Ukraine has already chosen its Eurovision 2014 contestant. So has Albania. But on the other side of Europe there is a country that has remained tight-lipped about its selection process โ€“ the United Kingdom. After the disastrous results in recent years it is clear that if the British want to return to Eurovision glory they need to change their approach.

In the past two years the British have sent two well-known acts to the Eurovision stage โ€“ Engelbert Humperdinck and Bonnie Tyler. Age worked against them. Back in their prime Engelbert and Bonnie were some of the most famous musicians on the planet. Sending them to the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest would have been fine. Instead they were thrown into the 2012 and 2013 contests, respectively, and squared off against acts that were more modern, mobile and mesmerising. Both of them failed miserably: Engelbert placed 25th with only 12 points, Bonnie fared little better with 23 points in 19th place. The juries loathed the ageing Brits even more: they could not sing a single note in tune! As Team Wiwi asked in Malmรถ: “Did Bonnie Tyler smoke a box of cigars before her first rehearsal?”

Calling Adele

The United Kingdom needs an artist who is popular now. And who is the most famous British artist at the moment? Adele.

Adele has blitzed the music industry. Her musical talent has seen her two albums 19 and 21 top charts around the globe. She has picked up 9 Grammy Awards and 4 BRIT Awards, and set musical records mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. Her music is so popular that earlier this month Amazon declared 21 its bestselling music album of all time with an incredible 28 million copies sold. Most recently her contribution to her country has seen her win the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Award. The United Kingdom needs a hero (no, not Bomnie) to lift it from the Eurovision doldrums. Surely Adele can lend one track from her upcoming third album to perform at Eurovision 2014.

Why she could succeed

There are three reasons why Adele would be a success with both the European tele-voters and jurors. These are the same reasons why she is so popular in the first place. They are: her voice, her ability to convey emotions and her humility.

Adeleโ€™s deep, alto voice has a memorable timbre. It offers something different that would stand out among 26 finalists. I doubt that any other European could rival her vocal prowess. If uniqueness worked for Lena from Germany, whose hilarious accent won over both the tele-voters and the jurors in 2010, it will be even better for Adele.

Singers often struggle to master emotions. How many times in Eurovision have we seen acts going OVER the top with it? Adeleโ€™s songs are mostly about heartache. However it is not the sadness that makes her music popular, but how she emotes. You feel that she is actually despairing over her own failed love. (Maybe she is). That’s why her fans weep along at concerts. Eurovision fans will surely come under her spell, too. The jurors will award Adele points for her sincerity. If they can give top marks to Emmelie de Forest for smiling throughout her tragic song โ€œOnly Teardropsโ€, I cannot imagine the success Adele will have with them.

Adeleโ€™s humility will score points too. Have you ever seen an arrogant act go on to win Eurovision? 2006 was a notorious year with the Lithuanian, Icelandic and British entrants all boasting โ€œWe are the winners of Eurovision!โ€ It is fine saying it after you have won the contest, but in the actual song? It is little wonder these entrants were booed off stage. Adele is different. She presents herself as the normal girl from Britain โ€“ simple clothes, simple hair, simple make up. No gimmicks โ€“ just normal Adele. Tele-voters can relate to her, because most of them are normal people themselves. In Adele they see their own misfortune. The jurors will appreciate that Adele is not thinking about herself–the glitz, the glam, the potential victory–but instead the actual music.

These three weapons in Adeleโ€™s armour make her the perfect warrior to send into Eurovision battle.

Adele’s commercial success has implications for the EBU too. In Australia the only European artist we know of is โ€ฆ Adele. More people would watch Eurovision because of her, drastically increasing audience viewing and the number of Eurovision albums sold. So at the end of the night it might not just be the UK, but also the EBU, rubbing their hands with glee.

But what is in it for Adele herself? There are actually many reasons why Eurovision is a good idea for her. Adele has a phobia of flying, which is why she hardly ever tours, much to the disappointment of her fans…especially those of us in Australia. Eurovision is a good way to reach out to all these followers, as it is broadcast to millions of people around the world. All Adele has to do is stand on the stage in Copenhagen for three minutes, and her fans will feel like they are at an intimate concert, watching her perform live. It will save her all the time, money and fear of touring around the world.

