The artist who is currently the bookmakers’ favourite act to represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been revealed.
The annual competition will take place at Liverpool Arena in May, with the city hosting the event in place of last year’s winner, Ukraine.
Lymington singer-songwriter Birdy is William Hill’s favourite to represent the UK, with odds of 6/4.
“It will need to take a special effort to beat Sam Ryder’s haul of 466 points last year, but our punters are beginning to feel confident in Birdy’s chances of spreading her wings in Liverpool,” William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said.
“The 26-year-old is 6/4 with us to lead out the United Kingdom when this year’s Eurovision Song Contest takes place in May, making her the outright favourite to perform in front of the home crowd.”
Elsewhere, Rina Sawayama is the second favourite to take on Eurovision at 5/2, while Freya Ridings and Cat Burns follow on 6/1. Jessie Ware has odds of 8/1 and Ellie Goulding is a current outside bet at 16/1.
Earlier today (March 3), Birdy shared her new single ‘Raincatchers’, which is the first track to be taken from her upcoming fifth album, ‘Portraits’. “Here in my dreams, we’re raincatchers,” she sings in the chorus. “Come back to me like it was before / You made me feel like / Nothing really matters, nothing really matters.”
‘Portraits’ will be released on July 14 and follows the singer-songwriter’s 2021 album, ‘Young Heart’.
Ahead of the record’s release, Birdy will head out on a UK and Europe tour, which will feature a stop at London’s Eventim Apollo. Tickets are on sale now and available to purchase here.
Birdy will play:
MARCH
26 – Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria
27 – Hamburg, Fabrik
28 – Berlin, Tempodrom
30 – Wiesbaden, Schlachthof Wiesbaden
31 – Luxembourg, Den Atelier
APRIL
1 – Stuttgart, Wagenhallen
3 – Munich, Theaterfabrik
4 – Vienna, Bank Austria Halle Gasometer
5 – Zurich, Volkshaus
6 – Lausanne, Les Docks
10 – Brussels, Royal Circus
11 – Amsterdam, Royal Theater Carré
12 – Rotterdam, Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg
14 – Paris, Le Trianon
17 – Madrid, La Riviera
18 – Barcelona, Sala Razzmatazz
20 – Milan, Fabrique
23 – London, Eventim Apollo
25 – Dublin, 3Olympia Theatre
In a four-star review, NME said of Birdy’s ‘Young Heart’: “[This album] finds her returning on the other side of one of life’s bleaker rites of passage, older, wiser and creatively thriving. It could do with an edit in places […] but for the most part, it’s a record of great beauty; one to cling to when you’re going through it and revel in when you too have made it to the other side.”
