Olly Alexander discusses his Eurovision entry song as critics give their verdict

Olly Alexander has said it is “such a relief” to release his single Dizzy which he will perform at Eurovision, with some critics saying it may be “enough to get the judges’ heads spinning”.

The Years & Years singer, 33, will perform the dance-infused track for the UK during the international song competition in Malmo, Sweden, in May, following the country’s victory at the 2023 contest with the song Tattoo by Loreen.

Alexander and British producer Danny L Harle wrote the pulsing electropop song about experiencing such an “overwhelming rush” of emotion for someone that it “turns your world upside down”.

The accompanying music video recreates this disorientating feeling as it sees the singer dancing in a staged house and deserted garden within a studio while the set rotates and camera jolts around.

Reflecting on how he was feeling after the song made its radio debut on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, Alexander said: “It’s such a relief – so happy.”

He added: “Now it’s getting closer to the date it’s starting to feel real and it’s good.

“I feel like I’ve got less anxiety now because it’s real.

“I know a bit more about what I’m actually going to be doing and I’m just getting excited.

“There’s nothing else in the world like Eurovision, it’s so unique and I’m just excited to be taking part.”

Good Omens actor Michael Sheen, who was also on Ball’s breakfast show, said he hoped he could dance in the background of Alexander’s performance, to which the singer replied: “That would be great, that might get me a few extra votes.”

Discussing what he will wear for the performance, Alexander revealed it was still in the planning stages but that it will be “something fabulous”.

Sheen suggested he should go for something Abba-inspired as the forthcoming competition will mark 50 years since the Swedish group won with Waterloo.

Alexander has said he and Harle were inspired to write the song by music from the 1980s that they love, including from London pop duo Erasure, British DJ Adamski and the Pet Shop Boys.

“The song is about an overwhelming rush of love that you have for somebody and so much so that it makes you dizzy, turns your world upside down”, he explained on Radio 2.

Critics have given mixed reviews of the track so far, with some hailing it as the UK’s ticket to success while others were unsure that it hits the right mark.

The Times’ chief rock and pop critic, Will Hodgkinson, awarded the track a full five stars as he feels it is “the best entry we’ve had in years”.

He described it as a “super-catchy hi-energy disco smash that has real innovation in its burbling production” which also has “pleasingly nostalgic shades of classic Eighties synth-pop: Erasure, Soft Cell and, yes, the Pet Shop Boys”.

“This has all the qualities needed to be a guaranteed floor filler at Euroclub, the accompanying nightclub where the real action happens each year at Eurovision”, he added.

The Telegraph’s music critic, Neil McCormick, was more reserved on the track, giving it three out of five stars.

He said: “It is not nul points for Dizzy, but I just can’t see it as a take no prisoners banger to put Britain back on top of the Euro pile.”

McCormick also likened the song’s “upbeat sentiments with a minor chord melodic tension” to last year’s winning track Tattoo by Loreen, but questioned if following in their footsteps rather than striking out was the best course of action.

He added: “The song doesn’t have the earworm insistence or obvious moment of camp drama to win in a competition that is all about sensation and gimmickry.”

The Independent’s music editor, Roisin O’Connor, also gave the track three stars as she felt it “does have its merits”.

She said the effect of the “simple chorus” paired with the “dancefloor rhythms” is one of “romance, hedonism, and euphoria”, which she deems as “all essential ingredients for any self-respecting Eurovision hit”.

O’Connor also placed her hopes on Alexander’s live performance experience to see the UK through, saying: “He’s bound to put on a dazzling visual spectacle. Maybe ‘Dizzy’ is enough to get the judges’ heads spinning.”

Alexander has previously scored five top 10 UK singles and two number one albums with his band Years & Years.

He has also starred in a number of TV programmes, including the seventh series of teen drama Skins and It’s A Sin on Channel 4, which saw him receive a Bafta nomination for his role as Ritchie Tozer.

Pop singer Mae Muller represented the UK last year at the Eurovision Song Contest, held at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, and came second-to-last with I Wrote A Song.

The two Eurovision semi-finals will be broadcast live on BBC One on May 7 and 9, while the grand final will take place on May 11.