Eurovision is widely regarded as a celebration and Olly Alexander is ready to leave y’all “Dizzy” at the afterparty. The UK’s representative for Eurovision 2024 has officially released his entry.
The song went live on all streaming platforms at midnight — on the turn of 1 March. The music video is scheduled to drop at 08:00 GMT.
But that’s not it for the big release day. Olly will sit down with the BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows on Friday morning for his first comments on the release. Finally, he’ll speak with the BBC’s Eurovision commentator, Graham Norton, in a special programme on Friday evening at 22:40 GMT.
Olly Alexander – “Dizzy” (UK Eurovision 2024)
The song is a collab with the noted producer Danny L Harle, who worked on Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” and Charli XCX’s “Anthems,” among others.
Writing on Instagram, Olly previously conveyed his enthusiasm for Eurovision and framed it as an opportunity to start releasing solo music under his own name. Since 2021 he’s been the sole remaining member of the group Years & Years but has kept releasing music under that name.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long long time and it feels like the right moment to start releasing music under my own name. I’m determined to give it everything I’ve got. i shall put on an excellent and unforgettable performance for you all!! let’s do this!!!”
BBC viewers will remember that Olly has a long-standing relationship with the corporation. He helped ring in 2022 as the star of the BBC’s annual New Year’s Eve broadcast, performing a series of his hits in the build-up to midnight. He also duetted with Kylie Minogue.
Olly has earned five UK top 10 singles and two number one albums over the past decade with Years and Years. As the BBC reports, the group has also hit the charts in Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden — all of which vote at Eurovision.
On the day of his artist announcement, Olly Alexander told the BBC:
“I’ve loved watching Eurovision ever since I was a little kid and I’m beyond excited to be taking part next year. As a young boy I always looked forward to this incredible event of unbridled joy, the wonderfully chaotic mix of musical styles, theatrical performances, heartfelt emotion and humour. I really can’t believe I’m going to be a part of such a special legacy and fly the flag for the UK in the gayest way possible, it shall be an honour! I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and it feels like the right moment to start releasing music under my own name. I’m determined to give it everything I’ve got and put on an excellent and unforgettable performance for you all!”
What are your first impressions of “Dizzy”? Can Olly Alexander take the UK to the top of the scoreboard at Eurovision 2024? Let us know in the comments below.
Ahh, Olly, firstly I love you so much. I know you love Eurovision too, and you expect this song to be critiqued and torn to pieces, so it looks like this is what is happening now. I’m sorry about that. I’m not going to join the full Chorus yet at this point, but I do usually take part when the Wiwi Jury happens towards April time, so please be prepared for every note of “Dizzy” to be analysed then. At first listen, I do hear some good things in “Dizzy,” but realistically it is losing out to more interesting and… Read more »
Dear Purple Mask, we roll out the red carpet in April.
No serious.
Its a super interesting ESC this year.
Nowhere else in the internet I read so much negative comments about any of the songs. Why? Every song has its own vibe. If you don’t vibe with it, that’s on you. Music is never bad unless it really offends feelings or cultural identities.
Chill with people the song is fun and good! In the mediocre this year line up of novelty entries and generic women dance songs this is fabulous
Inoffensive yet somewhat bland and wafer thin – it’s not going anywhere. Will I vote for it? I’m afraid not!
It maybe needs a few spins, but i really love Dizzy. There’s something hypnotic about it.
Agreed
nothing hypnotic about that generic plastic snoozefest, hopefully UK will have huge financial problems as of next year, let them suffer in poverty
Why would you wish poverty on people?
Mehhh..
After all that hype, this is pretty weak. It’s not awful like a regular UK song, but somewhere in the pack with last year. Not a contender.
I hope the spoken part is better than Mae Muller’s.
I liked her studio cut way more than this tbh. But I expect he will be better live.
I think this is great!
Since he was announced as a UK representative, lot of other countries have published their songs and we got some good songs out already. So this feels like a let down to many. My main issue is that there is no dynamics in this song, it doesn’t go anywhere really. For this to stand out among 26 songs in the final staging needs to be the next level or everyone else needs to flop. Also, I know it’s true to his style but the song feels like it’s AI generated. I know it’s not but it feels like it, I… Read more »
This Is a Gay Song
This is the first time I’ve liked uk’s song for years and years. No pun intended
Not fantastic but with a wise staging it might do well. Like top 15 at the very least.
i’d never ever vote for the UK, because of them being troll brexiteers
I think you misunderstand the nature of Eurovision. You vote for the song, not the country’s politics.
of course i vote for the song, and that song ain’t it for me lol
i also didn’t vote for Space Man in 2022, so i’m consistent at the very least
Poland deserves more love if i have to stand up for one of the quite disliked entries of the year, and Spain i do not get the many dislikes either, and also no hate for Ukraine (i myself am just already happy Queen Jerry finally is going to the iconic esc stage)
So you won’t vote for UK because of Brexit, but you say you vote for songs you like. So if the UK released a song you do like, you wouldn’t vote? Doesn’t make sense. I like Poland’s entry too, but it won’t stop me voting for Luna just because Poland has poor LGBT legislation.
