British Eurovision fans haven't had much to celebrate in recent years. When poor old Joe and Jake limped home in 24th place last year, it marked the seventh time in a row that the United Kingdom had failed to finish inside the top ten.
We can only speculate as to how Brexit will affect voting at this year's Song Contest, but chances are, it won't do anything to help us out. Nevertheless, it's important not to get too pessimistic, and last night, the UK selected its latest Eurovision hopeful.
Lucie Jones, best known for finishing eighth on The X Factor in 2009, will travel to Kiev in May to sing her song "Never Give Up on You" for the United Kingdom. The Welsh singer beat five other hopefuls to win BBC2's Eurovision: You Decide, broadcast live from London's Eventim Apollo, after impressing the voting public and a jury of music industry professionals.
Jones, who's currently performing in a West End and touring production of Rent, wrote on Twitter following her victory: "Completely overwhelmed and so surprised. Tonight's been one of the best nights of my life. Thankyou, so much."
The BBC reports that Jones's song was co-written by Emmelie de Forest, a Danish singer-songwriter who won the Song Contest in 2013. "Never Give Up on You" certainly sounds like the sort of big, emotional ballad that can do well at Eurovision. Remember Katrina and her winning song "Love Shine a Light"?
Give it a listen below and decide for yourself whether Lucie Jones could reverse the UK's Eurovision decline in Kiev on the 13th of May.
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