Eurovision - Why Bonnie (And Engelbert Last Year)?

[SkayrKrow]

I'm sure it's been answered somewhere before, probably many times, but why, when the UK has a surplus of singers (thanks or no thanks to shows like X-Factor, The Voice etc) do Bonnie Tyler and Engelbert Humperdinck get chosen to represent us in the competition. I'm not knocking them for being older (I'm almost Bonnie's age anyway), I'm just wondering why we can't put more contemporary singers in the competition.

[emmie]

it won't matter who is in, we won't win, the odds are heavily stacked against us.

[Quoi]

I wondered that when you looked at this years young, vibrant singer and song from Denmark and comparing against Bonnie Tyler and the dull song she was performing ( probably trying to play to her strengths).

[Sparkles62]

I think that both Bonnie and Hump were both put up due to the fact that they both have quite a big European/worldwide following,
I think the hope was that their supporters might have overridden the stupid political voting that has gone on over the years,
and given us a chance on the strength of the song
instead of no chance on the strength of where we live.

[stoofur]

I would imagine most young artists would not want on the CV that they came 19th in Eurovision.

I think Bonnie and the Hump have not a lost to lose and quite a lot to gain from the exposure.

[SkayrKrow]

@ stoofur... chances are that a more contemporary artist WOULDN'T come 19th...

[ummmm]

It's because they are well known in Europe.

[WELSHYORKIE]

Status Quo next year, maybe???

[mushroom25]

//when the UK has a surplus of singers (thanks or no thanks to shows like X-Factor, The Voice etc) //

......do they allow "Autotune" in Eurovision, then?

[ABerrant]

"chances are that a more contemporary artist WOULDN'T come 19th... "

20th Estonia - Birgit (Age 24)
21st Germany - Cascada (Ages 31, 34 & 39)
22nd Lithuania - Andrius Pojavis (29)
23rd France - Amandine Bourgeois (33)
24th Finland - Krista Siegfrids (27)
25th Spain - ESDM (30, 34 & 37)
26th Ireland - Ryan Dolan (27)

[craft1948]

headwreck I quite liked Ireland's song. Perhaps Graham Norton salivating over him didn't help.......................

[Canary42]

Stoofur's absolutely right - we're never going to come close to winning it now it's turned political, so the only people prepared to represent us are those with suffificient standing/riches to be unaffected by a poor showing in the contest.

[netibiza]

Neither of them is well known in this little part of Europe.

[Ellipsis]

Just watched a stirring performance of "Graffiti On The Train" by The Stereophonics on Later ... Live.

The Later version is not on Youtube yet but here is the pre-recorded version. Kelly Jones (age 38), what an amazing singer - even live he is pitch perfect.

Would this have won Eurovision this year, if entered? Possibly not! And that shows what a pointless waste of time and money it is ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFmLVtSqQo0

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

The Stereophonics aren't really a Eurovision band though are they.
I don't know why they don't send someone like One Direction, or Little Mix in there.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

On a separate note, I really liked France's entry and was very surprised when it got nowhere.

[Ellipsis]

What defines a Eurovision band? Manufactured, bland, crap? That kind of makes the point about being a pointless waste of time and money ...

[DaisyNonna]

Can't understand why we take part anyway. An excruciating evening if one tuned in.

[mallyh]

olly murs would be good he sings lovely bouncy songs