Olly Alexander has finally spoken out about the mishap that marred his Eurovision performance in Sweden on Tuesday night.
During an appearance on Lorraine this Wednesday morning, Alexander opened up about the criticism he faced and revealed that a “wardrobe malfunction” was to blame for the difficulties he encountered on stage.
The UK’s hopeful for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest had earlier taken to the stage in Gothenburg for the semi-finals, amidst controversy surrounding his decision to ignore calls to honour the BDS boycott of Eurovision and withdraw from the contest.
However, the furore following Alexander’s first Eurovision show was not centred around his political stance or moral choices. Instead, some BBC viewers criticised the UK entry’s vocal performance during his live rendition of “Dizzy,” the track he’s pinning his hopes on for Saturday night’s final.
Accusations of being “off-key” and “out of tune” were levelled at Alexander by certain fans, while others suggested the 33 year old artist struggled after his mic pack came loose mid-song. “As a gym instructor I know how off putting that is,” sympathised one supporter on Twitter, praising what they saw as an “An amazing performance just got elevated even higher! “, reports the Mirror.
Alexander’s Eurovision journey has been fraught with controversy, as his participation coincides with Israel’s contentious role in the European competition amidst ongoing military actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Palestine. Alexander, who had previously signed a letter denouncing Israel as an “apartheid regime” before being announced as the UK’s contestant in December, has faced backlash from fans and activists for not pulling out of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
In a show of support for Palestinian people last October, Alexander called for a halt to the hostilities between Israel and Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza. The letter from LGBT+ organisation Voices4London condemned Israel as an ‘apartheid regime’ accused of attempting to “ethnically cleanse” Palestinian territories.
Despite mounting pressure to adhere to the BDS movement’s boycott due to Israel’s involvement in Eurovision, Alexander has recently described the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I’m not qualified to speak on.”
In the BBC documentary Olly Alexander’s Road To Eurovision ’24, an emotional Alexander responded to the intense criticism, justifying his decision to resist the boycott demands.
The star of ‘It’s A Sin’ expressed his distress during the documentary, saying: “A lot of the contestants and myself have been having a lot of comments that are like ‘You are complicit in a genocide by taking part in Eurovision’ which is quite extreme. It’s very extreme,” he continued, visibly moved by the severity of the accusations. “I understand where that sentiment is coming from but I think it’s not correct.He continued: “.
He went on to say: “It’s an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I’m not qualified to speak on. The backdrop to this is actual immense suffering. It’s a humanitarian crisis, a war. It just so happens there’s a song contest going on at the same time that I’m a part of.”
Following Alexander’s emotional interview, Queers For Palestine – an activist group – released a statement urging the singer to “consider his place in history” and reminding him it’s “not too late to do the right thing. The statement read: “We share @ollyalexanderr ‘s upset. The European Broadcasting Union has failed him and other contestants by refusing to ban genocidal Israel.
“But by insisting that he knows better than Palestinians Olly Alexander again flaunts a colonial mentality. We reiterate our call on Olly Alexander to boycott Eurovision. Doing no harm to the Palestinian freedom struggle by refusing to be complicit in artwashing genocide is a profound ethical duty. Olly, it’s not too late to do the right thing. This moment could define the rest of your life. Consider your place in history.”
Despite the calls for fans, performers, presenters and entries to boycott the competition, the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest commenced. The show was opened by Eleni Foureira, a former Cyprus contestant, who dazzled the stage with her glittering outfit and backup dancers dressed in black.
Sporting a white tank top, red trousers, and boots, Alexander gave his first-ever performance for the Eurovision Song Contest, complete with an upside-down locker room setup at the Malmo Arena in Sweden.
Eurovision fans from Ireland couldn’t contain their joy when Bambie Thug became the first representative from their country to reach the final in four years. The artist from Cork accomplished this with her thrilling performance of Doomsday Blue during Tuesday’s semi-final.
After the event at the Malmo Arena, Darren O’Connell and Julie McDommell, a couple based in Cork who have been regular attendees of previous Eurovision events, shared their feelings about the evening with the PA news agency. “It’s amazing, because the last couple of years everyone was like, you deserved it and they’re giving me condolences in the bathroom,” Ms McDommell said.
“But this year, it was amazing to go into the arena knowing we had a great chance, but Bambie Thug was incredible.”
