Ahead of the Senedd elections in May, Plaid Cymru have pledged in their manifesto that they will prepare for Wales to enter the Eurovision Song Contest as a nation in its own right, if they win power in the upcoming election.
Many Welsh artists have previously represented the United Kingdom at the contest including Mary Hopkin in 1970, Jessica Garlick in 2002, Bonnie Tyler in 2013 and, more recently, Lucie Jones in 2017. There has only ever been one Welsh Eurovision winner – Nicky Stevens, as a member of Brotherhood of Man, in 1976.
“Let us face the future together”
Plaid Cymru’s leader, Adam Price, launched his party’s manifesto last week with a call for Welsh voters to “face the future together”. The party currently holds the second-most amount of seats in the Senedd, behind the Labour Party, led by Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford.
As part of their pledges for Culture, Media and Sport in Wales, Plaid Cymru have said that they will “prepare a bid” for Wales to enter Eurovision as an independent nation.
We will prepare a bid for Wales to take part as a nation in its own right in the internationally renowned Eurovision song contest.
– Plaid Cymru’s Manifesto 2021 (page 100)
In recent years, Welsh broadcaster S4C has taken part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, with a best result of 18th place in 2019. Wales will not return to the contest this year, due to the current situation of the pandemic.
Wales at the Eurovision Song Contest
In the 1960s, it was proposed for the first time that Wales should enter the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent nation. As a result of this, the music festival Cân i Gymru was launched – which is still held annually in March. The festival would have acted as a national selection for Wales.
The bid to enter Eurovision as an independent nation was unsuccessful but Wales have still take part in several other EBU events, including Jeux Sans Frontières, Eurovision Choir and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
Would you like to see Wales enter the contest as an independent nation? Do you think more representation in the contest is a good thing?
Let us know in the comments below and on social media @ESCXTRA.
