Scott Mills says ‘meetings already underway’ amid search for UK’s next Eurovision act
Exclusive: “People just go, ‘get Adele to do it,’ but it doesn't work like that!”
BBC Radio 2 DJ and Eurovision Song Contest host Scott Mills has let slip that “meetings are already underway” ahead of next year’s event in Sweden.
Earlier this year, UK act Mae Muller took to the stage in Liverpool hoping to find herself amongst the top placings in the Eurovision final.
Despite coming out with undeniable bop ‘I Wrote Of A Song’ – which ended up in the top 10 of the charts – she finished second to last.
So, fans are hoping to see a slightly higher placing for the UK’s act next year, after Sam Ryder stormed up the leaderboard to finish in second place in 2022.
“I will tell you that meetings are already underway that I might be in” – Scott Mills
During a recent interview with Attitude, Scott weighed in on what he thinks the UK needs to do to place higher in Malmo.
He said: “Well, I will tell you that meetings are already underway that I might be in and I actually think that honestly, it was a disappointing result for Mae.
“Was the song better received initially than [Sam Ryder’s track] ‘Spaceman’? Yes. Was it a top 10 hit? Yes. Normally you hear the chat on Christmas Day of ‘we’re rubbish at that, aren’t we?’ I’m not hearing that chat this year.”
Scott went on to outline the “problem” the UK has when it comes to picking an artist to send. He continued: “What we need to do this year is we need to send… this is the problem! Well, not the problem but here’s where we differ [with other nations].
“The thing is, Israel will just send their best popstar. We can’t do that because we have global megastar popstars. It’s a catch 22 situation because people that don’t really understand it, just go, ‘get Adele to do it,’ but it doesn’t work like that!
“Do I think getting a kind of nostalgia act, or a novelty act is the way to do well now in 2024? I actually don’t”
“In Israel they’ll send Noa Kirel who has won a ridiculous amount of MTV awards and is a fully fledged Israeli incredible pop star. We don’t have that privilege, or we’re not in that situation,” the DJ explained.
On whether the UK should turn to a nostalgia act once again next year, he feels this “doesn’t work necessarily” for a modern Eurovision.
“No shade to anyone that’s done it before actually. Blue when they did it, the first year I worked on it, had a respectable result. Do I think getting a kind of nostalgia act, or a novelty act is the way to do well now in 2024? I actually don’t.”
So what sort of act does he think we need to emulate the magic created in 2022?
“We need to send someone probably new or new ish. What I really want it to be is someone that loves it, and is up for it. That’s what we had in spades with Sam and also with Mae,” he noted.
Of course, Mae is still riding high after her performance too, with album Sorry I’m Late out later this month and lots more fun bits in the pipeline.
Scott quickly praised the north Londoner’s efforts, adding: “I actually think Mae did a good job. The song is a bop, her new one is brilliant.
“You were never going to repeat what Sam Ryder did – I wouldn’t want to be next after that! But she was a great representative in what we needed to do… a bit of solid girl pop.
“It was a top 10 hit. She has absolutely nothing to worry about or be sad about,” he concluded.