BBC reveals six Eurovision: You Decide hopefuls

British broadcaster BBC have revealed the six acts taking part in Eurovision: You Decide 2018. Among the songwriters, we see familiar Eurovision names such as Ashley Hicklin and Icelandic ace Greta Salóme.

The six acts

Alongside a list of the six acts, BBC have also asked the artists to tell us a little about their songs. We’ve summarised their comments, as well as some background information on the artists, below!

Asanda – Legends

Asanda rose to fame in 2013. Aged just 11 at the time, she entered Britain’s Got Talent and impressed the crowd and viewers. Recently, she’s taken on the role of Tallulah in Bugsy Malone. She describes “Legends” as a unique song with an energetic rhythm and a tribal feel. The message, she says, is inspirational. ”Legends” has been written by Christopher Wortley, Laurell Barker and Roel Rats.

Goldstone – I Feel The Love

Goldstone are a three piece girl band, made up of Rhiannon Porter, Aimie Atkinson and Helen Wint. All three have previously made TV appearances as actresses and singers. They describe their song as hopeful, with a positive look at the future. The song has been written by Eric Lumiere, Joakim Buddee, Laura White and Roel Rats. Laura is best known for placing eighth on the fifth series of The X Factor UK, famously losing out to Ruth Lorenzo in what many fans call “one of the best sing-offs in the show’s history”. Most recently, Laura was the vocalist on Galantis & Hook n Sling’s UK top 20 hit “Love On Me”.

Jaz Ellington – You

Jaz Ellington is a soul singer with tons of experience. Back in 2012, he took part in The Voice UK. After his The Voice adventure, he continued to make music. His song is about a couple where the story teller compares everything his partner does to his true love. A sad, yet beautiful story, he says. The song has been written by Herman Gardarfve, Laura White and Ashley Hicklin. Hicklin has quite a bit of Eurovision experience, having composed “Me And My Guitar” and “Mother” for Belgium in 2010 and 2014.

Liam Tamne – Astronaut

Liam Tamne is a singer and actor. He’s appeared in musicals such as Wicked, Hairspray, Les Misérables, The Rocky Horror Show, The Phantom of the Opera and many more. Like Jaz Ellington, he took part in The Voice UK, albeit in 2013. His song has been described as a song many should be able to relate to. It talks about needing someone to pick us up at some point in our lives.  Ashley Hicklin, Jacob Pedersen, Jeanette Bonde and Rune Braager are the people behind Liam’s song. Bonde took part in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2017 as a singer, performing “Hurricane”.

RAYA – Crazy

RAYA has quite a few talents. She’s performed all over the world and isn’t afraid of a big venue. She’s acted on stage as well as on TV. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also a dancer, vocal coach and DJ. Her song is, she says, extremely catchy and upbeat. She describes it as fresh and commercial, with the theme being falling in love.

The song has been composed by Emil Rosendal Lei, Greta Salóme and Samir Salah Elshafie. Greta Salóme, of course, took part in two Eurovision Song Contests: 2012 and 2016.

SuRie – Storm

The third musical actor in Eurovision: You Decide is SuRie. She recently starred as Fantine in the twentieth anniversary of Les Misérables. She took part in Eurovision twice before as a backing vocal. In Kyiv, she was a backing vocal for Belgian fan favourite Blanche and in Vienna, she did the same for Loïc Nottet. She calls her song a ‘smash’, a dynamic combination of a piano lead with a singer/songwriter start, building up to an anthemic and soulful pop party. The people behind “Storm” are Nicole Blair, Gil Lewis and Sean Hargreaves.

Ken Bruce to play Eurovision: You Decide songs

We expect the BBC to release the entries soon. They have however also confirmed that Ken Bruce will play all entries during his radio shows this week.

Eurovision: You Decide 2018 will take place on 7th February. The Brighton Dome will host the show for the first time. Returning as host will be Mel Giedroyc. This year, she will be joined by Swedish Eurovision winner and host Måns Zelmerlöw. 

In Kyiv, Lucie Jones flew the United Kingdom flag at the Eurovision Song Contest. The Welsh singer finished in fifteenth place with her “Never Give Up On You”.