The UK song and act were officially revealed on March 7th with the song's airing on BBC Radio 2,the music video release on youtube and the track release on streaming platforms. Earlier in the year the BBC announced that the entry had been chosen but the song would be revealed at a later date. Going to Basel is Remember Monday with the song "What the hell just happened?"
Remember Monday is made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele who are from Surrey in the south of England. In 2019 they performed on The Voice UK getting a 4 chair turn in their audition. After choosing Jennifer Hudson as their mentor, they won their battle round but were eliminated in the knockouts. During the pandemic, they posted acapella covers on TikTok, many of which became single releases, and accellerated their strong social media following. Last year they played the BBC Radio 2 stage at C2C Festival and performed a live session backstage with Bob Harris. Since their first song release in 2019, they have released twelve singles and two albums. Individually they also have a wealth of musical theatre experiences from Mary Poppins to Les Miserables, from The Phantom of the Opera to Matilda. The majority of their output is described as country-pop.
Remember Monday is made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele who are from Surrey in the south of England. In 2019 they performed on The Voice UK getting a 4 chair turn in their audition. After choosing Jennifer Hudson as their mentor, they won their battle round but were eliminated in the knockouts. During the pandemic, they posted acapella covers on TikTok, many of which became single releases, and accellerated their strong social media following. Last year they played the BBC Radio 2 stage at C2C Festival and performed a live session backstage with Bob Harris. Since their first song release in 2019, they have released twelve singles and two albums. Individually they also have a wealth of musical theatre experiences from Mary Poppins to Les Miserables, from The Phantom of the Opera to Matilda. The majority of their output is described as country-pop.
The video takes place in a grand house which has been used for a party. The 3 members are dressed rather similarly, in modern riffs on recency clothing in beige, cream, pinky tones. The outfits are complimented with expensive looking accessories such as fur (hopefully fake!) coats and jewellery. The girls connect well and the video narrative - and song lyric - gives the video a light-hearted and comedic edge. The song runs through three lots of verse and chorus however the first verse acts as an intro while the last chorus is a cappella and acts like a finale. There are many gear changes with the chorus being anthemic with long notes holds and vocal riffs, while the verses have a strong beat and is more wordy. The verses tend to be sang a person at a time, sometimes just taking a line at a time, while the chorus is where the trio sing together and in harmony.
There is a lot going on in this song. It is in a similar vein to "The Code" and "Cha Cha Cha" with multiple tones, timing changes and tempos used to create friction, grab attention and to make the watcher/listener stay interested. There is an underlying influence from musical theatre - notably SIX - focusing on story telling, vocal technique and harmonies. It could be a high risk strategy because if they get it wrong on the night(s) the vote will evaporate. The song's structure is enticing the juries who I feel will give this votes if they nail these elements. However, the televote may be more of a battle. Personally I find the song's stop-start nature jarring and the lack of flow stops me enjoying it. The song by itself doesn't work, which won't be good for radio play, but could be memorable for Eurovision if the show is good. This song is not for me but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its merits or appeal elsewhere. One question I can't wait to find out the answer to is - in a song full of bits which bit will they use for the vote recap?
ARTIST - Remember Monday
SONG - What the hell just happened?
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - J Aagaard, S Brennan, L Byrne, T Hollings, H-A Hull, K Kamara, C Steele, T Stengaard
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