Although Adele has won countless Grammy and British Music Awards, there is one thing missing from her bag of loot. ABBA has it, and so do Celine Dion, Ruslana and Loreen. That is a Eurovision title. It transcends sales and shows how much an entire continent appreciates an artistโ€™s music. It should be something Adele should strive to achieve within her lustrous career: bring home the Eurovision title, win the hearts of the British, and become their greatest singer of all time.

So what do you think? Is Adele a good candidate to represent the United Kingdom in Eurovision 2014? This videos above show what she is like in concert, and boy, can she work up the crowd! Interestingly these performances were at the Royal Albert Hall, the host venue of the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest. Coincidence or what?

Samo Lee contributed this report from Australia.ย Follow the team from WiwiBloggs.com on Twitterย @wiwibloggs. And while you’re at it, like ourย Facebook pageย to stay up-to-date with the latest Eurovision news and gossip.

27 Comments
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Keith
Keith
10 years ago

Of course she shouldn’t do it. Europe will punish her for being fat along with all the other reasons. She would be the one with the best song and best voice, but at the bottom.

James
James
10 years ago

Send Adele, Muse, Lianne La Havas, Emeli Sande, John Newman, etc… something… decent omg !

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
10 years ago

@boo, Dhani: My sentiments exactly. As popular as she is (especially here in the U.S.), some countries might be spoiling for an opportunity to punish the U.K. for sending her. Nul points destroyed a career before it could get off the ground (Jemini). A low placing for Adele could be an even bigger setback than many anticipate. It would most definitely be news on this side of the Atlantic, with entertainment news reporters repeatedly calling it a “shocking upset.”

Roger
Roger
10 years ago

Adele isnt that big in Eastern Europe. Success is not a given. Song is more important.

Ivan
Ivan
10 years ago

Everybody here talks about artists, about if it is ok if a famous artist participates, if it is a beginners’ show etc. I think that an artist can participate even if he is famous or not, there are no rules, but it is foolish to talk about artists, the contest is about a certain song. If Adele entries in the show with a song who will catch on people, she will surely grab one of the top ranks, if she entries with a weak song, she certainly won’t do it. And this applies to any other artist.

David Thielen
David Thielen
10 years ago

@anthony – I think Adele is the one artist who would be able to surmount all that. She’s such an amazing star that how she does at Eurovision won’t define her.

Emily
Emily
10 years ago

Losing Eurovision wouldn’t necessarily hurt Adele’s career. Look at Samira Said. She got second to last place (undeservably), but today, she is one of the biggest names in the Arabic world.

Omar
Omar
10 years ago

I think Adele would win without a doubt the contest, but that would make the other countries not to make any effort to win because they know they can’t win with Adele in the contest, so this would be a boring contest.
I would love to see Leah McFall, (2nd place in The Voice UK) God, she is amazing and with a good song she could return back the contest to the UK.

Padders Jenkins
Padders Jenkins
10 years ago

Of course she should do it. She should check her bank balance, know and understand that in the normal manner in which pop careers go there is no way she can top her previous release sales wise, and so why not just do Eurovision, have some fun and take the pressure of herself and enjoy the rest of her life.

PACO
10 years ago

En mi modesta opinion un artista ya consagrado se le castiga en esc,la historia lo dice.Alemania 1977,Luxenburgo 1978, Noa de Israel,cascada son ejemplo de que la estrategia cantante famoso mas esc no funciona.

What?
What?
10 years ago

Adele = Adelรฉn, right?
The norwegian bombo girl.

Anthony
Anthony
10 years ago

David, Any current successful artist from the UK would end up having the Eurovision equivalent of the ‘club vs country’ footballing debate.

So Ewan’s right. Until the relationship between Eurovision and the UK’s mainstream music industry is ‘safe’, then all A-list artists will shun the opportunity of representing the UK at Eurovision, knowing they’ll get absolutely slaughtered for doing it. The rest of Europe have sent their biggest stars and they don’t have a problem with it.

David Thielen
10 years ago

Everyone says Eurovision is a joke and top talent must win if they enter. I disagree. First off, the quality of the acts are amazingly good (with a few exceptions). Eurovision is not a joke, it’s a showcase for some very talented people. Second, participating would be a cool thing for any artist. No matter how successful any artist is, taking part in Eurovison is something they can take great pride in. She would be representing the UK in the largest musical event of the year – that’s something unique and special. Third, yes there would be the expectation that… Read more »

Alex
Alex
10 years ago

not a chance. you guys forgot to mention that Adele does NOT need Eurovision to be successful and famous. Things would be different if BBC and UK media in general had treated Eurovision not as a circus but as a serious business and a grand tv show watched by millions worldwide. I blame it on EBU as well for not working harder about fair results, kicking out countries who cheat and inviting popular artists to perform. I think that Leona Lewis would be a great choice. She’s not as successful as she used to be but she’s still relevant and… Read more »

boo
boo
10 years ago

Don’t send someone famous. She will get punished for it.
If you send her, I hope she not only gets bottom 5 placing (it’s guaranteed), but also 0 points. I would laugh how stupid she was that she agreed to come to this carnival.
Do a national final, send SONG!!!

