In a tense finale, the British public chose Jade to represent the United Kingdom at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. She will sing It’s My Time, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren.
As usual, the show opened with Andrew Lloyd Webber entering the set, he was accompanied by even more leggy lovelies than ever. Host Graham Norton then introduced the three contenders, Jade, Mark and The Twins, who together sang Buck Fizz’s winner from 1981, Making Your Mind Up.
Having survived the ‘Dangerzone’last week, Jade opened proceedings with Lady Marmalade. Last week, she seemed a little uncertain but she was back to her usual assured self this week. She sang well and strutted around the stage confidently. Andrew thought Jade was “fantastic tonight” but added “It’s bad luck to start it all.”
Experienced theatre performer, Mark, was next. He stuck to what he does best sang the ballad, Try a Little Tenderness, which started off very gently but the arrangement increased the tempo of the song towards the end. Mark did some interaction with the audience, much to the delight of the ladies in the front row. Andrew said it was a “very polished performance, while another guest, Duncan James, formerly of the group Blue said that Mark “had delivered every week.”
The Twins were last to perform their first song, Sweet About Me. The harmonies were as nice as ever, but without any backing at all, there was something missing. Andrew commented that The Twins are “quite extraordinary”. Lulu, who has been present throughout the series to comment on the performances, gave The Twins a boost when she said “I had my doubts but you have stepped up your game.”
After the first set of performances came the second biggest moment of the night, the song, It’s My Time. A nervous Andrew Lloyd Webber joked that it was time for him to go. It’s a ballad which starts quietly but builds gradually as the song progresses and has a big finish.
Mark was given the honour of performing the song first. He was alone on stage and gave a powerful performance of the song, proving that if he was the winner tonight, the hopes of his country would be in safe hands. Not surprisingly perhaps, he made the song sound very theatrical.
The Twins started by sitting on stools and were on their feet by the end and gave the song a more soulful sound. Andrew has been quoted today as saying that if one of the acts in particular won, then he “can’t perform miracles.” And that the act concerned would need a lot more work than the others. Although he didn’t say who he was talking about, many have interpreted his comments as being aimed at The Twins. Their performance may have lacked the power of Mark’s, but they showed that they too would do the song justice if they were given that duty.
Jade made It’s My Time feel less theatrical and like an Andrew Lloyd Webber song while retaining the power vocal. She sang the song from the heart.
Commenting on the performances, Lulu felt each act had given the song their own interpretation. Andrew felt they were all terrific performances and “whoever wins will have my 101% support.” The phone lines then opened.
While the public were voting, all the acts had to sing again. This time, the song was chosen by Andrew from one of the songs they had performed earlier in the series. The Twins sang The Promise, which Andrew chose because “once again, they will be adorable.” For Jade, he had chosen Déjà vu because, although it’s a completely different type of song to It’s My Time, but it shows she is “a total professional and a complete all rounder.” He allowed Mark to play it safe by giving him Me and Mrs Jones because it was the “moment he came out of his comfort zone.”
After this, there was a montage of clips from the series, which provided an introduction for the rejected acts, Damien, Charlotte and Emperors of Soul to enter the stage to sing Relight My Fire. They were soon joined by Lulu, who had been a part of the song when it was a hit for Take That.
Graham Norton announced that the phone lines were closed and while the votes were being counted, Dima Bilan sang his winning song from last year’s contest, Believe.
Time for the results. The studio was clearly filled with nervous tension as the acts stepped forward to learn their fates.
In third place…..Mark. The Twins joined hands with Jade as the tension mounted. With the camera focused on their faces, Graham announced that the winner of the show and representing the United Kingdom in Moscow………………………..Jade!!!
It wouldn’t be a Eurovision related show without a winning reprise and Jade struggled to hold herself together as she tried to sing It’s My Time again while being showered with confetti. It is believed that Jade will now undertake a tour of Europe in the lead up to the contest in May in an effort to show that this year; the United Kingdom is taking it seriously. The last few weeks has proved that there is a new approach to the contest in the country and maybe, just maybe it the United Kingdoms time.
Below, you can watch the video of Jade singing It’s My Time. You can also see the song sung by Mark and The Twins.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eADt1lFpmCA
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=95NmuQlaX3Y
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=953u__xgTU8
