Olly Alexander responds to Eurovision ‘wardrobe malfunction’ during semi-finals
Olly Alexander performing for the UK at Eurovision 2024 (Getty)
The UK’s 2024 Eurovision Song Contest entrant Olly Alexander has reacted to suffering a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ during Tuesday’s semi-final performance, which has led to criticism of his number.
The queer Years & Years frontman, 33, who is performing solo at this year’s Eurovision with the song “Dizzy”, performed last night (7 May) in the first of two semi-finals, even though the UK is guaranteed a place in the final as one of the ‘big five’ nations along with France, Italy, Germany, Spain and hosts Sweden.
Following Alexander’s Eurovision performance, many fans were concerned by the It’s a Sin star’s vocals, and others picked up on the fact that he suffered a technical hitch by way of his mic pack becoming dislodged during the sweaty locker room-themed number.
Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine today (8 May) on ITV, Alexander has addressed the criticism.
Alexander said that he had a “slight wardrobe malfunction… my mic pack fell off and [I] had to improvise but that’s fine, it’s live TV, it happens!”
He added: “This whole Eurovision experience is wild,” he continued. “Last night was amazing. It was the first time performing in the arena and on TV. It was just… yeah, it was amazing.”
Assuring him, Lorraine, who was hosting her own show today, said: “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.”
She continued: “Also, what a naughty performance I’m glad to say! I thought it was fantastic, those dancers, they are just fantastic.”
Speaking to PinkNews ahead of the contest, Alexander said that he planned “to make Eurovision as gay as possible” with his performance.
“I think if you’re going to take a song to Eurovision, the last thing you should do is be safe. As an artist, I love to provoke a little bit, just cause a little bit of discussion, intrigue,” he shared.
“I said right in the beginning of this process, I plan to be as gay as possible – and what’s gayer than a locker room? I just want mainly to entertain people and to give a really fab performance. Of course, not everyone’s gonna love it. But I think that’s a sign of a strong performance, really.”
Olly Alexander has also been involved in the ongoing controversy around Israel’s continued involvement in the contest despite the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The pop star was among several other Eurovision 2024 entries to have responded to calls for them to pull out of the contest this year, with a joint statement signed by the acts from Ireland, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Switzerland, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland.
Speaking further about the situation in a BBC documentary titled Olly Alexander’s Road To Eurovision ’24, he said: “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 Eurovison’, which is quite extreme. It’s very extreme,” he said.
“I understand where that sentiment is coming from but I think it’s not correct. It’s an incredibly complicated political situation, one that I’m not qualified to speak on,” he added.
Elsewhere in last night’s semi-finals, Ireland’s non-binary entrant Bambie Thug became the first contestant from the country to reach the final since 2018, despite being told to change their outfit to omit messages of support for Palestine.
The Eurovision Song Contest’s second semi-final airs on Thursday 9 May at 8pm on BBC One, with the final set to air on Saturday 11 May at 8pm on BBC One.
