LONDON (AP) 鈥 There鈥檚 nothing like nearly winning to wake people up. And the U.K.鈥檚 second-place position at last year鈥檚 Eurovision Song Contest has helped kickstart widespread enthusiasm for 2023鈥檚 edition 鈥 taking place in Liverpool this week.
Sam Ryder鈥檚 鈥淪pace Man鈥 restored the nation鈥檚 interest last year with his smiling enthusiasm, soaring vocals and great song despite coming on the heels of James Newman in 2021, who received no points at all, and 2019鈥檚 Michael Rice, who also came in last.
Normally the winner of the previous contest would host the next one, but that winner was Ukraine, and there has made that impossible. So the U.K., as runnerup, is hosting instead.
Singer says Eurovision 鈥 the semifinals begin Tuesday and the final is Saturday 鈥 has received another lease on life in the U.K.
鈥淭he Eurovision is suddenly just (becoming) huge again and I鈥檓 really here for it,鈥 she said.
She鈥檚 performing during the interval at a semifinal in Liverpool, but her connection to the event goes back much further: Ora was lined up to represent the U.K. in 2009, but decided not to.
After all, until Ryder, competing in Eurovision was for a Brit.
The last time the U.K. won the contest was 1997, thanks to Katrina and the Waves and 鈥淟ove Shine A Light.鈥
The intervening years have seen five last-place results for the U.K.
That could add up to a lot of pressure on , but she seems to welcome it.
鈥淭he energy feels different,鈥 Muller said.
The London singer-songwriter is representing the U.K. with 鈥淚 Wrote a Song,鈥 and says Ryder helped change the way people inside and outside the U.K. view its participation in Eurovision.
鈥淚 feel like with the U.K., we have the tendency to be quite like self-deprecating," Muller said. "We don鈥檛 take ourselves too seriously and I feel like that might have been like half our problem maybe with Eurovision. And I feel like now we鈥檙e like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 take this seriously. Like, let鈥檚 do this.鈥欌
Liverpool singer Rebecca Ferguson is performing in her hometown alongside Ukrainian singer Aloysha in a duet during the semifinals interval.
Ferguson thinks that the U.K. had become disheartened with the scores, but that being 鈥渟o close鈥 in 2022 changed things.
鈥淭he U.K. were like, yeah, OK then ... I can get into this," she said. "We like winning, basically.鈥
Ukrainian rock star Julia S谩nina, the frontwoman of The Hardkiss, is and a lifelong fan of the competition.
She agrees that the U.K. is taking it more seriously in 2023 "because of Sam Ryder and his musicality." But in addition to last year's success, there is added enthusiasm because
The Ukrainian entry . When the U.K. agreed to host in Ukraine's place, it promised to celebrate in every way.
S谩nina says she has felt that warm welcome in Liverpool.
鈥淏eautiful city, super friendly people. And what was heartwarming for me that I saw lots of Ukrainian flags and Ukrainian blue and yellow colors all over the city,鈥 she said.
After all, the U.K. does like a party.
鈥淓urovision, in my culture and when I grew up, was everything,鈥 Ora said.
The Kosovo-born singer grew up with Albanian parents in London.
鈥淚t was like getting around the TV, all the music, like, 鈥楨veryone shut up,鈥 when there鈥檚 like a song on. There鈥檚 drinks flowing, everyone鈥檚 having a good time because it鈥檚 like, it was almost like rooting for your country or like where you鈥檙e from,鈥 she added.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a cool way of everyone getting together,鈥 she said.
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AP journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed reporting from New York. For more AP coverage of Eurovision, visit
