Earlier today, the BBC unveiled its new selection method for Eurovision 2022. Now pop icons Dua Lipa and Sir Elton John are backing the plan and lending their support.
BBC Studios, which produces the BBC’s coverage of Eurovision, will now collaborate with TaP Music — the global music publishing and management company behind global stars like Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Ellie Goulding.
And Dua Lipa has come out in support of the new selection method. The pop diva said, “I’m a proud Brit whilst also being a proud Kosovan. I’m happy to lend my manager to the cause. I’ll be cheering them on!”
Dua Lipa is currently riding high with the international success of “Cold Heart (Pnau remix)”, a collaboration with the pop legend Sir Elton John.
The iconic pop pianist has also put his weight behind the BBC’s new collaboration with TaP Music. Sir Elton said, “There aren’t many televised events that are as big and global as Eurovision, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to remind the world yet again of the depth and diversity of our talent. I can’t wait to see what gems our friends at TaP Music will unearth.”
The Spice Girl’s power vocalist Mel C also had supportive comments. She said, “The Brits make fantastic pop music. Not only that, we invented it! Isn’t it about time we started showing the rest of Europe what we can do and put our best foot forward when it comes to Eurovision?”
Who will represent the UK at Eurovision 2022?
BBC radio reporter Steve Holden revealed some more details about the selection process. He spoke to TaP Music’s Ben Mawson who confirmed that Britain’s artist for Turin had no yet been selected. The music manager said “We should focus on getting some really special music and a really special artist that represents Britain in the best possible way.”
2/ According to Ben, no artist or song has been picked yet but he says “we should focus on getting some really special music and a really special artist that represents Britain in the best possible way”. #Eurovision
— Steve Holden (@SteveHReports) October 20, 2021
While TaP Music has plenty of famous music stars on its roster, there is no suggestion that one of its A-list acts will be heading to the Turin stage in May. However, the label also has relationships with talented up-and-coming acts — who may see Eurovision as a good way to take their music career to the next level.
The BBC’s new collaboration with TaP Music brings an end to the broadcaster’s short-lived partnership with music company BMG, which it announced in September 2019. That resulted in the selection of James Newman for Eurovision 2020 and, following its cancellation, his re-selection for Eurovision 2021. His song “Embers” finished last with zero points from both the public and professional jury.
What do you think? Is it a good sign that Dua Lipa and Elton John are supporting the UK’s new Eurovision plans? Which TaP Music artist would you like to see represent the UK in Turin? Tell us your thoughts below!
Looks like they finally got it right this time.
At least it will not be Frock Destroyers..
The fact that we are talking UK entry now and not in March suggest for me that the team are taking it more seriously
All this hype and then they give us a song that you hear at shopping malls lol. when are they going to learn that THIS is their exact problem?? No one cares about all this name dropping. Becuase X person’s one time songwriter is writing our entry that means we will win.. or sending blue and bonnie tyler means we will win. GET A NEW STRATEGY UK.. people only care about what you provide in those 3 mins on stage
Everyone is acting as if a great song and success for the UK at Eurovision is inevitable and I think people simply need to hold their horses.
not only that but the people who will get angry at us for saying this DO NOT vote for the UK on the night lool. the irony
They haven’t explained how the collaboration with TaP is different from the collaboration with BMG or any of the previous methods the UK has used at Eurovision. Also the big names like Dua Lipa and Elton John praising TaP is meaningless because surely none of them are actually going to compete at Eurovision. I’m not convinced this selection method will lead to any success until I hear the song.
Elton John did co-write a song for the 1969 selection show for the UK that year. The difference between the two is size as TaP is selective in the artists they managed and Ben Mawson is well known in the industry.
End of the day it’s about the artist, song and live performance. So let’s see what happens.
Sounds hella GOOD! The only thing I see as an issue here is, what if TaP produces an extremely mainstream song hard to stage? There are plenty of songs this way in ESC previous years and it didn’t end quite well. I also think the british team can sort it out, though. Cheers!
I’m pretty sure it’ll be Chelcee Grimes, she’s been very involved with ESC/BBC the last couple of years.
OMG i am crying. this is great news y’all! a professional and serious approach for Eurovision. Having them say that ESC is a big platform and acknowledging that it’s not as valued as it should be, is a great achievement and step!!! They seem to be invested and determined to succeed. They repeated the word ‘diverse talent’ which makes me thing they are going for a different entry in 2022. They will make sure the song is a hit on charts. Can’;t wait! Well done BBC and Tap music and the UK fans better be more accepting of this approach.
The UK also tried a professional and serious approach with BMG and we all know how that turned out.
