Elton John helped announce the search for the United Kingdom’s 2022 Eurovision Song Contest entry.
Tap Music management, whose successes include Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey, struck a deal with the BBC to spearhead the search, with Elton lending his support.
He said: “There aren’t many televised events that are as big and global as Eurovision, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to remind the world yet again of the depth and diversity of our talent.
“I can’t wait to see what gems our friends at Tap Music will unearth.”
The UK hasn’t won the contest since Katrina and The Waves triumphed 25 years ago and Spice Girl Melanie C, who is also involved, believes its time the trophy came home.
“The Brits make fantastic pop music,” she insisted. “Not only that, we invented it!
“Isn’t it about time we started showing the rest of Europe what we can do and put our best foot forward when it comes to Eurovision?”
And Tap co-founder Ben insisted now is the time to stop blaming political voting for the UK’s poor performance, following James Newman’s nul points finish.
“We’re really excited to be teaming up with the BBC for this event and will use Eurovision to authentically reflect and celebrate the rich, diverse and world-class musical talent the UK is globally renowned for,” he said.
“For many years, we’ve witnessed the United Kingdom not doing as well as we would have liked, when pop music is something we usually excel at.
“The simple fact is it’s time to show what we can do and reveal the wonderful musical talent we have. Ultimately we can’t blame politics.”
Eurovision 2022 will be held on May 14 in Turin, Italy, after Italian rockers Maneskin were crowned the champions earlier this year.