Eurovision fans say 'something wasn't right' with Olly Alexander's performance
Eurovision enthusiasts were left scratching their heads after Olly Alexander's performance at the competition, as something seemed amiss.
During the live broadcast of Eurovision 2024 on Saturday night, viewers watched Olly Alexander take to the stage, hoping to clinch the title. However, some fans couldn't shake off the feeling that "something wasn't right" with his act. The UK's hopeful faced some criticism earlier in the week during the semi-finals, but was determined to give it his all with his song Dizzy.
While many at home were cheering for Olly, praising him for "smashing it," others couldn't help but notice what appeared to be a sound glitch. Comments flooded in about the audio levels, with several fans speculating if there was an issue, as Olly's microphone or the overall sound seemed unusually low.
Social media was abuzz with reactions, with one viewer tweeting: "I think Olly (United Kingdom) mic failed again like it did in rehearsal." Another chimed in with: "Just me or was Olly's mic turned down what happened? ", reports the Mirror. Disappointment was evident as another fan expressed: "I have loved Olly for years! But why didn't they turn his mic up? And that box thing was so distracting."
Echoing the sentiment, another added: "Have they turned Olly's mic down? ! " and yet another post questioned: "Did they turn the volume down on Olly's mic? ".
Olly's performance comes just days after he faced backlash for his semi-final performance, with viewers criticising his 'poor singing'. He later revealed that his microphone pack had fallen off during his performance, which "threw him off". Taking to Instagram, Olly opened up about feeling "tired" and discussed the acts that didn't make it through to the final. He said: "Eurovision updates. Semi-final one was last night. I performed - it was... it was good. I had a slight... well, my mic pack fell out halfway through the performance so I had to catch it an ... just... it kind of threw me off."
"There were elements of the routine I couldn't really do as well as I'd have liked. I was quite stressed that my pack was gonna fall off entirely and my in-ears were gonna ... anyway, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. That is the thrill of live music, live television - anything can happen," he added.
This comes as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced several changes to the grand final following the disqualification of Dutch act Joost Klein. The singer was confirmed to be missing the final ahead of it taking place, while Swedish police investigate a complaint of inappropriate behaviour, the European Broadcasting Union stated.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has confirmed that Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be participating in the Grand Final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The decision comes after an incident involving a female member of the production crew, which is currently under investigation by Swedish police. In a statement, the EBU said: "While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest. We would like to make it clear that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member."
The EBU also emphasised their commitment to maintaining a safe working environment, stating: "We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure working environment for all staff at the Contest. In light of this, Joost Klein's behaviour towards a team member is deemed in breach of Contest rules. The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will now proceed with 25 participating songs."
Despite the changes, the organisers have confirmed that all contestants will keep their official running order. The EBU also revealed that the jury results from Friday's second dress rehearsal had been recalculated, meaning the Netherlands will not receive any points. With one less performer, the ranking system used by jury members has also been adjusted. Previously, all songs were ranked from one to 26, but now there are only 25 performers.
This means that if the Netherlands was originally ranked ninth by a national jury, the song previously in tenth place will now move up to ninth. It was confirmed that during the grand final, the Netherlands would not receive any points from the viewing public and would not appear on the scoreboard. However, Dutch viewers can still vote in the grand final and the Dutch jury result remains valid.
