Speaking to the Hartlepool Mail, Michael Rice revealed he only took part in auditions for Eurovision: You Decide for the experience.
Michael Rice has spoken over the weekend to the Hartlepool as he returned home, as the United Kingdom’s Eurovision 2019 participant. The singer revealed that he was invited to take part in an auditions round for the contest, and only accepted the invite to get more experience, not expecting to make it all the way to the live final.
The singer explained that he genuinely didn’t expect to win the contest which took place on Friday evening;
I did not think it was going to be me. I just thought it would be great experience. I did not think anyone could win two TV shows within a year. I just stood there in shock, then the other contestants ran to me and they hugged me – it was really, really nice.
Michael is looking forward to the experience of representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. He’s looking forward to travelling around Europe and performing his song for audiences before the contest in May.
Who is Michael Rice?
Michael Rice from Hartlepool, will represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. He first came to the public attention when he participated in the X Factor in 2014, but was eliminated after the Bootcamp stage.
He returned to television screens in 2018 when he participated in the BBC series ‘All Together Now’. The show sees performers attempt to convince 100 judges to sing along with them. He was crowned the winner of the first series.
Source: Hartlepool Mail
The United Kingdom debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 and holds the record for the most consecutive appearances in the contest. To date the UK has won the contest a total of five times, with their first victory coming in 1967 and their latest in 1997. The UK holds the record for the most second place finishes in the contest, having been runner-up a total of 15 times. Since 2000 the UK has finished within the top 10 only twice, this being in 2002 with Jessica Garlick and in 2009 with Jade Ewen.
