BBC is no longer allowing the UK public to vote for who we want to represent us
The UK’s participation in Eurovision 2020 has been confirmed but the British public are no longer allowed to pick the contestant they want to represent them.
Why is that?
Next year’s act will be decided by the BBC in collaboration with record label and publisher BMG and it might be because we have been so bad at picking since Michael Rice came last place this year.
It probably doesn’t help that the UK have failed to reach the Top 10 acts since Eurovision 2009 when Jade Ewen finished in fifth place with It’s My Time.
The winning song will also be released by BMG, which published Sweden’s winning 2015 entry Heroes.
UK’s usual selection process – which was done through televised competitions – may no longer continue, but the BBC has yet to confirm.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s controller of entertainment commissioning, said: ‘Out commitment to finding the right song has never been higher, and this collaboration with BMG, who have access to world class songwriters, is a genuinely exciting prospect.
‘I am certain that together we can find the best song and artist possible for 2020.’
Mel Balac, the creative director of BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial arm, described the deal with the record label, BMG, as a ‘turning point for the UK at Eurovision’.
‘We very much hope this marks the start of an exciting new chapter,’ Mel said.
BBC Studios approached several labels, but finally decided to go with BMG as it shared a ‘vision of selecting a song with broad international appeal and securing an artist who embodies the spirit and values of the Eurovision song contest’.
On the bright side, BMG has a record of creating successful popstars, including Lewis Capaldi, George Ezra, and Jess Glyne.
Eurovision 2020 will take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands in May.
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