That’s the type of thinking we expect from them, not that lame victimism-europe-hates-us-whatever.
Fingers crossed ×
It does help that Elton John did have a Eurovision connection as he was part of a fund-raising event-slash-ESC watch party in Vienna where he went live to greet the presenters in 2003. 😀
Elton John appeared and Paul McCartney offered the British act support. Shame the act was Jemini.
Elton tried to enter in 1969, writing a song for Lulu. Maybe he has some unfinished business.
dua lipa has the best team in pop rn. if her songs get a lukewarm commercial reception, warner will FORCE them to become hits thru massive radio and spotify playlisting. i confide that whoever comes out of this selection will not only have a cool-sounding, streaming-friendly song, but also the right amount of promotion to help it do well both at esc and in the charts.
This is very unpredictable. They could send a bland song like the one in 2020 or McDonalds 2014 song like this year, but from the other side it could be something really amazing. So we’ll see , fingers crossed.
No they won’t pick a bland song, didn’t you read the announcement?
As long as they don’t produce an X factor final performance I ll be happy.
they know it’s not working so they won’t repeat the same entries.
It’s still going to be hit or miss for UK ESC entrees. Yes, it’s good to have professionals evaluate the songs but there is no longer a formula for success at the contest. The best thing, is to go for an authentic artist (wrote the song for themselves) who also has great stage presence and charisma.
There is no formula but in general a charismatic singer and a very good song that you can remember is a successful formula.
Wow such big names saying good things about Eurovision, it’s not everyday! If it can help to give a boost to the UK and make good publicity for Eurovision I’m happy with that. Now all the big 5 seems to take the thing really seriously.
it’s gonna be Chelcee Grimes.
It’s a real good surprise to see all those Big names of music industry who transcended the borders with their creations talking as positive as that despite the UK bad results. I mean Dua Lipa and Elton John, that’s everything but lambda artists ! They could simply ignore it and dont feel concerned at all but instead of that, they still give it an interest and wish for their country to do well. That’s really a positive attitude to mode forward. I wish the UK the best of luck for Turin 2022 🙂
Wait for people to think one of the artists mentioned will go to ESC!
Interestingly tap records only has 30 artists listed under their name on their website. It might be easy to guess who are the most obvious choices from this small pool. I think Grace Carter would stand a good chance.
https://youtu.be/dtWzfRc6uUs
Or they might go for Italian/British Claudia Valentina?
I would like to say that my hopes aren’t up….but my hopes are up for the uk this year
As every year- we have a chance! ?Let’s hope they pick a unique, great singer to perform.
as Dua, Elton and Mel C have supported it, why don’t they just also try to go themselves? I know this is unlikely, but I also don’t mind if they give us a surprise similar to Flo Rida’s sudden appearance for San Marino. Or, in a far more unlikely way, why don’t BBC and TaP try holding a big, UK-wide national selection show tour, produced in a similar way to Melodifestivalen’s?
”as Dua, Elton and Mel C have supported it, why don’t they just also try to go themselves?” Scheduling conflicts, I guess? I mean, the artist on that scale would have to be a *huge* Eurovision fan to clean out three or so months of tours and production on other projects. Still, Eurovision IS such a huge project on its own, with millions of viewers, and names like Celine Dion and ABBA attached to it.
“iconic part of Swedish culture (music, language)” – yeah, that of course explains the huge amount of mediocre, clean Produced Plastic Pop English Songs, right?
It generates about £5bn a year from the licence fee, so it probably could find some spare change for a selection show.
well, their average yearly revenue since 2010 has been between £4.8 billion and £5.1 billion, so they surely have the budget. but, if a touring show is too much, a one-night final show should be enough. with between eight and twelve songs, slick production similar to the final of Melodifestivalen, and Eurovision-standard venue such as London’s O2 Arena, Manchester’s AO Arena or either of Birmingham’s two arenas (Resorts World Arena and Utilita Arena).
Yeah they should totally bring back You Decide because the British public has always made the right decisions when given the opportunity!!
The annual Christmas Eve special is the only thing that can beat Melodifestivalen, I think.
Aren’t ITV and Channel 4 in the European Broadcasting Union too? What annoys me about the BBC is its outdated attitude to the ESC. They still continue the Wogan tradition of laughing and sneering at foreigners, putting too much emphasis on winning the competition rather than the participation and using it as a foreign jolly for their Radio 1 & 2 presenters to distract viewers from the show and contribute nothing to the spectacle of the biggest annual televised music event in the world. Why can’t UK viewers have the choice to watch the show as it is on Eurovision.TV like… Read more »