Eurovision's Olly Alexander breaks silence on 'malfunction' after semi-final backlash
Olly Alexander has broken his silence following his performance at the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final in Sweden. The It's A Sin actor and Years & Years singer sang Dizzy for the first time on stage during the semi-finals on Tuesday, May 7.
It's the first time the UK has performed at the semi-finals, as the Big Five, which also includes France, Germany, Italy and Spain, along with the host country, which this year is Sweden, automatically go through to the grand final. However, this year, the Big Five and Sweden got the opportunity to perform before the main event.
Olly's performance got mixed reactions from BBC viewers, with some eagle-eyed viewers spotting that the singer’s microphone pack, which was attached to his back, had fallen off mid-performance, reports OK! Online.
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Speaking on ITV's Lorraine on Wednesday, 8 May, Olly, 33, addressed the backlash and explained how a "wardrobe malfunction" had caused an issue for him on stage. Presenter Lorraine Kelly spoke to Olly via video link while in Sweden and told him his track was a "banger" and admitted she'd have "loved" to have been in the music video.
Lorraine went on to brand Eurovision a "huge thing", with Olly saying: "The whole Eurovision experience is wild. Last night was amazing. It was the first time performing in the arena and on stage."
He then revealed: "It was just... yeah, it was amazing. I had a slight wardrobe malfunction - my mic pack fell off - and had to improvise but that's fine. It's live TV."
Lorraine responded: "I think a lot of people - I noticed it - but I think a lot of people wouldn't have noticed that the mic came away. So you're having to adapt, so well done on that. And also, what a naughty performance I'm glad to say! I thought it was fantastic - those dancers! They are just fantastic!"
It comes after Olly's performance left some divided, while others praised his handling of the malfunction. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter: one wrote: “Anyone else notice Olly’s mic pack fell out. Only noticed on the rewatch. As a gym instructor I know how off putting that is. An amazing performance just got elevated even higher! Go Olly!"
While another said: "Olly, @alexander_olly - you did PHENOMENAL tonight. I know there was annoying mic pack thing tonight, and could see it on your face that you weren’t happy. Get your head back in the zone. You are an incredible talent. We’re so proud. Break a leg, darling #Eurovision2024.”
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place in the Malmö Arena on Saturday, 11 May following semi-finals on 7 and 9 May. The UK last topped the Eurovision scoreboard back in 1997 with Katrina And The Waves' anthem Love Shine A Light. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.