Sophie Ellis-Bextor has said it would be a “massive gamble” for her to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The British pop star rose to fame first in the Nineties as the lead singer of indie rock band Theaudience, then as a solo artist in the Noughties with hits including “Murder on the Dancefloor”.
She has since released a number of solo albums, including her latest record Hana, as well as appearing on reality TV series such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Masked Singer.
Following this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which was won by Sweden’s entry Loreen with her song “Tattoo”, rumours have surfaced claiming that Ellis-Bextor could represent the UK in 2024.
“I saw that too,” she said in an interview with The Independent, “but no one’s actually had a chat with me about it! I love Eurovision so much... I went up to Liverpool for the build-up and I was on such a high afterwards, it was just really joyous.”
She added: “The sun was shining and [organisers] did a great job. But I think at this point, and with what I’m up to, it would be a massive gamble, like casino all-on-red level of gamble, and I just don’t think that’s me. I’ll always watch it, but I can’t really picture myself up there doing it.”
The UK was represented at Eurovision this year by pop singer Mae Muller and her single “I Wrote a Song”, placing second to last on the score board.
It was a disappointing result for the UK, particularly as the host country after last year’s winners, Ukraine, were unable to host due to the ongoing invasion by Russia.
However, Muller been applauded for her attitude and said she still loved taking part.
“Anyone who tries to drag me for my vocals at Eurovision is wasting their time ‘cos I already know they were trash,” she tweeted on Thursday 1 June.
“I got nervous and ya girl didn’t give her best performance vocally and that’s OK ‘cos it was still c*** in its own way and my tits looked good.”
The Independent’s full interview with Ellis-Bextor is available to read now.
