What the hell just happened?
Those were the words echoing across Great Britain as Austrian entry JJ convincingly won the 69th annual Eurovision Song Contest at St. Jakobshalle Arena in Basel on Saturday evening.
Once again, it was a night to forget for the UK as British entry Remember Monday – made up of Hampshire based singers Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele – came nineteenth with a dismal 88 points.
Not that British Eurovision fans well versed in bitter disappointment expected them to win this competition, by any particular margin.
But there was initial optimism, however vague, that the band’s catchy, country infused track What The Hell Just Happened? might light a fire under hard-to-please European voters.
Unfortunately, their song title became a stark reality as voters across Europe snubbed the UK in a humiliating blow for the second consecutive year.
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Country group Remember Monday flew the flag for Great Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday evening, but could only finish in 18th place after picking up 88 points
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The group looked completely dejected as the results filtered in during a long night in Basel
Their 88 points – awarded by the Eurovision jury – did however hint at some sort of progression for beleaguered Brits by improving upon the disastrous score of 46 awarded to Olly Alexander in 2024.
And let’s not forget the silver lining that surrounds this particularly dark cloud, with the girls having signed a potentially lucrative record deal with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Picking the positives from Saturday’s performance in an official statement, the girls said: ‘Three best mates walked onto the world’s biggest music stage and came out with a Top 10 Jury score, massive streaming numbers, and memories that will last a lifetime.
‘Performing at Eurovision was one of the most surreal and emotional moments of our lives. The love we’ve felt from fans, our incredible team, and everyone who streamed, voted, and believed in us has been overwhelming.’
They added: ‘This is just the beginning for Remember Monday. We’ve got new music coming your way, a UK & Ireland headline tour this year, a summer packed with festivals, and we’ll be hitting the stage at Wembley Stadium for the Summertime Ball… no big deal!
‘We’re so grateful for the platform, the media support, and every single new fan who’s joined us on this wild journey.’
Still, Saturday’s result left a lot to be desired, so where did it all go wrong for this year’s entry?
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They have since picked the positives from Saturday’s performance in an official statement, calling it ‘one of the most surreal and emotional moments of our lives’
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Austrian entry JJ (pictured) won the annual competition at St. Jakobshalle Arena in Basel on Saturday evening
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Despite storming to the left hand side of the scoring board, Remember Monday failed to win over the public vote receiving zero points
THE OLLY ALEXANDER EFFECT
Perhaps the rot set in when the band heeded the advice of Alexander, whose mainstream success with Years & Years made him a favourite ahead of last year’s competition.
Previously asked what words of wisdom he would offer to the next Eurovision entrant, Alexander said: ‘Get a good therapist’.
Speaking to The Sun as they prepared for Saturday’s showpiece, band-member Lauren revealed they’d listened to him – despite his poor showing in Sweden.
She said: ‘Yeah. I think everyone should have a therapist. And we do. We’re very lucky that we do.’
The singer also insisted they will not let online criticism or the scores on the night get to them.
She said: ‘You just have to accept as an artist that what you do isn’t going to be loved by everyone.
‘There are people out there that don’t like Taylor Swift. I think they’re a bit crazy, but they do exist. So, you know, we can’t be for everyone and that’s fine.’
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There was initial optimism, however vague, that the band’s catchy, country infused track What The Hell Just Happened? might light a fire under hard-to-please European voters
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Perhaps the rot set in when the band heeded the advice of Olly Alexander, whose song Dizzy picked up a disastrous 46 points in 2024
NORTON’S KISS OF DEATH
Show commentator Graham Norton had previously tempted fate by boldly claiming the group “have a great advantage in that they are unlike any other act this year”.
‘Their vocals and harmonies are flawless, the song has a very strong hook and the trio are hugely likeable,’ he said earlier this month.
‘With a decent place in the running order they should do very well indeed.’
Norton said that successful acts have good songs that have a “hook” and “interesting staging”.
He added: ‘It doesn’t have to be complicated, just clever and fresh. Lastly, and this is the hardest of all, the act needs to be likeable and somehow get their personality across to the audience. Not forgetting great vocals.’
