14 May 2024 , 11:49
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Former Eurovision Song Contest winner Cheryl Baker says Olly Alexander suffered in the competition because he was “very sexual and extreme”.
And the Bucks Fizz singer argued that the whole competition is now “a bridge too far” when it comes to being “too sexual” Olly, who finished in 18th place out of 25, scored 46 points with the national juries but got zero with the voting public across Europe.
The Years & Years singer, who was flanked by four male dancers, managed to alienate both the mainstream audience, with his lewd moves and suggestive codpiece, and also some LGBTQ viewers who disliked the staging, which looked as though he was singing from a grimy public toilet.
Cheryl, who won with Making Your Mind Up in 1983, said: “If I had to put my finger on why the public didn’t like Olly Alexander’s routine and why he got ‘nul points’ in the public vote, it would be because it was quite suggestive – which is in keeping with Eurovision becoming very sexual and extreme in recent years,” Baker said.
Despite calling Olly's performance of his song Dizzy “fantastic” she added: “The song let him down. Two years ago, Sam Ryder had an amazing voice, the production was good and the song was phenomenal. That’s the trio that we need – you need a great song to start with, you need a fantastic performance from the artist and then you need a wonderful production. The production is probably half of it now – it’s not just a song competition anymore. Then maybe the European public will like us again.”
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One gay fan branded Olly, 33, a “national embarrassment” and added: “Perhaps if he focused a bit more on his singing skills, concentrated on writing a song that actually has some energy to it, and spent less time groping naked men on stage, he might actually have stood a chance?”
Other fans agreed it was no surprise the “orgy in a toilet” didn’t score a single point from voters watching at home on the night, agreeing with Cheryl that it was “over sexualised”. One argued that men meeting in “a dirty toilet” did not accurately represent gay culture, and was simply “weird and gross”.
Cheryl, 70, stressed that it wasn’t just the UK which was at fault and said it was no longer appropriate for younger kids to watch the ESC. “There are body parts all over the place in many of the acts," she explained to Heart Bingo. "I think it’s gone a bridge too far and everybody needs to address that next year.
“Friends of mine, who are very well respected in the music industry, said they couldn’t let their grandchildren watch it because it was too sexual, and I take their point – I think it's gone too far. Would I have let my children watch it when they were young? Probably not.”
She reckons the UK should consider a female artist for 2025’s contest, which will be held in Switzerland following singer Nemo’s victory with song The Code. “I think the statistics show that females tend to win Eurovision more than their male counterparts. “They should maybe consider a female singer next year. My daughter is a songwriter and thinks there’s an element missing in the songs that we’ve put out in recent years.”
Other than Ryder's huge success in 2022, when he was runner-up to the Ukraine entry, the UK has failed to do well in the competition for many years.