Should the UK Send WELSH to Eurovision?

[@alanbudworth4]

A national final with songs in English Welsh Gaelic and Irish (for Northern Ireland) would be very interesting

[@lewiscondy739]

Why don’t we have 4 semi finals; one for each Home Nation. 6 artists from each with 3 going through making a 12 artist final with songs in different genres and languages?

[@jezzaqc]

You don’t know until you try. Given the majority of our results post-2000 have put the UK at the bottom end of the scoreboard, it is worth a punt. Wales is known as the ‘Land of Song’ after all and had pedigree for music!

[@SophWilliamson]

You never know until you try - And in terms of risk? The UK has had 4 top ten finishes since we last won in 1997; and 6 of the last 8 have been last or next-to-last. A Welsh entry can't do any worse than we've done already.

[@12_terabyte57]

But it could stain the reputation of Welsh in Eurovision entries and stop the BBC from experimenting, so I think if the UK wants to send a song at least partially in Welsh, they should look for an already established artist. Multiple years if experience, a decently big following and knowledge of Welsh history, culture and of course the language. Just sending some Welsh person singing a couple of lines in Welsh with a soundtrack in the background that they or BBC made in about a day won’t cut it.

[@ianwilliams8100]

Being a fluent Welsh speaker I would love to see my language represented at Eurovision, Welsh speakers have represented the UK over the years, singing in English, with artists such as Mary Hopkins coming 2nd in 1970, Nicky Stevens, winning with Brotherhood of Man in 1976, Jessica Garlick coming joint third in 2002 and Joe from Joe and Jake (2016) also a fluent Welsh speaker. Lucie Jones (Kyiv 2017) was the first singer to use the language on the Eurovision stage saying, "Diolch yn fawr iawn", (Thank you very much) at the end of her performance. We've got the talent in Wales, then why not let us sing in own language, diversity is important, think outside the box BBC and choose a song in Cymraeg (Welsh) or one of the other Celtic languages, we need a bigger stage for our language and Culture to thrive!

[@ESCHayden]

I hadn't picked up on LJ speaking Welsh at ESC17; certainly a lovely touch. It would be nice to see a song in Welsh, even if partly, as is popular with countries at Junior Eurovision - part English, part native language.

[@davidarnold5271]

I think it best to save it as an option with English songs as well in a national final to show showcase all sorts of songs and the music we have here in this country 🇬🇧

[@patrickh3385]

Interesting video. I think it's definitely worth a shot because we've got nothing to lose and we should see it as an opportunity to showcase the UK's cultural diversity in Eurovision (for the same reason, I'd be in favour of trying something really radical like bhangra). I think we would even gain some respect for trying something radical which would be a positive outcome even if it doesn't translate into points. On balance I think you're right that we should try to build up a better track record first and I think experimenting with different genres should be a first step. If we're serious about winning again it'll take a bit of trial and error and we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves if we have a few more bad results on the way. I don't buy the idea that because Welsh language entries fared poorly at JESC that we shouldn't try it at the adult version. I haven't heard the Welsh language entries but I would hazard a guess that they simply weren't as good as the other contenders. The idea that a Welsh language song could never succeed is in my view ludicrous. Even if we don't send a non-English language song for a few years I think we should look outside England for a representative as we've not had a non English act for a while and we need to look as widely as possible if we're to succeed again.

[@danielharding8048]

Look at Wales in Junior Eurovision. The 2 times a Welsh entry was performed, the songs were lack lustring in a lot of ways. But if the BBC are doing it and not S4C, who knows?

[@tageholmquist3926]

The UK should be experimenting right now, there’s little pointing towards what they’re trying right now being the right way. Furthermore, they’re in the Big 5, they don’t have to worry about losing out on the grand final. The UK has this massive room to experiment and it’s a shame they’re not using it, one day they might have to be in the SFs and they’ll regret not experimenting.

[@waynemartin4881]

Maybe the U.K. should do what Yugoslavia used to do and ask all nations to complete to represent the U.K. and if that nation wins then the contest would be held in the capital city of that Nation.

[@H-Marina-Sas-Pige-Tapa]

Gwenno would do great!!

[@lewiscondy739]

I hope we send Niteworks which are a Scots Gaelic EDM band.

[@iainkenworthyneale]

yes

[@fabb4i2]

Okay, but we also have to see that neither Fulenn nor Eaea were competitive songs.

[@RobertHeslop]

Two ideas for national finals for the UK. 1) We should have a national final with an entry in Scots (see Iona Fyfe - The Cauld, for example), Scottish Gaelic, English, Welsh and Irish. The public should then vote which song is most liked BUT can't vote for their region of the UK eg people in England must vote for one of the songs that wasn't the one performed in English, cutting 95% of viewer voting going immediately in favour to the English entry of the national final. or 2) We have a national selection of 12 entrants (6 are songs in English, 6 are songs from any language spoken in the UK either as a regional language, or a language a person born in the UK grew up speaking, for example a British-born singer with parents from Hong Kong who speaks Cantonese could enter with a song in that language). We have 2 semi-finals broken into (3 English + 3 non-English) with 4 spaces up for grabs per each semi-final (ensuring at least 2 non-English entries will progress to the final). Then in the final, the public votes for "the golden 4" and those 4 songs perform once again, and then the public decides from those 4 which one wins.

[@koiyune]

i just want somthing new, thats it. i HOPE the UK will send a song not in english sometime, more variety and diversity, honestly.

[@anthonydavid5121]

ABSOLUTLY 100% YES. Englsih is not the only langauge spoken in the 4 countreis of the UK ..... lts show the world that. WALES!!!!!!!

[@Happywelshchick7]

Wales and Scotland should have their own entry, and England should have their own. That's what Wales wants.

[@aledmorgan4889]

No id rather if cymru was there on its own rights as opposed of being there as a representative of uk. The winner of the can i gymru would be selected as our chosen entry.

[@tageholmquist3926]

The UK should be experimenting right now, there’s little pointing towards what they’re trying right now being the right way. Furthermore, they’re in the Big 5, they don’t have to worry about losing out on the grand final. The UK has this massive room to experiment and it’s a shame they’re not using it.

[@jane9875]

I'm Welsh and I couldn't care less

[@raoubveugelles]

YES!

[@LED4all]

A ancient Welsh performance would take the win.

[@WelshBathBoy]

Celtic as in the culture or languages is pronounced Keltic not Seltic

[@plantpowered269]

No! Wales should send Welsh song to Eurovision, not the UK. As Wales does for rugby and football championships. Just send, no need to ask. Besides, Welsh is the official language of the UK, not English, so all the contestants should have sing in Welsh then.

[@AdamOwnedYourself]

No, considering 95+% of the country doesn’t speak it

[@KyrieFortune]

You have had only one successful song in the last years and all kf them where in English, might as well try

[@DavidDamen-ve7br]

nope welsh will flop

[@czechistan_zindabad]

UK doesn’t do well in ESC with English songs anyway

[@DavidDamen-ve7br]

@@czechistan_zindabad actually in the history of eurovision we do

[@czechistan_zindabad]

@@DavidDamen-ve7br well not in the recent times

[@jezzaqc]

You don’t know until you try. Given the majority of our results post-2000 have put the UK at the bottom end of the scoreboard, it is worth a punt. Wales is known as the ‘Land of Song’ after all!

[@DavidDamen-ve7br]

@@jezzaqc look at how bad it did in jesc so no it wont do well

[@willwillwin856]

Or even better, CORNISH!