Olly Alexander breaks silence as he explains what went wrong during Eurovision performance

Olly Alexander has broken his silence amid criticism of his performance in Sweden on Tuesday night.

Speaking on Lorraine on Wednesday morning, Alexander addressed the backlash and explained how his entire Eurovision Song Contest experience so far has been “wild”, as the show’s host called his act “naughty”.

This year’s UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest took to the stage in Sweden for the event’s semi-finals, days on from the former Years and Years singer explaining his reasons for rejecting pleas for him to respect the BDS boycott of Eurovision and withdraw from the competition.

READ MORE – UK’s Eurovision Song Contest performance sparks huge backlash among BBC viewers

But the backlash over Alexander’s debut Eurovision performance had nothing to do with the singer’s politics or ethics, with some BBC viewers instead taking aim at the UK entry’s seemingly weak vocals as he belted out a rendition of Dizzy – the song he hopes will bring in some points during Saturday night’s final.

Olly and Lorraine split screen via video link

Alexander was accused of being “off-key” and “out of tune” by some fans watching, but others argued the singer, 33, struggled due to his mic pack falling off mid-performance. “As a gym instructor I know how off putting that is,” one Twitter (X) user wrote in Alexander’s defence. “An amazing performance just got elevated even higher!”

Chatting with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show on Wednesday, Alexander was all smiles as he caught up with the Scottish TV presenter via video link. As Kelly told the Eurovision hopeful his song Dizzy is “a banger” and said “I would have loved to have been in that [music] video”, Alexander told the ITV star: “Thank you Lorraine, you are welcome to join me on stage if you want, you’re more than welcome.”

“It’s such a huge thing,” Kelly went on to declare. “It’s massive.” Alexander than 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 revealed: “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.”

“You did so, so well with that,” Kelly then told her guest, adding: “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!”

Alexander’s Eurovision journey has been marred with controversy over recent months, thanks to Israel ‘s inclusion in the European competition amid Benjamin Netanyahu’s relentless bombing of Palestine. Alexander – who signed a letter calling Israel an “apartheid regime” prior to being unveiled as the UK entry in December – has been heavily criticised by many fans and activists for not withdrawing from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

In October, Alexander showed solidarity with the people of Palestine and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. The letter from LGBT charity Voices4London described Israel as an ‘apartheid regime’ which is trying to “ethnically cleanse” Palestine.

But amid calls for him to follow the BDS boycott over Israel’s inclusion in the contest, Alexander now describes Israel’s war on Palestine as “an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I’m not qualified to speak on.” Speaking in BBC’s documentary titled Olly Alexander’s Road To Eurovision ’24, Alexander tearfully addressed the backlash and explained his reasons for rejecting the calls for him to boycott.

Olly Alexander with song Dizzy representing United Kingdom performs during a dress rehearsal of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

“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,” the It’s A Sin actor said, visibly emotional. “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.”

In response to Alexander’s teary interview, Queers For Palestine – an activist group – issued a statement telling the singer to “consider his place in history” and that it’s “not too late to do the right thing.” The 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.”

Amid the calls for fans, performers, presenters and entries to boycott the competition, the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off. The show was initiated by Eleni Foureira, a former Cyprus contestant, who set the stage alight with her sparkling attire and backup dancers clad in black.

Dressed in a white singlet, red trousers, and boots, Alexander then delivered his first Eurovision Song Contest performance, which featured upside-down locker room staging. Cameras were rotated to give a spinning feel to Alexander and his dancers at the Malmo Arena in Sweden.

Irish Eurovision Song Contest fans were elated by Bambie Thug becoming the first contestant from the country in four years to make the final. The Cork-born singer achieved the feat with a witchy-infused staging of Doomsday Blue at the semi-final on Tuesday in Malmo, Sweden.

Following the show at the Malmo Arena, Cork-based couple Darren O’Connell and Julie McDommell, who have attended previous Eurovision events, gave their reaction to the PA news agency on how they felt the night had gone. “It’s amazing, because the last couple of years everyone was like, you deserved it and they’re giving me condolences in the bathroom,” Ms McDommell said. “But this year, it was amazing to go into the arena knowing we had a great chance, but Bambie Thug was incredible.”