Olly Alexander has spoken out about the dramatic moment his Eurovision semi-final performance went awry, after sparking concern among fans with his ‘shaky’ vocals.
The Years and Years singer, 33, spoke to Lorraine on Wednesday about the ‘wardrobe malfunction’ he suffered, after fans got to hear his song Dizzy performed live in Malmö, Sweden ahead of Saturday’s final.
Olly is representing the United Kingdom with his catchy tune, and performed the song with plenty of raunchy dance moves.
Unfortunately, things began to go pear-shaped when Olly’s microphone pack slipped from his trousers and began dangling behind him.
The star then had to continue the performance whilst attempting to grab the pack, no doubt contributing to the less-than-perfect vocals some fans complained about.
Olly Alexander, 33, has spoken out about his technical difficulties during the first Eurovision semi-final performance in Malmö, Sweden on Tuesday
The Years and Years singer spoke to Lorraine on Wednesday about his ‘wardrobe malfunction’ he suffered
During his performance, Olly’s microphone pack slipped out of his trousers and began to bounce behind him, forcing him to try and grab it while continuing the song
Speaking on Lorraine on Wednesday, Olly said: ‘I had a slight wardrobe malfunction and my mic pack fell off and I had to improvise, it’s live tv and it happens!’
‘The dancing is a bit naughty and the team is fantastic. It’s like the Olympics of music, it’s a fun, chaotic circus.
He added: ‘This whole thing has been wild, it was amazing last night. It was the first time performing it on live TV.
‘There is so much support from the other contestants, it’s been the experience of a lifetime. I feel so lucky and privileged to be doing it.’
‘My mum watched last night and she is coming out tomorrow and she is so excited.’
With the help of some clever camera work, Olly and his dancers appeared to be spinning around and walking on the ceiling in the jam-packed performance.
Olly’s boxing themed routine, which is already guaranteed a place in Saturday’s Grand Final, saw him don a distressed vest and red trousers which was worn with a colour-coordinated jock strap over the top.
The raunchy number saw Olly sensually running his hands over the dancer’s shirtless bodies before they entered into a dance sequence and the singer thrusted to the beat.
Olly then had to sing, dance, and figure out what to do with the box, no doubt contributing to the ‘shaky’ vocals some fans complained about
Speaking on Lorraine on Wednesday, Olly said: ‘I had a slight wardrobe malfunction and my mic pack fell off and I had to improvise, it’s live tv and it happens!’
With the help of some clever camera work, Olly and his dancers appeared to be spinning around and walking on the ceiling in the jam-packed performance
Viewers praised Olly for persevering and still doing a ‘ridiculously assured’ job despite the unexpected setback
Filmed inside the room for the majority of the performance, it was only in the final chorus the entourage broke out onto the stage as he belted out the final notes.
As the crowd went wild, the commentary hosts Scott Mills and Rylan Clark exclaimed: ‘Yes Olly, that’s how you do it!’
However it seems fans were split on the performance as they took to Twitter to share their opinions.
While half seemed to love the song and raved about the expressive staging, others noticed Olly’s vocals were slightly off and shaky, as one even hoped he was saving his vocals ahead of Saturday’s final.
Raving about the performance, fans exclaimed: ‘so proud of you Olly!❤️✨ you smashed it, the vocal, staging, visuals, choreo, dancing was stunning!!! And those pirouettes by the dancers incredible! Well done #teamdizzy #Eurovision #Eurovision2024 ❤️xxx’;
‘Loved Olly. Great song. Great staging. Fab performance’; ‘OMFG @alexander_olly OFF THE SCALE TONIGHT!!!!! SO SO SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!#Eurovision2024 #Eurovision2024 @bbceurovision always doing a great job!!!!!’;
‘Fantastic performance from @alexander_olly amazing staging. Look how far we’ve come’; ‘@Rylan@BBCRadio2#Eurovision2024 omg when I watched olly i swear to god i thought he was in a video the best ever i ever seen’;
‘olly Alexander made me dizzy for his pelvic thrusting nevermind his kisses’;
Olly added: ‘This whole thing has been wild, it was amazing last night. It was the first time performing it on live TV’
However it seems fans were split on the performance as they took to Twitter to share their opinions
The majority of the song was filmed inside the box, with the entourage only breaking out into the stage in the final chorus
‘I thought Olly did well tonight! That staging was the best enthusiasm I’ve seen for Years and Years (pun very much intended) so maybe we can hope for a left-side finish this year? #Eurovision2024’
However others shared their concern over Olly’s vocals as they wrote: ‘Well, Olly’s vocals were a little dodgy in places, but that staging was superb. What an ending.’
‘Not sure if Olly got overexcited or nervous but that vocal was very pitchy, I’ve heard him live before and he can do much better than that. Just hope the over-staging doesn’t detract him too much from the vocals.’
‘Even though I’m from the Uk , Olly’s vocals were shaky and I wasn’t keen on the staging. Song is catchy’; ‘#Eurovision2024 Semi Final UK I expected better vocals from Olly tonight’
‘Tbh with the quality of the semi finals I think Olly should call in sick on Saturday’; ‘Shall we just say that Olly is “saving his voice” for Saturday’; ‘Those vocals were s**t, jittery, all over the place and out of breath, I hope they are fixed for the final’.
‘People vehemently arguing with me that Olly wasn’t out of tune during his performance God, I love this platform. It really does give a voice to all sorts. Shame it doesn’t give hearing to them as well… #eurovision2024’
‘Great performance and staging by Olly Alexander at the #Eurovision2024 but it will be a huge mistake if they broadcast the entire song like that on Saturday. With no stage context wides, it looks like it was 95% pre-recorded video and that he wasn’t actually on stage’
It comes after Olly revealed he came close to a ‘breakdown’ amid fierce pressure on him to quit the competition.
There have been intense calls for him to pull out due to Israel’s involvement in the show, which has enraged fans due to the country’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza.
Olly told The Times about looking downcast at a recent Eurovision pre-party in London: ‘Yes, I struggled that day. I was holed up in a room trying not to have a breakdown.
The raunchy number saw Olly sensually running his hands over the dancer’s shirtless bodies before they entered into a dance sequence and the singer thrusted to the beat
The raunchy performance featured intense lighting and close up shots
However, others noticed Olly’s vocals were slightly off and shaky, as one even hoped he was saving his vocals ahead of Saturday’s final
‘Normally, you get on stage and turn it on, but I felt really unable to do that. It was tough… I just could not get it together and then I felt ashamed of myself and embarrassed.’
Olly also reportedly began to cry during his chat with the newspaper as he added: ‘Obviously, there are a lot of things I wish were different. And this is so much bigger than me and Eurovision, it really is.
‘Obviously, I wish there wasn’t a war or this insane humanitarian crisis. I wish for peace and I have found this experience, at times, extremely… I’ve just felt really sad and distressed.
‘But I still believe it’s a good thing when people come together for entertainment. That’s why I wanted to do Eurovision.’
A week before his Eurovision showcase, Olly responded to an open letter signed by Queers for Palestine, a collective of more than 450 queer artists, individuals and organisations asking him to quit Eurovision as part of a protest over Israel’s involvement.
While sympathetic, Olly and his fellow Eurovision contestants stated that their performances will go ahead.
He said in his statement: ‘It is important to us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages. We stand united against all forms of hate, including antisemitism and islamophobia.
‘We firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections. We feel it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.’
The Eurovision Song Contest final airs on Saturday at 8pm on BBC One.
Olly recently revealed he came close to a ‘breakdown’ amid fierce pressure on him to quit the competition due to his support for Palestine
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