“We’re finally on a good streak now!”
FLEUR EAST TELLS INSIDE TV HER EUROVISION HIGHLIGHTS PAST AND PRESENT AS A NEW SPECIAL COUNTS DOWN THE CONTEST’S MOST SUCCESSFUL SONGS THAT DIDN’T ACTUALLY WIN…
Singer Fleur East hosts a rundown of the 20 most successful Eurovision songs that didn’t take the coveted crown in a one-off special. She’ll be joined by the UK’s 2018 entrant SuRie, Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough and ‘Dr Eurovision’ – aka Paul Jordan, who has a PhD in Eurovision Studies (yes, really) – to take us through the top-streamed tracks. Inside TV joined Fleur to find out about her Eurovision highlights past and present…
Hello, Fleur! What’s your earliest Eurovision memory?
One of my earliest memories is at my best friend’s house the year that Katrina And The Waves won. We were in the shed at the bottom of her garden, screaming at the top of our voices. Her neighbour shouted over at us to shut up!
So how has this top 20 chart been compiled?
The entries needed to have more than 30 million streams worldwide, then we combined that with the number of views on Eurovision’s YouTube channel. I think it shows how people can go on to have an incredible career.
What’s your personal favourite on the list?
It has to be Daði Freyr for Think About Things. It was such a shame that they didn’t get to actually perform because there was no Eurovision that year. That’s my secret winner.
Did you learn anything that you didn’t know before?
So much! It was really fun having Dr Eurovision there, because I’d go, “What position did we come when it was Jade Ewen and Andrew Lloyd Webber?” and he’d go, “It was fifth. And also in that year…” It was like having human Google sitting there!
What advice would you give to this year’s UK entrant, Mae Muller?
To fully embrace it. What was so great about Sam Ryder last year was that you could see how much he genuinely loved being on that stage, and that he respected Eurovision. So I would say to her, don’t hold anything back. I’m really excited for her because finally we’re on a good streak now!
Where will you be watching this year’s grand final?
I will actually be there! When I got asked to host Eurovision: Everyone’s A Winner in Liverpool, I was like, “Okay, that’s one step closer.” Then I’m talking to SuRie, who performed at Eurovision. And a couple of weeks later, I was told that I’m going to be there. So I’m very, very excited!