Olly Alexander breaks silence on ‘zero points’ Eurovision score

Olly Alexander has said he will reflect on his Eurovision experience “for a long time” as he reflected on his disappointing final results after the contest in Malmo, Sweden.

Former Years & Years frontman and It’s a sin The star represented the UK in the annual song contest last weekend but received the terrible null points in the public vote and with only 46 points from the jury, which places it in 18th place out of 25 countries.

However, the ‘Dizzy’ singer appeared to be putting on a brave face when the scores were announced during the live final, laughing and cheering with his team, and celebrating when Switzerland’s Nemo was crowned the winner with a huge score of 591 points.

“Eurovision 2024 is over!” Alexander wrote in an Instagram post on May 14. “I’m so happy for (Nemo), they are incredibly talented and the kindest, nicest person ever.”

He continued: “Honestly, I don’t know where to start with this whole experience, it’s going to take a while to sink in! For now, I just want to say that I’m very proud of the performance and my team, everyone went all out and gave it their all to bring this vision to life.

“I met so many talented and wonderful people on and off stage, and I am truly grateful that we were able to support each other throughout the show. Even though we didn’t receive any points from the audience voting (which I would call iconic!), I also saw a lot of love and I am truly grateful for that. Thank you.”

The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest has been overshadowed by controversy and protests over Israel’s involvement in its war on Gaza.

Outrage was also expressed after Dutch contestant Joost (stage name of musician Joost Klein) was disqualified hours before the final, allegedly after engaging in threatening behaviour towards a female crew member.

On Monday (13 May), Eurovision Song Contest organisers said they were reviewing the weekend’s events after receiving complaints about a “horrible” atmosphere backstage.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) regretted that some delegations “did not respect the spirit of the rules” in Sweden and confirmed that a number of competitors had filed complaints.

“We engaged with a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention,” the organization said.

“The EBU governing bodies, together with the Heads of Delegation, will review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö in order to move forward in a positive manner and ensure that the values ​​of the event are respected by all.”

In response to Joost’s disqualification, the EBU confirmed that, “contrary to some media reports and speculation on social media, this incident did not involve any other artist or member of the delegation.”

Explaining its decision to consider his behaviour as “in breach of the contest rules”, the EBU said: “We have a zero tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure working environment for all contest staff.

“In light of the above, Joost Klein’s behaviour towards a team member is considered a violation of the competition rules.”

Swedish police said Monday that Joost would likely be charged with making unlawful threats and that a decision was expected “within a few weeks.”

Klein has reportedly already left Sweden.

Next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will now be hosted by Switzerland, the winner, with the exact city to be announced at a later date.