Eurovision Song Contest 2015 | ||||
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Country | United Kingdom | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Internal Selection | |||
Selection date(s) | 7 March 2015 | |||
Selected entrant | Electro Velvet | |||
Selected song | "Still in Love with You" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Final result | 24th, 5 points | |||
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Still in Love with You", written by David Mindel and Adrian Bax White. The song was performed by the duo Electro Velvet. British broadcaster BBC announced that it would internally select the entry that would represent the United Kingdom at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. BBC held an open submission period for interested artists and songs to submit their bids in addition to considering proposals from record companies and their own BBC Introducing platform. After receiving approximately 300 submissions, an expert panel selected the song "Still in Love with You" performed by the duo Electro Velvet as the British entry. The artists and song were presented to the public in a special presentation show titled Our Song for Eurovision 2015 broadcast via the BBC Red Button service in March 2015.
As a member of the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), the United Kingdom competed directly in the final on 23 May 2015 and did not have to qualify from one of two semi-finals held on 19 May and 21 May. However, the United Kingdom was obligated to vote in the second semi-final. In the United Kingdom's fifty-eighth Eurovision appearance on 23 May, "Still in Love with You" finished in twenty-fourth place out of 27 competing songs with 5 points.
Prior to the 2015 Contest, the United Kingdom had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-seven times since its first entry in 1957. The United Kingdom has, thus far, won the competition five times: in 1967 with the song "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw, in 1969 with the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang" performed by Lulu, in 1976 with the song "Save Your Kisses for Me" performed by Brotherhood of Man, in 1981 with the song "Making Your Mind Up" performed by Bucks Fizz, and in 1997 with the song "Love Shine a Light" performed by Katrina and the Waves. To this point, the nation is noted for having finished as the runner-up in a record fifteen contests. Up to and including 1998, the UK had only twice finished outside the top 10, in 1978 and 1987. Since 1999, the year in which the rule was abandoned that songs must be performed in one of the official languages of the country participating, the UK has had less success, thus far only finishing within the top ten twice: in 2002 with the song "Come Back" performed by Jessica Garlick and in 2009 with the song "It's My Time" performed by Jade Ewen. For the 2014 contest, the BBC selected Molly Smitten-Downes through their BBC Introducing platform, which supports new and unsigned artists. Performing the song "Children of the Universe", she placed 17th.