Tap management, who look after artists such as Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding and Hailee Steinfeld, is the company named to be in charge of selecting the next Eurovision contender, following the UK’s last place position at this year’s competition.
The past contender, James Newman, failed to garner any points for his song, Embers, in the last competition, extending a British tradition of doing pitifully badly in the contest. The last contender from the UK to breach the top ten was Jade Ewen, who competed in 2009.
Prior to Tap management, the selections had been made by record company BMG, who are now no longer involved in the decision making process. The new team in charge first came about in 2009, after lawyer Ben Mawson met Lana Del Rey and started working with her. Together with music manager Ed Millett, they helped to establish Del Rey as a defining voice of contemporary pop music and the company has since expanded from New York to London, Berlin, Sydney and Los Angeles. They also now own a record label.
Mawson has stated: "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 added that the selection decision is not easy, saying: "I think our conclusion was [Eurovision] is not as political as people think, and I think we should focus on getting some really special music and a really special artist that represents Britain in the best possible way.”
Mawson wants to change the perception of the UK's position at the event, he said: "We don't want to see Eurovision as a boom or bust night for the artist. We want to see this as a platform for development for a career. We don't know yet if they'll be a new artist but if they are we want to make sure this is going to be a really positive experience."
This year’s Eurovision was won by Italian band Måneskin, with the song Zitti E Buoni, which then managed to breach the UK top 20. The event was the most watched Eurovision since 2014, with 7.8 million viewers tuning in to BBC One.
The next competition will take place in Turin’s PalaOlimpico Arena in May. The European Broadcasting Union has announced that all 39 countries featured in the last competition will return, alongside two new countries, Montenegro and Armenia.
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