Olly Alexander has unveiled his new single Dizzy – which is the UK’s entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The Years & Years singer will perform the track at the annual competition in Malmo, Sweden, in May, following their victory at the 2023 event with Loreen’s song Tattoo.
Alexander penned Dizzy with British producer Danny L Harle and they were inspired by 1980s acts including Erasure, the Pet Shop Boys and DJ Adamski.
He has described the song as being “about feeling such an intense swell of emotion for someone they totally turn your world upside down and inside out”.
“We took the feeling of dizziness and put that into the production, so there’s a lot of undulating arpeggios, lilting harmonies and counter rhythms in the backing vocals.”
The theme is also clear in the head-spinning music video, which was released on Friday morning.
Alexander will be hoping to do better at Eurovision than last year’s UK entry Mae Muller, who finished second-to-last with I Wrote A Song.
Muller was representing the UK on home turf, with the contest taking place in Liverpool as the UK hosted on behalf of winners Ukraine.
Sam Ryder, with his song Spaceman, had finished in second place in 2022.
While Muller and Ryder are acts who found fame through Eurovision, Alexander is already a chart-topping star.
He previously scored five top 10 UK singles, two number one albums and six Brit Award nominations with Years & Years.
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Mae Muller’s 2023 performance failed to impress voters across Europe. Pic: Reuters/Phil Noble
Alexander has also starred in TV shows such as Skins and celebrated drama It’s A Sin, which earned him a BAFTA nomination.
It’s not uncommon for participating countries to enter with established stars and Loreen’s 2023 win was her second Eurovision victory, following her 2012 triumph with Euphoria.
The UK has tried this approach before, most recently with the X Factor’s Lucie Jones and Bonnie Tyler, in 2017 and 2013 respectively.
This year’s Eurovision semi-finals will take place on 7 and 9 May. The grand final is on 11 May.