become a singer or a musician … All of a sudden I was an actor. It was never something I’d set my heart on being. I’m still trying to work it out … I really hated school because I was totally bullied. But you’re never bullied in drama class because the weird kids do well in drama class. That’s a safe place”. Alexander was interviewed about his mental health by Guardian columnist Owen Jones. He further expanded on his bullying, bulimia and early life experiences during a 2021 interview in the same publication.

Career. 

Acting career. Alexander’s acting career began in the film Summerhill released in 2008. His next film Bright Star was nominated for an Academy Award in the United States for Best Achievement in Costume Design. He acted in the 2009 released films Tormented starring Alex Pettyfer and Enter the Void. In 2010 he played Evan in the Bush Theatre production of The Aliens. Alexander contributed to the script and music for indie film The Dish & the Spoon, released in early 2011. In 2012, he appeared in the theatre production of Mercury Fur, taking the part of Naz at The Old Red Lion, Islington.

From March to June 2013, Alexander starred as Peter Pan in the West End play Peter and Alice acting alongside Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench. Alexander also had a supporting role in the final series of Skins, playing Cassie Ainsworth’s stalker in the two-part episode “Skins Pure”, which aired in July 2013. Also in 2013 Google Analytics released an internal corporate video which features Alexander as a demanding shopper under the sub-heading “That is what happens when you save on usability”.

Alexander plays one of the main characters in the 2014 musical feature film God Help the Girl, where he also sings and plays guitar. The film was written and directed by Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of the group Belle and Sebastian, as part of the God Help the Girl project.

Alexander also appeared in The Riot Club, the film adaptation of Laura Wade’s stage play Posh alongside British actors Sam Claflin, Max Irons and Douglas Booth. Alexander briefly portrayed the vampire Fenton in the British-American horror series Penny Dreadful in episodes aired in 2014.

In the indie film Funny Bunny, which first premiered at SXSW 2015, Alexander plays Titty, a troubled teenager. The film was directed and written by Alison Bagnall, who directed The Dish & the Spoon, while Alexander was a co-writer together with the other two leads. The film was shown at art houses during the summer and was theatrically released on 13 November 2015.

In January 2021, Alexander appeared in a leading role in Russell T Davies’ Channel 4 and HBO Max drama It’s a Sin, which depicts gay life in the 1980s and early 1990s, and the onset of HIV/AIDS. The show and Alexander’s performance earned critical acclaim, with some critics expressing their desire for Alexander to win a BAFTA for his performance.

Music career. Years & Years formed in 2010, with Alexander joining the band as lead vocalist after member Mikey Goldsworthy heard him singing in the shower and liked his voice.

Their debut single “I Wish I Knew” was released in July 2012 on the Good Bait label, with the band performing as a five-piece group. In 2013, the group signed a deal to the French label Kitsuné as a three-piece and released their second single, called “Traps”, in September 2013, which achieved support from Radio 1 and Radio 6, as well as many online publications such as The Guardian and The Fader. “Traps” also features on Kitsuné Maison’s 15th compilation.

The band released their second single “Real” on Kitsuné and iTunes in February 2014. The music video featured an appearance from Alexander’s Peter and Alice co-star, Ben Whishaw, and former Misfits actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Telling the story in The Independent article of 28 July 2015 of the Ben Whishaw effect (most recent James Bond Q actor), the video received eight and a half million views online, and in 2014 they also changed their record label from the French smaller label Kitsuné to Polydor as they gained prominence. In January 2015, they were announced winners of the BBC’s Sound of… vote.

Years & Years’ most successful single, “King”, released under Polydor, headed straight to number one in the UK Single Chart in March 2015, earning the band national recognition. Their debut studio album, Communion, was released on 10 July 2015 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1.

As a gay songwriter, Alexander has stated in interviews he would like to see greater use of the qualified male pronoun in music. He explained that when he used to write in a diary, he would refer to “you and I” because he wanted to hide who he was writing about. Several Years & Years songs feature male pronouns. “It is kind of sad to me that we don’t have gay popstars singing about men using a male pronoun,” he told Digital Spy, “but that could change hopefully.” Though his work with Years & Years openly references his sexuality, Alexander “can’t speak for all gay people, because there are so many different issues, and experiences, and different shapes and sizes. But I can speak for myself, and that is what I’m doing if I’m going to be writing songs and giving interviews, I want to be able to speak about something I care about.” Years & Years’ second studio album, titled Palo Santo, was released on 6 July 2018 and features hits like “If You’re Over Me” and “Sanctify”. On 14 August 2018, “If You’re Over Me” was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry and announced via the band’s Twitter account. 

In September 2018, Years & Years released the official music video for “All For You”, featuring an angelic version of Alexander dancing within an abandoned warehouse before transforming into a demonic version of himself and engaging in a dance-off with an android.

Alexander collaborated with the Pet Shop Boys on their 2019 single “Dreamland” and later released a cover of “It’s a Sin” to coincide with his starring role in the drama series of the same name.

