In a departure from the format of previous national selections in the United Kingdom, the process in 2009 was all about finding the singer to represent the nation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Behind the scenes, selection manager Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Grammy Award winning songwriter Diane Warren were busy writing the song which the winning artist will sing in Moscow in May.
The final show opened with the three finalists singing a rendition of Bucks Fizz's 1981 contest winner Making Your Mind Up. Following that, each act had to perform three songs. A song they hadn't performed before, a song they had performed in a previous show and the Eurovision Song Contest entry My Time. Andrew Lloyd Webber was once again joined by Lulu and Duncan James from boy band Blue who gave their feedback after the performances. Andrew encouraged the televoting audience not to vote for their local hero, but to vote for who could represent their nation best in Moscow.
Finally the waiting was over. The results were announced. In third place was Mark. In second place were The Twins which meant the winner was Jade. See the UK song below.
Webber on stage?
Jade Ewen is from East London, and is the eldest of three children. As a child she attended dance school and entered numerous talent competitions. She won a scholarship to the Sylvia Young stage school at the age of 11. During her time there she also had a number of television appearances including The Bill and Casualty.
"This year, I think, the UK have decided to take it a bit more seriously," Jade told Eurovision.tv in an interview. "Hopefully to prove to rest of Europe we do care about the contest and it's serious to us. Hopefully it pays off."
Talking about her co-operation with the world-famous composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, she was naturally very positive. "I love working with Andrew," she said. "He's very passionate about music and that's what we have in common."
"Hopefully he'll join me in Moscow, he hasn't confirmed anything yet but I'd love him to be there because I think it'd help," the young singer hoped. You can see the whole interview below.
Jade will perform in the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest on the 16th of May in Moscow. Read more about her on her Artist Profile.