Ewan Spence
10 years ago

Yep we covered this last year (2012) – it’s an interesting thought but you;ve not addressed the biggest issue… the relationship between Adele, the UK mainstream media, and Eurovision. Until you can make it ‘safe’ for a british artist to not win Eurovision, you’ll struggle to get A-list names.

http://www.escinsight.com/2012/10/05/james-bond-and-adele-can-win-eurovision-for-the-united-kingdom/

Dhani
10 years ago

HAHAHAHAHA NEVER GONNA HAPPEN

Arianna
10 years ago

Nah
Should’ve entered when she was just starting out, but obviously she didn’t need to haha. I think it would be a step down for her. Not Eurovision bashing, but I mean she’s already achieved greater things. It may be underwhelming for her.

Although, it is a perfect time. She’s still going strong, yet has some years behind her in the music industry. She isn’t that old school :P! She’d probably have a killer ballad.

diane
diane
10 years ago

If we keep saying that “Oh that artist too good for Eurovision…” or “Eurovision is just for beginner” or whatever, then nobody would see this contest seriously. We keep moaning about how bad the entrants in recent years and how cheesy the performances were, but at the same time, we keep saying that “No no no, she/he’s too good for Eurovision” then the question is, what do we want? Eurovision will be the same condition until a country (or serious artist) take this contest very seriously. I love what Anouk and Margaret Berger brought this year, and I love what… Read more »

Leon
Leon
10 years ago

Yea I don’t see how Eurovision would help Adele. It’s not like people who watch eurovision don’t know who she is. And as mentioned earlier, Adele is too big for Eurovision. Maybe Cheryl Cole? I mean she’s big but she’s not Adele

David Thielen
10 years ago

I think this would be absolutely amazing. And as you said it would be good for Adele and Eurovision. I would love to see this happen.

Charles
Charles
10 years ago

Eurovision has always been a starting point for brand new artists from all over Europe as they get recognition and success in their birth country. Eurovision is also an humiliating step for people who worked their ass off and has achieved success and recognition for years outside of the Eurovision umbrella. Adele is way better and way more than “lost-musical-credibility”-Eurovision. Having said this … keep the great ones away from this or they shall be treated like trash and focus on regaining musical credibility by being the best performer one can be and to let the music speak for itself… Read more »

eurana
eurana
10 years ago

Eurovision Song Contest it is for begginers and unknown singers as Loreen (2012), Robeto Bellarosa placed12th (Voice of Belgium), Dina Garipova (Voice of Russia placed 5th , Emmelie De Forest winner (Denmark 2013), etc.
The contest does not need a senior singer to win.

D
D
10 years ago

I doubt she’d do it, but she definitely could win for the UK. But I do think some other lesser-known artists from the UK could do very well, such as Charli XCX, V.V. Brown, or Delilah. I think those types of artists are what BBC should go for. Young and popular, but not too popular.

Ivan
Ivan
10 years ago

In my opinion, to think about an artist in a contest where you vote a song is stupid. That’s why Belgium, San Marino or Austria won’t win too soon, they firstly choose the singer not thr song. UK doesn’t need Adele for Eurovision, they need a good song, even if it is sang by a person who isn’t a professional musician if he cando a good job.

Angus Quinn
Editor
10 years ago

It’s a nice sentiment but she’d never do it in a million years. It’s exactly what they said about Blue in 2011 (not a fair comparison I know but bear withโ€ฆ) – there’d be a really strong chance she’d walk home to victory by a huge margin, but there’s also the chance she’d lose which would be a colossal embarrassment. The contest also isn’t the same as the one Celine and ABBA sang at in the 80s and the 70s – it’s bigger now and it’s a lot harder to win home. That’s what scares big international acts off it,… Read more »

beccaboo1212
10 years ago

Good idea ๐Ÿ™‚