On 18 March 2021, Years & Years became Alexander’s solo project. In July 2021, Alexander was announced as one of the five musicians hosting BBC Radio 1’s Future Sounds show for the month of August and early September alongside Arlo Parks, YUNGBLUD, Charli XCX and Tom Grennan. Annie Mac, who hosted Future Sounds, left the radio station in late July after spending 17 years there.

On 16 December 2023, it was announced that he would be representing the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Following the announcement, he told the BBC that he’d “wanted to do it for a while” and it “felt like this was the right time to start releasing music under my name”. Years & Years’ back catalogue was re-named to “Olly Alexander (Years & Years)” on streaming services. His Eurovision competing entry, “Dizzy”, was released on 1 March 2024, and marked Alexander’s first release under his own name.

Advocacy, politics and personal life. Through various interviews and charity campaigns, Alexander has promoted safer sex and HIV screening, and anti-LGBT bullying initiatives. He has also spoken openly about his own struggles with depression, self-harm, eating disorders and anxiety from age 13 onwards. He is gay, and in 2017, he presented a BBC Three documentary investigating the link between being gay and the development of mental health disorders. In it, he opened up about his bulimia. In 2018, Alexander was part of Sport Relief’s attempt to raise awareness of mental health alongside other celebrities Nadiya Hussain and Stephen Fry.

Alexander describes himself as a “real left-winger” and said in 2016 that he “had a crush on” Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Beginning in May 2015, Alexander was in a relationship with musician Neil Milan Amin-Smith, who was in Clean Bandit. Due to scheduling conflicts while on tour and recording, they parted at the end of 2015.

At the 2016 Glastonbury Festival, Alexander took to the stage with his band Years & Years in rainbow ensemble in celebration of PRIDE Week and made headlines with his spur-of-the-moment speech in light of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

In September 2018, Alexander won GQ‘s Award “Live Act Of The Year”. The award was presented to him by Héloïse Letissier, and in his acceptance speech, Alexander advocated for the LGBTQ community and Mental Health Awareness Month, particularly in regard to men.

In the same month, Alexander took part in a video campaign “The Flag We Shouldn’t Be Proud Of” for World Suicide Prevention Day, holding up a rainbow flag with two colours ripped from it, and was quoted: “This is the flag we shouldn’t be proud of. A flag that represents the two in six LGBTQ people we risk losing to suicide.”

In October 2018, British GQ posted an interview between Alexander and Alastair Campbell in which he spoke about his struggles with self-harm and eating disorders, his experiences in 2018 with homophobia, and his political views on Brexit and Donald Trump. In the interview he said he voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, supported Corbyn as Prime Minister and called Trump “repugnant” and “repulsive”.

During Years & Years’ performance on the Pyramid Stage at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival, Alexander gave a speech promoting LGBTQ+ rights and calling for the elimination of racism, ableism and sexism. The speech earned praise from fans and media.

In protest of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, Alexander signed a letter by LGBT association Voices4London, which accused Israel of committing apartheid and genocide against the Palestinians. Spokespeople within the Israeli government and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) condemned his views and asked the BBC not to allow him to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024; the BBC rejected the demands, stating that it was not in a position to do so with someone who is not a journalist. In March 2024, Alexander rejected calls to boycott Eurovision because of Israel’s participation.

Alexander identifies as gay, queer, and non-binary.

Awards and honours. In June 2020, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named him among the 50 heroes “leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people”.

In November 2020, Alexander won the LGBT Celebrity of the Year award at the British LGBT Awards.

For his leading role in It’s a Sin, Alexander was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television and the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.

Discography. For Olly Alexander’s discography as a member of Years & Years, see Years & Years discography.

Singles.

List of singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		UK
“Dizzy”	2024	42	TBA
“Kite” (with Benjamin Ingrosso)		—	Non-album single
“—” denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Filmography.

Film.

Year	Film	Role
2009	Bright Star	Tom Keats
	Tormented	Jason Banks
	Enter the Void	Victor
	Dust	Elias
2010	The Fades	Himself
	Gulliver’s Travels	Prince August
	The Dish & the Spoon	Boy
2012	Cheerful Weather for the Wedding	Tom
	Great Expectations	Herbert Pocket
2013	Le Week-End	Michael
2014	God Help the Girl	James
	The Riot Club	Toby Maitland
2015	Funny Bunny	Titty

Television.

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Summerhill	Ned
2009	Lewis	Hayden Wishart	“Allegory of Love”
2013	Skins	Jakob	“Skins Pure (Part 1 & 2)”
2014	Penny Dreadful	Fenton	“Resurrection” and “Demimonde”
2017	Growing Up Gay	Presenter	Documentary
2019	Celebrity Gogglebox	Himself	4 episodes
2021	It’s a Sin	Ritchie Tozer	Main role (5 episodes)
2022	RuPaul’s Drag Race UK	Himself	Series 4; Guest judge
2024	Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway	Himself	Series 20; guest announcer

Theatre.

