Olly Alexander addresses Eurovision performance after being awarded "iconic" zero points
15 May 2024, 11:44
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It was arguably a night to forget.
When Olly Alexander took up the mantle of Britain's next Eurovision entry, he must have thought it'd pan out a bit differently.
Especially with his ear-worm of a song in 'Dizzy', the love-lorn synth-pop ballad that was destined to set dance-floors into a spin around Europe.
However, it didn't turn out that way - at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, the UK once again scored nil points in the public vote.
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The UK entries were once a force to be reckoned with, seeing the likes of Lulu, Bucks Fizz, Katrina and the Waves, Brotherhood of Man, and Sandie Shaw all win the coveted competition.
We've even scored the record number of second-placed finishes, most recently with Sam Ryder in 2022 with his intergalactic song 'Space Man'.
Olly Alexander wasn't under any impression he was better placed than anyone else, even ahead of the event.
Responding to what the bookies odds were about his chances of winning, he replied: "My odds for winning are at one per cent. But that’s fine. It’s better than zero."
Graham Norton, the host for the UK coverage was slightly more optimistic about his chances:
"Olly has already done all the things that it’s impossible to prepare someone for. He has played to huge crowds, he can relate to the cameras, and he is used to high pressure situations."
"Add to that, the fact that the song is a massive bop and I think we could do really well this year."
Though, it was ultimately zero points he'd win from the public vote, which isn't exactly uncommon when it comes to British entries.
Luckily his blushes were spared by the jury on the night, who awarded Alexander and his performance of 'Dizzy' with 46 points.
He joins a rare group of UK Eurovision entries to score nothing from the public, which includes James Newman in 2021 with 'Embers' and pop duo Jemini in 2003 with 'Cry Baby'.
Olly seemed in good spirits on the night despite the heartbreaking news of winning no points from the public, taking it with a pinch of salt as it was announced.
The It's A Sin star was quick to congratulate the evening's winner, Switzerland's Nemo, posting on his Instagram: "I'm so so proud of you."
He wrote: "Nemo, you did it! I'm so so proud of you. It's been such an honour to be on this journey with you. You broke the code!"
Olly made a reference to Nemo's empowering song, 'The Code', which reflects on society embracing someone with non-binary identity.
Whilst his father revealed his surprise that audiences "did not connect" with his son's performance, Olly later took to Instagram to address his own Eurovision experience and his perceived failure.
After first congratulating Swiss winner Nemo, Olly claimed his being awarded zero points was "iconic!".
"Honestly I don’t know where to even begin with this whole experience, I'm going to be processing things for a long time!," he wrote in the caption alongside a jubilant picture of Olly and his team.
"For now I just want to say I am so proud of the performance and my team, everybody absolutely smashed it and gave it their all to bring the vision to life 🥊 🚿 🌀 !!"
"I met so many talented wonderful people on and off the stage and i’m really thankful we were able to support each other throughout."
"Though we may have received NIL Points from the voting public - which I shall be claiming as iconic! - I’ve also seen a lot of love and i’m truly grateful ❤️ thank you," he concluded.