United Kingdom 6,5/12
I know this is too late to be picked up for William and Deban’s reaction video, but I want to offer this thought anyway. I think the approach here is for Dizzy to just be the debut single of “Olly Alexander”, be a commercial success and it just so happens to take part (and do well) in Eurovision as part of its life span and this is beneficial for the reputation of the contest nationally. San Remo allows Italy to take a similar approach, but the Italian delegation always prepare a Eurovision version of their song that only appears on… Read more »
Being a fan of Years and Years, I know Olly is capable of doing better than this, but this song is good on its own and reflects the change of direction he wants to go for.
I liked it anyways, it’s sultry and catchy and if he nails it live, it’ll do better than people expect. It’s a proper radio hit in a sea of “crazy” and out-of-the-box entries, it’ll stand out.
It absolutely, positively will not stand out. That is guaranteed.
Nothing is guaranteed at Eurovision!
Such an ordinary and generic. Still might avoid bottom5, rather 2017 kind result?
At this point, I can only say that this song is good but generic and does not stand out. We need to wait for the rehearsals to judge and say with more certainty how he might do in the scoreboard. There should be worse songs than this in the final, for sure. The thing in Eurovision is who stands out from the rest, those songs get the televotes.
People said the exact same thing about Sound of Silence not standing out in 2016, and then Dami Im smashed it on stage with an unforgettable live performance. A safe, radio friendly song became a Eurovision classic and runner up. Like you say, it’ll be interesting to see how Olly brings Dizzy alive on stage in May.
Even studio/preview Sound of Silence was in another level. Can’t even be compared to this! xD
This one is interesting to see how it will end up surely it depends how it will look and sound like on stage. I would like it to go well to have a chance to see more big names competing.
We have to wait and see. From my 30 year experience with Eurovision, I can safely claim that A good song performed poorly might do better than expected. A good song is essential even if the performance is not flawless. A mediocre or bad song with the best staging can only do better than expected but not much. That being said, I feel that a good song (different, strong, powerful, interesting) is crucial. All others come second. For example, Denmark’s Saba “Sand” entry is mediocre on its own (not bad but not something special either). But her confidence and the… Read more »
I agree the song is crucial after all it is a song contest. I believe Olly has the experience to uplift this. To what level is the big question.
I feel this is a bit bland 🙁 expected more, the only way this could be elevated is through staging, let’s see what happens
A song should have hooks or elements to structure the staging around if you want to make a difference. I am afraid the song is what it is, no hooks or exciting elements. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Swiss song. It’s an interesting song, has hooks and elements to be excited for or long for during the performance. Then a good stage artist can work wonders. If the song is bland and repetitive, there’s not much to be done. Only a fantastic performance by Olly can save the song and (perhaps) make it stand out from… Read more »
Interestingly, UK reviews are not overenthusiastic (I don’t necessarily agree)
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/mar/01/olly-alexander-dizzy-review-its-a-sinful-ripoff-from-the-uks-eurovision-entry
https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/olly-alexander-dizzy-eurovision-review-2935043
I am actually quite saddened by this… it is too generic of a pop song to leave any real impact on me and I was hoping for so much more. What will probably save this from the right side of the scoreboard is Olly’s name recognition, the juries (which will probably also mark this higher than they would the same song from a less established artist) and hopefully a good performance and staging. This poses no threat to win… this same song attached to an unknown name, and since it’s the UK we are talking about… would probably tank.
I am just wondering why they build so much suspense and anticipation around songs. They usually overhype and the expectations get extremely high. Then, reality makes things underwhelming and disappointment is inevitable.
I think in this case the hype was more around Olly than the song. Just because he’s the most famous competitor this year and I guess it was expected that someone of this caliber and so contemporary would bring something really special.
I see UK is going for another last 10 this year.
15th place and below is my prediction, based solely on the song. Perhaps he will give the performance of his life on stage. However the song is not that promising for such a performance.
I agree that it is underwhelming but the general standard is very low this year. Weakest year in many.
I really like this! I don’t think this is competitive enough for Eurovision but I will def. put this on my playlist!
Sorry I meant eulogising…..if that’s spelt right !!!