Year	Title	Theatre	Also starring
September–October 2010	The Aliens	Bush Theatre London	Ralf Little and Mackenzie Crook
March–April 2012	Mercury Fur	Old Red Lion Theatre	Ciaran Owens, Frank Keogh, Ben Dilloway, Katie Scarfe, Henry Lewis, James Fynan
March–June 2013	Peter and Alice	Noël Coward Theatre	Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw

Corporate video.

Year	Film	Role
2013	Google Analytics in Real Life Site Search	Demanding Shopper

• Selected song: “Dizzy” is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Alexander. It was released on 1 March 2024 through Polydor Records and will represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It marks Alexander’s first release under his own name after the dissolution of Years & Years. The song received mixed reviews from music critics and pays homage to synth-pop music.

Background and release. After Alexander’s participation announcement took place on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, he became a bookies favourite to win the Eurovision Song Contest. He first teased “Dizzy” after a video was posted on his social media channels which also featured a cameo appearance from weather presenter Carol Kirkwood. On 7 February 2024, he revealed the song’s title and release date of 1 March 2024. Both the song and music video were presented on the same day during Graham Meets Olly, a one-off special broadcast on BBC One.

In an interview with the BBC, Alexander revealed that the song was written in the summer of 2023 and is lyrically about “feeling such an intense swell of emotion for someone they totally turn your world upside down and inside out”.

Critical reception.

“Dizzy” ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Independent
The Guardian
The Daily Telegraph
The Times
iNews

“Dizzy” was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Roisin O’Connor from The Independent wrote that “Dizzy is a dance anthem that takes its cues from the Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and Bronski Beat – whisked up with the ripe diet of Nineties cheese-pop that Alexander grew up on”. Laura Snapes from The Guardian stated that the chorus echoes that of the 1987 single “It’s a Sin” by the Pet Shop Boys, while also making comparisons to Pete Burns single “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. They concluded that “Dizzy isn’t a bad song – it’s perfectly fine – but beyond its very literal, nauseatingly topsy-turvy video, it’s far too safe to leave anyone reeling”.

Writing for The Telegraph, Neil McCormick wrote “Dizzy is an interesting modern electronic dance pop song, a blend of Balearic beats and sugary sentiments delivering upbeat sentiments with a minor chord melodic tension”. While writing for Clash, Robin Murray described “it’s as a full-blown extravaganza. Olly lives and breathes every word, with the ultra-catchy dose of future-facing pop digitalism leaning on his fantastic vocals.

In a review for The Times, Will Hodgkinson described it as a “super-catchy and hi-energy disco smash that has real innovation in its burbling production”. It also has “pleasingly nostalgic shades of classic Eighties synth-pop: Erasure, Soft Cell and, yes, the Pet Shop Boys”. He referred to it as “the best Eurovision entry we’ve had in years”. In a review for PinkNews, Marcus Wratten said “Dizzy is one of the better songs the UK has sent to the contest in recent years”. They further added “It’s pulsating pop that is both simple yet effective. The fizzy ‘80s synths of the Pet Shop Boys are a clear influence, but with a touch of Steps’ playfulness, and – dare we say it – a hint of Aqua, too. That’s all to say that “Dizzy” is pop serving its primary purpose; it’s catchy and the hook has sticking power”.

Writing for BBC News, Mark Savage dubbed the song “a sleek, streamlined slice of modern pop” with an “instantly memorable” hook, but criticised the strength of the song, adding: “If there’s a criticism, it’s that the song could go harder. Instead of building to a climax, that final chorus is too polite”. iNews’ Ed Power described the song as “a drearily orthodox Euro-banger” that “plays it safe”, concluding that “Alexander and Harle are clearly capable of so much better” but “have gone risk-averse”.

Composition. Alexander described the song as “electronic” and “something you can dance to”. It is musically inspired by 80s music sounds and by acts such as Erasure, Adamski, and the Pet Shop Boys.

Music video. Filmed in Tbilisi, Georgia, and directed by Colin Solal Cardo, the music video for “Dizzy” was released simultaneously via Alexander’s Vevo channel and the Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTube at 08:00 GMT on March 1, eight hours after the song’s release. Later that evening, Alexander appeared on a special broadcast on BBC One, titled Graham Meets Olly, which featured the first full televised broadcast of the music video.

In the video, Alexander performs on three rotating sets, each individually designed as a deconstructed house, garden, and rooftop. Writing for Metro, Brooke Ivey Johnson stated the video “reflects the song’s theme of all-consuming love”. Sky News’ Rachel McGrath described it as “head-spinning”, while in a review for The Guardian, Laura Snapes dubbed the video “nauseatingly topsy-turvy”.

Charts.

Chart performance for “Dizzy”

Chart (2024)	Peak position
South Korea BGM (Circle)	98
UK Singles (OCC)	42

Release history.

Release dates and formats for “Dizzy”

Region	Date	Format	Label
Various	1 March 2024	Digital download, streaming	Polydor
Italy		Radio airplay	Universal

Lyrics of Dizzy (English)