Olly Alexander speaks about Eurovision Song Contest performance after backlash

Olly Alexander has spoken out following his Eurovision Song Contest performance in Sweden, which drew some criticism from viewers on Tuesday night. Appearing on Lorraine on Wednesday morning, the artist addressed the mixed reactions and shared that his Eurovision journey has been "wild", with the show's host describing his act as "naughty".

The UK's hopeful for this year's Eurovision took to the stage in Gothenburg for the semi-finals, just days after he had explained why he chose not to heed calls to honour the BDS movement's boycott of Eurovision and withdraw from the contest. BDS stands for boycott, divest, sanctions and aims to put pressure on governments to end their support for Israel's war in Gaza.

However, the critique of Gloucestershire-born Olly's first Eurovision showing was not focused on his political stance or ethical choices. Instead, some BBC viewers criticised what they perceived as less than stellar vocals during his performance of 'Dizzy', the track he hopes will score points in Saturday night's final.

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Accusations of being "off-key" and "out of tune" were levelled at the singer by certain fans, while others suggested that technical issues with his mic pack, which reportedly fell off mid-performance, may have been the cause of any vocal struggles, according to the Mirror.

One Twitter (X) user wrote in Olly's defence: "As a gym instructor I know how off putting that is. An amazing performance just got elevated even higher!"

During a chat with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show, the 33-year-old singer, who grew up in Coleford, Gloucestershire, was all smiles as he caught up with the Scottish TV presenter via video link.

As Kelly praised his Eurovision song Dizzy as "a banger", and expressed her wish to have been in the music video, Olly extended an invitation to the ITV star, quipping: "Thank you Lorraine, you are welcome to join me on stage if you want, you're more than welcome."

Kelly then acknowledged the magnitude of the competition, saying, "It's such a huge thing," and "It's massive." He admitted: "This whole Eurovision experience is wild. Last night was amazing. It was the first time performing in the arena and on TV. It was just... yeah, it was amazing."

He then disclosed: "I had a slight wardrobe malfunction - my mic pack fell off - and had to improvise, but that's fine - it's live TV, it happens."

And Kelly praised him for handling the situation well, saying: "You did so, so well with that. 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!"

But his Eurovision journey has been fraught with controversy during the past few months, due to Israel's participation in the European competition amidst ongoing military actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Palestine.

Olly, who had previously signed a letter denouncing Israel as an "apartheid regime" before being announced as the UK's contestant in December, has faced significant backlash from fans and activists for not pulling out of this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

In October, Alexander expressed his support for the Palestinian people and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza. The letter, issued by LGBT+ charity Voices4London, condemned Israel as an "apartheid regime" accused of attempting to "ethnically cleanse" Palestine.

Despite increasing pressure to adhere to the BDS movement's boycott due to Israel's role in the contest, Alexander has recently described the conflict with Palestine as "an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I'm not qualified to speak on."

In the BBC documentary, titled Olly Alexander's Road To Eurovision '24, an emotional Alexander responded to the criticism and justified his decision to ignore the calls for a boycott.

"A lot of the contestants and myself have been having a lot of comments that are like "You are complicit in a genocide by taking part in Eurovision", which is quite extreme. It's very extreme," said the star of It's A Sin, clearly moved. "I understand where that sentiment is coming from, but I think it's not correct."

He continued: "It's an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I'm not qualified to speak on. The backdrop to this is actual immense suffering. It's a humanitarian crisis, a war. It just so happens there's a song contest going on at the same time that I'm a part of."

Reacting to the emotional interview, Queers For Palestine - an activist group - came forward with a statement urging the singer to "consider his place in history", and asserted that it's "not too late to do the right thing". Their statement read: "We share @ollyalexanderr 's upset. The European Broadcasting Union has failed him and other contestants by refusing to ban genocidal Israel.

"But by insisting that he knows better than Palestinians, Olly Alexander again flaunts a colonial mentality. We reiterate our call on Olly Alexander to boycott Eurovision. Doing no harm to the Palestinian freedom struggle by refusing to be complicit in artwashing genocide is a profound ethical duty.

"Olly, it's not too late to do the right thing. This moment could define the rest of your life. Consider your place in history."

As people continue to demand fans, performers, presenters, and entries to abandon the competition, the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest has kicked off. Eleni Foureira, a past contestant from Cyprus, began the show by lighting up the stage with her glittering outfit and backup dancers dressed in black.

Olly, donning a white singlet, red trousers, and boots, captivated the audience with his debut Eurovision Song Contest performance, which boasted an innovative upside-down locker room set. The cameras were cleverly manipulated to create a dizzying effect as Olly and his dancers appeared to spin around at Sweden's Malmo Arena.

But some viewers were less than impressed with the performance, with one social media post reading: "The UK is going to be so screwed", while another commented, "He's just not a great singer live", and a third simply wrote: "Dreadful".