Mae Muller, representing the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest poses for a photographer, in London Tuesday, March 14, 2023. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
LONDON (AP) – Mae Muller wrote a song. Only a few days later, Eurovision came calling.
“I Wrote a Song” is representing the U.K. at the Eurovision Song Contest, whose semifinals start in 50 days.
When she first came up with the song, she said she felt like she had “just written like a Eurovision bop.” So to have it compete in the real thing?
“So it definitely felt just like the stars were kind of aligning and it happened really organically and that it was just meant to be,” she recently told The Associated Press.
The 25 year-old, who had a global hit in 2021 with the Polo G and NEIKED collaboration “Better Days,” was so excited about the news that she struggled to keep it secret before the official announcement.
“I told my parents ’cause I just thought if I keep this a secret until announce day, they will literally kill me. They’ll never forgive me,” Muller says. “And I just had to, you know, you’ve got to tell someone. And I feel like I was like, don’t post on Facebook. No Facebook posting, especially my dad, bless him.”
“I Wrote a Song” is about taking the sad and angry energy from a breakup and using it for something more productive instead – like, say, writing a song.
Eurovision was always a constant in her house, growing up in north London. Then, over the last five years, Muller became truly hooked, calling herself a “huge fan.”
“I went to see ABBA Voyage twice, cried both times. Literally like a mess,” she said. “And then so I obviously knew how iconic it was, and you know, what it could do. And so it was, it’s always been a very iconic thing in my mind.”
ABBA won for Sweden with “Waterloo” back in 1974. Last year, the title was taken by Ukraine’s entry, Kalush Orchestra.
Normally that would mean Ukraine would be this year’s designated host country, but it was deemed too risky to have the contest there because of the ongoing Russian invasion.
Instead the U.K., who came second last year with Sam Ryder’s “SPACE MAN,” is staging the event in Liverpool on the winner’s behalf and plans to celebrate Ukraine’s creativity and culture.
“I just want to make sure that they feel celebrated on that night as well,” Muller says of Ukraine. “And I think that 3,000 Ukrainians have got tickets to come to Eurovision the final. So I think just that’s just going to make the night even more special.”
In 50 days’ time, all the contestants will be in Liverpool for two semifinals. With the Grand Final on May 13, there will be plenty of time for mingling with the other music artists. Muller can’t wait to meet soulful electronic duo Tvorchi, 2023’s Ukrainian entry.
Tvorchi are 19th on the running order, performing “Heart of Steel,” while Muller is 26th and closing the show.
She found out she would be the last performer from Twitter.
“So it took me a minute because I was like, I’m going to have to watch every single other amazing show and I’m going to be like freaking out,” she says. “And then I worked through that. I got over those emotions and then I realized just how much of like a blessing that really is.”
Maybe it was all in the stars: Muller admits she’s been obsessed with music since she was a toddler.
She even appeared, when she was nine, as the girl in a green dress in the music video for MIKA’s 2007 hit “Grace Kelly.”
“It could have either like scared me and maybe gone the other way and gone, “˜Oh no, too much for me,’ Muller recalls. “Obviously, I went the other way and I was like, “˜I love it!'”
