TaP, the team behind Sam Ryder and Mae Muller, has announced that it will not be selecting the UK’s entry for Eurovision 2024.
The management company, which is also behind artists including Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding, has helped the BBC select the UK representatives for the past two years at Eurovision. However, the team has now confirmed that it will be stepping down from the role ahead of next year’s instalment.
Headed by Ben Mawson and Ed Millett, the company was responsible for choosing Sam Ryder as the contestant for 2022 and Mae Muller as the entry earlier this year.
Ryder fell just shy of the winning position last year, coming second place to Ukraine with his song ‘Space Man’. He did, however, gather the best result the UK has seen in a generation, and is credited with causing a resurgence of interest in the competition from the nation.
Muller, on the other hand, was less successful in her race for the Eurovision crown, coming in second-to-last place with her track ‘I Wrote A Song’. This year, it was Swedish singer Loreen that clinched the title, meaning that next year’s edition will be held in Malmo in Sweden next May.
TaP Music took to social media to share the news earlier this week. “We’re so proud of Sam and Mae for representing the UK so wonderfully and are enjoying watching their careers flourish as a result,” read the statement on Twitter (X) on Tuesday (August 1).
“It’s been brilliant working with the BBC for the last two years, but for now, we think it is time to pass the baton back,” it added. “We wish the BBC the best of luck with ongoing success and continuing to build the excitement and audience [for Eurovision] in the UK.”
TaP & Eurovision ❤️🇪🇺🇬🇧@bbceurovision @Eurovision pic.twitter.com/hdmUSxP7RL
— TaP Music (@tapmusic) August 1, 2023
Originally, TaP was only supposed to aid the BBC’s selection process in 2021, it helped choose Ryder as the entry for 2022. However, this was extended following the success of the singer at the final and the follow-up edition being brought to Liverpool.
It is not yet clear whether the BBC will return to its original internal selection process when coming to choose the entry for 2024, or if it will employ another outside talent agency.
Last month, 2023 winner Loreen (who had also won the competition in 2012) spoke with NME as part of its In Conversation series, and revealed how nature plays a role in her music.
“I just knew that I wanted to create a staging that looked like nature, but I didn’t really understand why in the beginning. Now I understand why. Because if you look at my performance, it’s abstract but it’s like a translation of nature,” she explained. “There’s the sand, the mist, the air, the sky, the sunset – or the sunrise, call it whatever you like – but all the elements are there apart from water.”
She also discussed her plans for new music, stating: “I’ve actually been working with some people here in London, darlin’. So it’s happening right now and there’s going to be a lot of new music before the end of the year. Hopefully!”
