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On Monday 3rd March at a secret launch party in London, 2014’s entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest was revealed as ACM Alumna (2006 Degree Vocal) Molly Smitten-Downes!
Performing the self-penned UK entry Children of the Universe, Molly was joined on stage by fellow ACM Alumnus and Drum Tutor Joe Yoshida, are just days away from the televised finals on Saturday 10th May.
‘Children of the Universe’ – The UK’s 2014 Eurovision Song Contest Entry
In a break from recent Eurovision selection, which has seen the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck and Bonnie Tyler take to the Euro stage, Molly was found through the BBC’s Introducing scheme, which supports unsigned trying to break in the industry by playing their songs on local stations. In Molly’s case, it was BBC Radio Nottingham Saturday Show presenter Dean Jackson which helped build her profile enough to play the Sundance Festival and win 2013’s Best Song at the Best of British Unsigned Music Awards.
Molly has been performing for more than a decade and has previously supported artists such as Jake Bugg, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth and Chase & Status.
“I’m so excited for everyone to hear Children of The Universe. I’m so happy with it. To represent the United Kingdom in such a huge competition, not only as a singer and performer but as a songwriter is an unbelievable honour. I hope I can do us proud.”
Molly Smitten-Downes On representing the UK
“The news came out of nowhere, but all here at ACM re really excited to see how she has continued her pursuit of a career in music and developed as a singer/songwriter. We wish her well and the best of luck for the Eurovision Song Contest finals on 10th May.”
NAME On hearing Molly Smitten-Downes Eurovision News
ACM is also excited to confirm that drum tutor and ACM Alumnus Joe Yoshida is confirmed to play during the live performance that takes place in Copanhagen’s B&W Hallerne, located on Refshaleøen Island. Joe’s working credits which include a host of live and television appearances, meant he had a wealth of experience to call upon when Molly (a close friend of Joe’s) got in touch to involve Joe in the project.
ACM Tutor Joe Yoshida – On his involvement with Eurovision
“After having the wonderful opportunity to watch the first Semi-Final last night, I was reminded of how incredibly fortunate I am to be part of the delegates of United Kingdom. We were all reminded that our promised place in the Grand Final is something we cannot possibly take for granted with the competition so strong, and most of all, we were all struck with the sheer gravity of the journey we were about to embark upon after witnessing the gargantuan scale of the show for the first time.
I don’t feel nervous about the Grand Final, as we truly believe in the song and each other in the band; and most of all, we all believe in Molly. For me, there is nothing better than being able to share this momentous endeavour with a dear friend – back when Molly and I studied at ACM little did we know we would do anything even as close to this.
Our performance is now rehearsed and set – all I can say is: it will exceed all expectations.”
Tune in on 10th May to watch Molly Smitten-Downes perform in the Eurovision Song Contest in from of an estimated televised audience of over 100 million viewers!
Keep up to date with the latest Eurovision conversations online via the BBC Eurovision Twitter stream and show your support for Molly with the new hashtag #childrenoftheuniverse.
ACM would like to wish ACM Alumna Molly Smitten-Downes and ACM Tutor Joe Yoshida the very best of luck for 2014’s Eurovision Song Contest in May and all the preparation for promoting Children of the Universe!
Listen to Molly’s interview with Eagle Radio.
Follow Molly Smitten-Downes on Twitter and Facebook. For more information about Molly Smitten-Downes and to listen to her music, visit her website.
About The Eurovision Song Contest
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was formed on 12th February 1950 by 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in Devon, United Kingdom. It was on the 6th of June, 1954, that Montreux became the venue for the first transmission by the EBU’s Eurovision Network of the Narcissus Festival and its flower-bedecked procession floats.
The first Eurovision viewers eagerly watched on four million television sets in homes, bars, and shop windows in Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In 1955, the EBU came up with the idea of an international song contest whereby countries, represeted by their respective public broadcasters, would participate in one television show, to be transmitted simultaneously in all represented nations.
This was conceived during a meeting in Monaco in 1955 by Marcel Bezençon, a Frenchman working for the EBU. The competition was based upon the Italian Festival di Sanremo, held for the first time in 1951, and was also seen as a technological experiment in live television: in those days, it was a very ambitious project to join many countries together in a wide-area international network.
Satellite television did not exist yet at that time, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. Le Grand-Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne was born!
Without interruption, the Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast every year since 1956, which makes it one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. In 2003, the first ever Junior Eurovision Song Contest took place, while the Eurovision Song Contest celebrated her 50th anniversary in 2005. Viewers picked ABBA’s Waterloo as best ever Eurovision Song Contest song.
2008 running saw a record of 43 represented countries, as Azerbaijan and San Marino joined the family.
The competition has been broadcast throughout Europe, but also in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States, even though these countries do not participate. In 2010, the format will be launched outside of Europe so that various other parts of the world will be introduced to the concept behind the show.