Another example of UK die hard fans eulogiing about a bang average song. I knew this would happen. Over hyped as always. Remember last year. Wiwijuries had it in 6th place. Please hold off making this a top 5 until you hear this sung live. I worry about his vocals. Also, there are so many up tempo fun songs this year that this song runs the risk of being swallowed up.
Its a pleasant song. It has a merry-go round feel to it (puppet on a string) which I like, I’m not keen on the Ding-Dong bells repeat, this horribly reminds me of Dana International’s failed comeback song in Dusseldorf. Like many Danny L Harle productions it maintains the same energy throughout where typical Eurovision successes have an impactful moment / climax / big note which seems missing from Dizzy. I would have liked the final chorus to have more of a lift or be more layered musically. I prefer the tune for the verses than chorus so its a shame… Read more »
Ding Dong was my own personal fav back then…in…2011?
This is not bad. Very slick. Just not remarkable enough
How would Pet Shop Boys be received if they were the U.K. act? They seem perfect, but maybe hold the risk of being perceived as a heritage act. They have a new album out next month, a new song Loneliness out now… what’s stopping them?
Probably a combination of profound long-internalised queer shame and a defensive sense of artistic superiority to participating in TV-music performance format contests.
Or maybe they just can’t be bothered
Ollie actually featured on Pet Shop Boys last album, on the song Dreamland. They also performed It’s A Sin together for a New Year’s Eve concert. If UK win this year, I will expect them to at least appear as an interval act!
(I didn’t know any of that last night)
A google search revealed this https://eurovision.tv/story/pet-shop-boys-we-had-eurovision-in-mind
I’m glad they didn’t send ‘Winner’ to Eurovision (one of their weakest songs for me), but would have loved something like Love is a Bourgeois Construct or Integral.
Very interesting, thank you!
Neil probably was thinking of that song because of the title and lyrics. I think I actually would have preferred that to Engelbert.
It’s never too late! Maybe Ollie will inspire them for 2025. Apart from the music, their striking visuals are perfect too.
They are too Legenday to compete in a song contest. They better make a world tour for all of us to enjoy.
Bonnie Tyler was legendary!
They’re terrible live
I have a feeling juries will eat this up
it’s just OK… and he’s quite annoying btw
This sounds heavily inspired by Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s A Sin’ and that is why I love this entry. I have it on repeat!
I like the nostalgic vibe but nothing to wow about
My thoughts exactly.
Will the staging involve a Sanna Nielsen “I’m in Love” style turntable?
The video seems to suggest it might.
This is amazing. Pop on a highest level. Yes it has some of Pet Shop Boys vibes and I LOVE Pet Shop Boys. Looks like UK will be high in the results this year. Good luck to this catchy and feel-good entry!
I was thinking of Erasure, but you’re right
You actually think this is amazing. Wow that’s really surprising. I think it’s throwaway tripe. What’s your views on the good songs that are on offer.
That face is definitely annoying…
Your face?
No, I meant yours
The irony of your name
That was mean and not really necessary but ok, it’s your right to not like his face or mine or anybody else’s face. He is cute I find.
On first listen it feels a bit one-dimensional in its sound, it stays at the same level pretty much the whole way through, feeling like it needs a bigger finish. The video itself looked expensive and there is a lot of potential staging wise but in a year where there are a lot of in-your-face songs (Finland/Croatia etc., not songs I’m a fan of personally) it might get lost.
As a UK based fan, bit underwhelmed. Definitely not in contention for the win.
One other thing, if Olly doesn’t do that well and it hurts chart success too it might affect any other more established names making the choice to compete.
Maybe something continental europeans should consider when voting, give it a bad result then you will unlikely see any big names again approaching Eurovision.
Not bad but suspense is over : it won t fight on the same field as the netherlands. i Like the total 90 s chorus but…. It doesn t bring as much as i would have liked.. like it but i m still hungry you know what i mean…
I mean switzerland not the netherlands sorry
It’s actually better than I had expected after having heard the snippet.
Anyone else getting Christmas single vibes from the “bells” in the background?
When i read comments before listening, i thought we would have another “Bigger Than Us” type of bland song, but this is not that bad really.
The beginning of the song i find the strongest bit, so i would have wanted a bit stronger chorus after that amazing production at the start.
The song definitely is very Savage Garden vibes which i actually enjoy,
so i truly hope it won’t end up in bottom 5, it deserves better.
Goodluck UK!