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Show commentator Graham Norton had previously tempted fate by boldly claiming the group “have a great advantage in that they are unlike any other act this year”
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‘Their vocals and harmonies are flawless, the song has a very strong hook and the trio are hugely likeable,’ he said earlier this month.
Eurovision 2025 result
- Austria, JJ – 436
- Israel, Yuval Raphael – 357
- Estonia, Tommy Cash – 356
- Sweden, KAJ – 321
- Italy, Lucio Corsi – 256
- Greece, Klavdia – 231
- France, Louane – 230
- Albania, Shkodra Elektronike – 218
- Ukraine, Ziferblat – 218
- Switzerland, Zoë Më – 214
- Finland, Erika Vikman – 196
- Netherlands, Claude – 175
- Latvia, Tautumeitas – 158
- Poland, Justyna Steczkowska – 156
- Germany, Abor & Tynna – 151
- Lithuania, Katarsis – 96
- Malta, Miriana Conte – 91
- Norway, Kyle Alessandro – 89
- UK, Remember Monday – 88
- Armenia, PARG – 72
- Portugal, NAPA – 50
- Luxembourg, Laura Thorn – 47
- Denmark, Sissal – 47
- Spain, Melody – 37
- Iceland, VÆB – 33
- San Marino, Gabry Ponte – 27
SHORT ODDS
Despite Norton’s high hopes and their high-energy routine, the odds were not in their favour with Ladbrokes presciently claiming they were more likely to finish in last place than first.
In a crushing blow to their chances of success, the girls were ranked at just 66/1 to take home the trophy by bookies, with nine other countries soaring ahead of them.
Their odds of coming in last place were much closer at just 3/1, while the chance of them scoring ‘nul points’ ranked at 12/1.
Speaking ahead of the competition, Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: ‘Remember Monday need nothing short of a miracle to cause an upset in Switzerland tonight, if the latest odds are anything to go by.’
The UK last finished triumphant in the contest 27 years ago with the victory of Katrina and the Waves in 1997, with their track Love Shine A Light.
Remember Monday had fallen far behind Sweden and Austria, who were both the bookies’ leading favourites to win the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.
EUROPE BASICALLY DOESN’T LIKE US
In one of the most politically charged Eurovision song contests, Austria stormed to victory, while Israel – whose performance was hampered by protests – took second place.
Millions of viewers across Europe tuned in to see who would take home the crown, as JJ representing Austria emerged victorious in Saturday night’s grand final following two semi-final shows earlier this week.
Israel’s Yuval Raphael, who survived the October 7 massacre in 2023, was the runner-up with New Day Will Rise, performed in Hebrew, French and English.
The singer was left ‘shaken and upset’ after two pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards her during her performance.
Meanwhile, organisers confirmed that a crew member backstage was hit with paint but was not injured.
While the UK managed to rack up 88 points from the professional jury, it was yet another snub from the European voting public.
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In one of the most politically charged Eurovision song contests, Austria stormed to victory, while Israel – whose performance was hampered by protests – took second place
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While the UK managed to rack up 88 points from the professional jury, it was yet another snub from the European voting public
HOWEVER…
Despite their failure at the Eurovision Song Contest, the girl-band has signed a seven-figure contract with musical supremo Andrew Lloyd Webber and will release songs on his label this year.
As reported by Katie Hind for The Mail on Sunday, the £1million deal has been awarded because the impresario is convinced the group could be huge.
A source said: ‘Andrew is genuinely excited by Remember Monday – he really does think they have something special, both in their vocal capabilities and with their stage presence.’
The band will be represented by The Other Songs music company which Lord Lloyd-Webber founded with his sons Billy and Alistair.
The firm is focused on nurturing songwriting talent and it prides itself on creating unique opportunities for emerging and established artists.
The source added: ‘He is utterly convinced they can go from strength to strength as a result of Eurovision.
‘For some acts the contest is a last throw of the dice, but the new label deal shows how much faith he has in them going on to greater things now.’
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The girlband have signed a seven-figure contract with musical supremo Andrew Lloyd Webber and they will release songs on his label this year – despite their failure on Saturday evening
