SuRie to bring a storm to Lisbon for the United Kingdom!

Eurovision: You Decide, the UK's national selection for Eurovision 2018 saw six acts battle it out for the right to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. The final was broadcast live from Brighton Dome, the site of ABBA’s 1974 Eurovision Song Contest win with Waterloo. The show was hosted by 2015 Eurovision Song Contest winner Måns Zelmerlöw and popular BBC presenter Mel Giedroyc. The night belonged to SuRie who won the contest and will now represent the UK in Lisbon in May. After the results were announced she told host Mel Giedroyc that she would celebrate with "a bottle of something bubbly and a straw".

About SuRie

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.

With classical roots in piano, voice and oboe, SuRie's musical career started early as a child soloist, performing for the likes of HRH Prince Charles in iconic British venues such as The Royal Albert Hall and St. Paul's Cathedral and at venues all around the world, including St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

A graduate of The Royal Academy of Music, she started writing songs when she was just 12 years old. SuRie has held residencies in Jazz lounges throughout London and performed backing vocals for artists like Chris Martin and Will Young. Read more about SuRie.

Making your mind up in 2018

Six acts were selected for the 2018 final of Eurovision: You Decide. Read more. 

• Asanda - Legends 
• Goldstone - I Feel The Love 
• Jaz Ellington - You
• Liam Tamne - Astronaut 
• RAYA - Crazy 
• SuRie - Storm

The script for the show was written by Edward af Sillén, who also wrote the script for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. Edward took to Twitter and shared a picture of Mel and Måns during rehearsals for the show in Brighton:

After each performance a special panel were on hand to provide their critique of the songs and artists, and give their view on how the entries could translate to the Eurovision stage in Portugal. The panel consisted of Rylan (singer and television personality), Rochelle Humes (member of The Saturdays) and Tom Fletcher (member of McFly). After she won, SuRie recorded a special message for her supporters:

The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest

The United Kingdom made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 and has only missed two contests (the first in 1956 and the third in 1958). The UK has won the Eurovision Song Contest on five occasions and finished second a record 15 times. In total the country has placed inside the top three on 23 occasions! 

In recent years the UK hasn't fared so well in the Eurovision Song Contest, having finished in the bottom five several times in the past decade. The BBC has experimented with a variety of different selection formats, including internal selections before returning to a national final in 2016. Last year Lucie Jones represented the United Kingdom in Kyiv with Never Give Up On You, scoring the best placing for the country in years. 

As a member of the so-called Big Five, the United Kingdom automatically qualifies to compete in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest. For more information about the UK selection visit the website of the BBC.

Mel's musical journey

Later this year Mel Giedroyc will join the cast of Elliott & Harper’s highly anticipated new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Tony award-winning musical, Company. It will run at the Gielgud Theatre in London from 26th September 2018 for a limited run. Mel will play Sarah, and joins Rosalie Craig as Bobbi, a role re-imagined for the first time as a woman, and Broadway star Patti LuPone as Joanne.