Completely see where you are coming from with Savage Garden vibes because Olly does have a similar style to Darren Hayes vocal tone and style! Fantastic shout out!
more similar style to Thomas Anders (i wonder if he’ll notice it too, Thomas is a massive eurovision fan btw, he never schedules concerts on the dates when the shows are on tv)
Are you ok? As one of Savage Gardens biggest fans I do not see how it is similar in anyway to Darren Hayes or Savage Garden. You are crazy
I must confess I was worried for Olly when he was announced as the UK representative because there was a lot of hype around him and there was no song to back him up. Now there is quite a few comments saying it generic, mediocre, radio friendly, repetitive and it just another pop song. This is who Olly is as a music artist and I think it best he stay true to himself as a music artist. I do believe he will get televotes because Olly name is attached to the song and it kind of remind me of the… Read more »
Exactly!
Why pander to Europe and send weird kooky which would also not be well received in this country and wouldn’t do any favours for Olly achieving chart success in this country. Mainstream is mainstream for a reason it sells and is popular it shouldn’t be considered a bad thing.
Congrats UK!!
Excellent video.
Nice beat as well.
I miss a proper hook tho building up to the end.
Olly is a professional artist so I assume they know what they are doing.
Good Luck.
This is a typical British track, Olly’s style of music. Not a winner material of course but a good solid song that will do well on the UK charts. For ESC it is a middle of the road material, could do even better depending on staging . Although Olly is very well known “brand” in the UK, I’m not sure how large is his fanbase outside the UK. Uk probably will not win any tome soon unless they understand the essence of ESC. Sam did well due to many different factors but personally did not like his song.
Alternative doesn’t work in the UK though, if you want to make Eurovision popular here or continue to hack into younger adults then sending radio friendly established artists is what will work.
Not as good as I expected but not the worst of this year. I want Olly to succeed just because I’d like to believe it might encourage other big names of UK to enter the contest.
The Big 5’s have one huge disadvantage…they perform once.
This is difficult, because the fans have already their favourites from semi finals
That’s why Big 5’s need songs to, really, stand out!
Italy & France are there
The rest are forgettable
Ollie’s song isn’t bad but you don’t remember it
Agreed, but it is stuck in my head! I hope his performance is as good as it was in Glastonbury
They perform in semi finals as well
France is a snore fest
It’s nice, it’s safe. It’s not distinctive enough and doesn’t build to that “moment” you need to win.
I have been brought up with Pet Shop Boys and this reminds me so much of that so it gets a plus for that.
Did I expect wonders or something experimental? Nope, just a good song. And I got it. I think this is what UK wanted to do in 2021 but failed.
Solid song
I think its generally good, I like it although it leans a little towards the cheesy side of older Eurovision songs which troubles me (in particular the repetitive ding dong bells notes).
He will smash his performance no doubt.
I really don’t get why people doubt his live vocals, I have seen him live and he was pretty spot on, he sang live two years back on strictly (Sweet Talker) and was note perfect and sang with ease whilst doing a bit of choreo and playing with the camera.
So not a winner for me but a credible placing.
Danny L Harle never misses man, it’s honestly less experimental and more eurovisiony that I hoped but still love it
Eurofans pre 2022: “Just send a credible song that you hear in the UK charts!” *Olly Alexander enters Eurovision with a credible song that you hear in the UK charts* Eurofans today: “Why are you sending a credible song that you hear in the UK charts?!” What do you want from us, Europe?! In all seriousness, is this my favourite song? No. Is this a winner? Probably not. But is this leaps and bounds better than anything we sent pre Sam Ryder! I was worried about all the Olly Alexander hype when he was announced, as he was NEVER going… Read more »
Well said! I’d much rather have this than our pre-Sam entries! Also bear in mind we did host last year so we’re probably not looking to risk winning again so soon…
Right?! The British fandom are something else! Where as some of the other fandoms attack their rivals songs, the Brits savage their own relentlessly. It doesnt matter who represents us or what the song may be, they’re going to get mauled regardless. They did it with Sam Ryder in the run up to the big show, but when he started contending for the win, the Brits started sucking his a** and treated him like he’d just saved their grandma from a purse thief! I saw so many people post hate in the run up to the finals, and then the… Read more »
Nice and true words.
Dont dismiss the dutch ESC fandom for this same matter.
Most of the times there’s a big pile of nasty comments concerning the selected artists. Its never good enough. Also with Anouk, the Common Linnets, S10 and even Duncan.
I hope Olly will bring something cool to the stage in Sweden as well.
All the best of luck.
Enjoy the Ride.
Justice for SCOOCH
I mean that’s what it deserves with Olly Alexander’s calibre most in Eurovision are at amateur street busker level.
The BBC and WiWiblogs created a lot of hype about this entry but I can see it on the lower half of the right side of the scoreboard.
So bland it makes their 2021 entry light years ahead and better.
Splendid bottom 5 material UK! This one will get you so far.