The Eurovision Song Contest has finally arrived in Liverpool, and everyone wants to know who Mae Muller is, the UK's entry for 2023.
Liverpool is awash with glitter, garish costumes and gaudy dance routines as Eurovision 2023 gets underway. The Eurovision presenters have been busy hosting the semi finals for those lucky enough to get Eurovision tickets (and the rest of us watching on TV), and UK entrant and singer-songwriter Mae Muller is in amongst the action. She's set to perform her single, 'I Wrote A Song', at the contest, taking the baton from last year's entry Sam Ryder, who took the UK all the way to second place.
It’s been over two decades since the UK won the Eurovision Song Contest, with the last victory coming in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves’ 'Love Shine a Light'. After the UK came so close to the title last year - and with the contest taking place on home turf - Eurovision fans across the UK are looking to this year's entry to pull it off. But who is Mae Muller? Here's everything we know...
Who is Mae Muller?
Mae Muller is a singer-songwriter and the UK's entry for Eurovision 2023. She first entered the music scene in 2018 with her single called 'Close', which she wrote while on a train journey.
Mae wrote her first song when she was 19, and since then she has gone on to support girl group Little Mix on their 2019 tour, and her 2021 single 'Better Days' - featuring Neiked and Polo G - peaked at number 32 in the UK charts. She recently admitted that her musical inspirations are Gwen Stefani, Florence and the Machine and Lily Allen.
At just 10 years old, Mae Muller appeared in a music video for popstar Mika's hit 'Grace Kelly', and she began writing her own songs at the age of eight.
She was working in a local pub when she landed her first record deal, since going on to release two EPs. She was found by her manager following uploading some of demos her songs to Soundcloud.
In March 2023, she collaborated with Sigala, Caity Baser and Stefflon Don for the single, 'Feels This Good', and in the same month she released 'I Wrote A Song', which has now become the first UK Eurovision entry in over a decade to debut in the UK Singles Chart's top 40.
Muller will also be embarking on a UK tour this year, starting in Liverpool on 26 May and ending in Leeds on 25 November, before going on to Dublin two days later.
How old is Mae Muller?
Mae Muller is 25 years old. She was born to her mother Tricia Brannan and father Yaser Malik.
She was born on 26 August 1997, and some might say Mae's Eurovision entry is written in the stars, as she was born in the same year the UK last won the competition - which was in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves.
Where is Mae Muller from?
Mae Muller is from Kentish Town, in London and she studied at Fine Arts College in Belsize Park, North London. Though she goes by Mae, Muller's full name is Holly Mae Muller.
What songs has Mae Muller released?
Mae Muller released her debut album Chapter 1 in April 2019, before going on to support Little Mix on their LM5: The Tour that same year.
Prior to her studio album, she released two extended plays, 'After Hours' and 'Frankly' in 2018. In 2020 she followed these with a third, called 'No One Else, Not Even You'.
Her biggest hit single to date is 'Better Days', a 2021 collaboration with Swedish collective Neiked and rapper Polo G. She scored a top 10 US hit with the platinum-selling single, which has nearly 400 million Spotify streams.
Last October, Mae released her very own single 'I Just Came To Dance', which has been streamed over 2.5 million times on Spotify.
Six months later the London-born star released a 'Feels This Good' in collaboration with Sigala, Caity Baser and Stefflon Don, and after that came her solo single 'I Wrote a Song', which she will now be performing at Eurovision.
When is Mae Muller performing at Eurovision?
Mae Muller will perform her new single, 'I Wrote A Song' in the Eurovision grand final on Saturday 13 May. This will be the first time she has taken to the stage to compete in the 2023 Contest.
This is because UK entries, along with those from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, do not have to compete in the semi-finals and automatically qualify for the grand final, due to being the biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The show will start at 8pm and in the UK will be broadcast on BBC, as well as being available to watch on the the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel.
What has Mae Muller said about performing at Eurovision?
On being chosen to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Mae said: "I'm so excited to participate in Eurovision this year and represent the UK! I've loved watching Eurovision all my life, so to compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant.
"I'm a huge fan of so many of the artists that have found success at Eurovision, from ABBA to Måneskin! Sam Ryder was so amazing last year and proved the UK can be back on the left-hand side of the leader board!"
She announced the news that she will be performing at Eurovision on her Instagram account on Thursday 9 March, writing in the caption: "this has been the hardest secret to keep in the WORLD (literally nearly let it slip a million times lol scream) but the news is finally out!!! the song is out right now, i’m so pleased it’s finally yours, and what an honour to host on behalf of ukraine, it’s going to be so special ❤️".
Appearing on Zoe Ball's Radio 2 Breakfast Show on the day of the announcement, Mae said: "I've been waiting to say that for months, I literally, that has been on my lips and in my brain, in my soul, in my nails.
"I can't believe I've just said that, it's done, it's out there – I've known for like two months, I'm pretty sure, my timeframe is all over the place at the moment.
"It's been a hot minute and I love to chat."
If you're looking for more Eurovision content, check out our feature on why Australia is in Eurovision, and this round up of the best and worst British Eurovision acts.
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