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Which of these acts will represent the United Kingdom in 2018?

24 January 2018 at 01:01 CET
United Kingdom rehearsal 2017 Thomas Hanses
The BBC has confirmed the names of the six acts and songs that are in the running to represent the United Kingdom at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.

Hosted by Mel Giedroyc and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, Måns Zelmerlöw, the 2018 UK national selection will be broadcast live from Brighton Dome at 20:30 CET on Wednesday 7th February. The venue is the site of ABBA's famous Eurovision victory in 1974 with Waterloo.

You can listen to all six songs on the BBC website as well as on YouTube.

Who is in the running to represent the UK?

The six competing artists and songs in 2018:

Asanda - Legends - written by Christopher Wortley, Laurell Barker & Roel Rats

16-year-old school girl Asanda first wowed the British public when she appeared on the 2013 series of Britain's Got Talent aged 11. Simon Cowell and his fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams took her through to the finals of the competition after watching her sassy renditions of hits by Beyoncé and Rihanna. Read more about Asanda.

Goldstone - I Feel The Love - written by Eric Lumiere, Joakim Buddee, Laura White & Roel Rats

Formed in 2013, the girls from Goldstone are vocal powerhouses, comfortable with performing live in front of audiences of all shapes and sizes, be they intimate UK gigs or international concerts in front of thousands. Each member is a talent in their own right, each having carved out a professional career in music and on stage. Read more about Goldstone.

Jaz Ellington - You - written by Ashley Hicklin, Herman Gardarfve & Laura White 

As a seasoned vocal arranger for many years, London-based Jaz has been involved with music for a good 15 years of his life. Growing up, he was exposed to the likes of Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross, who left a profound impact on his vocal style. Read more about Jaz Ellington.

Liam Tamne - Astronaut - written by Ashley Hicklin, Jacob Pedersen, Jeanette Bonde & Rune Braager

Trained as an actor at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey, Liam has an impressive and extensive list of theatre credits to his name. From Raoul in Phantom of the Opera to Link Larkin in Hairspray; West End star Liam has the incredible ability to convey true emotion to any role he plays with impecible stage presence. Read more about Liam Tamne

RAYA - Crazy - written by Emil Rosendal Lei, Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir & Samir Salah Elshafie

With years of professional performance experience, RAYA is a singer, dancer and DJ. Graduating from BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music Institute) London College with the award for The Best Performer of the Year, she's since gone on to provide backing vocals for Hurts, danced for Little Mix and has appeared in the TV drama Mr Selfridge. Read more about RAYA.

SuRie - Storm - written by Nicole Blair, Gil Lewis & Sean Hargreaves

SuRie is an actress and singer who is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest, appearing as a backing singer for Loïc Nottet in 2015 and Blanche at Eurovision 2017. Read more about SuRie.

Songwriting success at Eurovision

Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir, who co-wrote Crazy, has represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 2012 and 2016.

Ashley Hicklin, who is part of the team behind You and Astronaut, has a record of previous success in the Eurovision Song Contest having written Belgium's entry in 2010, Me And My Guitar. He has also written songs for Waylon, who will represent The Netherlands at Eurovision 2018

Måns Zelmerlöw teased the audience about what they can expect from the songs ahead of the big reveal:

The format in 2018

The performers will take to the stage in a bid to impress both the viewers at home and a professional jury at Brighton Dome during the 90-minute show. After each performance, a panel of experts will be on hand to provide their critique about the songs and the artists.

The winner will be revealed on the night after the results from the live public vote have been combined with the results from the professional jury. Tickets to attend the event are available via bbc.co.uk/eurovision.

Lucie Jones represented the United Kingdom in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest after winning Eurovision: You Decide. In Kyiv she scored the UK's best placing for years with the song Never Give Up On You.