40 years after winning Eurovision with Making Your Mind Up in 1981, Cheryl Baker was determined to get The Fizz to Rotterdam for Eurovision in 2021.
The singer, who performs with Mike Nolan and Jay Aston in the group, tells The Euro Trip podcast the contest is “better now than it ever used to be” – and she would loved to have returned with her bandmates.
“I think it is far better now than it ever used to be,” she shares. “If you look at the Eurovision when we won the venue was pretty big, but not as big as it is now… and the audience was full of what looked like stuffed shirts.
“It’s fantastic… the atmosphere is phenomenal, and electric and happy. If the only the world was like this.”
Adds Cheryl: “I would say that it is better than ever before.
“My dream was to get me, Mike and Jay out to Rotterdam for Eurovision this year, but unfortunately that won’t happen.”
Following their Eurovision victory, Bucks Fizz went on to release five hit album and scored chart hits with classics including Piece of the Action, I Hear Talk and When We Were Young – plus UK No. 1s The Land of Make Believe and My Camera Never Lies.
Jay Aston quit the group in 1985 and, with replacement member Shelley Preston, Bucks Fizz released their fifth and final LP, ‘Writings on the Wall’, before disbanding.
In later years, Jay, Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan regrouped as The Fizz and partnered with Stock Aitken Waterman legend Mike Stock, releasing three albums – ‘The F-Z of Pop’, ‘Christmas with The Fizz’ and ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ – so far.
To mark four decades since their victory, The Fizz are hosting a massive day of live stream events on April 4, featuring “interviews, stories from the past, songs, quizzes,unseen photos and a few surprises.”
Additionally, the group has also announced the release of a new coffee table book, featuring photography of the band from throughout the years.
“The book will feature lots of unseen photo shoot shots and photos from the groups personal collections,” promised The Fizz. “Some real gems!”
Cheryl previously teased big plans for the group in 2021, revealing: “It’s our 40th anniversary next year and we are really excited about it!
“There’s all sorts of fabulous things in the pipeline… the main thing is that we’re going into the studio with Mike Stock to do album number four for The Fizz.
It was also confirmed the group had booked a gig at Indigo at The O2 to celebrate their 40th – however the show has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.