Mae Muller addresses crushing Eurovision disappointment after UK flops in grand final
Mae Muller finished in second-to-last place at the Eurovision 2023 Song Contest in Liverpool. (Getty)
Eurovision 2023 star Mae Muller has shared her disappointment after Saturday’s grand final saw the UK finish in second-to-last place.
There were high hopes across the country for Mae Muller’s catchy pop hit “I Wrote A Song”, with the public waiting for her to repeat the success of UK’s 2022 Eurovision performance which ended in Sam Ryder placing in sky-high second place with “Space Man”.
Despite performing on home turf in Liverpool and delivering a final show-stopping performance, the UK once again landed in a dismal position at the bottom of the leaderboard with just 24 points, only beating Germany’s Lord of the Lost with their gothic rock song “Blood and Glitter”.
However, as Sweden’s Eurovision legend Loreen celebrated becoming the first bisexual woman to win two Eurovision Song Contests with her pop ballad “Tattoo” (the first being in 2012 with “Euphoria”), Muller took to social media on 14 May to share a statement for her disappointed fans.
“I just want to say thank you x,” she began. “I know I joke a lot but we really put our all into the last few months, not the result we hoped for but so proud of everyone & what we achieved on this journey. Congrats to all the countries, I’ll never forget this journey and I love you all.”
Over on Instagram, she shared footage from her performance at the grand final, thanking fans for their support over the past few months.
“What an experience,” she wrote. “Just wanted to say thank you for all your support over the last few months, it’s been overwhelming.
“Last night we didn’t get the result we had hoped for but i will remember the energy in that room forever!!! Can’t wait to see you all again soon, I had a f**king fabulous time.”
Fans flocked to the comments to share their love for the singer, who will be embarking on a headline tour across the UK in November. “We love you so much and we couldn’t be prouder of you,” Big Brother star Rylan Clark commented.
“We’re so proud Mae, thank you for being an incredible representative for the UK,” the official BBC Eurovision account added.
“You should be exceptionally proud of yourself,” another user wrote. “You ate that stage up, and created one of the strongest entries this country has every had, under some horrific so-called scrutiny.”
Your placing has no relation to the epic banger of the song you wrote. Everyone I was watching with thought you smashed it. Looking forward to hear what’s next from you xx
— Stephen’s Tweets (@stephenplynch) May 14, 2023
Hold your head high young lady…higher than before…..you have such a fantastic world ahead of you ❤️❤️❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) May 14, 2023
Well done Mae. I had tears in my eyes seeing a UK representative performing on home turf for the first time. I never thought I’d see it. I was too young to watch in 1998. Thanks for being such a great representative and best of luck with what comes best for you!
— Dale (@Dalesphere) May 14, 2023
It wasn’t all bad news for the UK, as post-Eurovision viewing figures released by the BBC revealed that it was the most watched Eurovision grand final ever with a peak of 11 million viewers and an average of 9.9 million people tuning in to watch. This beats the previous record of 9.5 million during the 2011 grand final, in which much-loved boyband Blue represented the UK.
Muller’s loss wasn’t the only disappointment for Eurovision viewers, with many sharing their anger that Finland’s act Käärijä’s camp Europop number “Cha Cha Cha” didn’t win the top prize, narrowly losing out to Loreen during the nail-biting final vote.
As the final scores were announced and Sweden was awarded a mammoth 583 points, an emotional Loreen accepted the coveted trophy.
“This is overwhelming,” she told the cheering crowd. “I’m so happy and I’m so thankful. Thank you for this. This is for you.”
Eurovision 2024 will be hosted by Sweden on the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest.
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