Eurovision week is here and while the UK is guaranteed a place in the final we haven't won the song contest since 1997.
Hoping to change that this year is Mae Muller, the UK's Eurovision entry for 2023. She's got a tough act to follow after Sam Ryder stormed to second place in last year's competition in Turin, bagging the UK its best position in over two decades.
But she'll also have the home turf advantage as the UK stands in for Ukraine as hosts this year, with Liverpool staging the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Whether you're lucky enough to have tickets to see her perform in the Grand Final at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on Saturday, or watching on TV at home, here's everything you need to know about the pop star.
READ MORE: Eurovision friends travel hundreds of miles to city after planning outfits for years
Who is Mae Muller, how old is she and what is her nationality?
Mae Muller (real name Holly Mae Muller) is 25 years old and was born in London, making her a British national - although she has German ancestry and revealed she is applying for a German passport in a recent interview.
She was raised in a Jewish family in Kentish Town and, speaking out in a social media post condemning anti-Semitism in the music industry, she previously told followers how her grandad fled to the UK from Nazi Germany when he was 12.
Muller has a long career in the music business behind her already. She started writing her own music at just eight years old and had her first brush with fame at the age of nine when she appeared in Mika's Grace Kelly video.
She was still a teenager when she landed her first publishing deal while working at a pub. Since then, she has released two EPs, clocked up over 2 billion streams and millions of views on YouTube and TikTok, and supported Little Mix on a stadium tour.
Her best-known hit to date is her platinum-selling single Better Days, a collaboration with NEIKED and Polo G, which charted in the top 10 in the US in 2021.
What is Mae Muller's Eurovision song and how was she chosen to represent the UK?
I Wrote A Song is Mae Muller's Eurovision entry for the UK, an upbeat break-up song which reviews have described as 'Dua Lipa-esque electronic pop' and 'slick, polished, revengeful pop music'.
The single entered the UK Top 40 in March, becoming the first Eurovision song to do so on release week since 2011.
She co-wrote it with Brit Award nominated songwriter Lewis Thompson and Alisha's Attic star Karen Poole, who has written for artists including Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen and David Guetta.
Muller was chosen to represent the United Kingdom in the contest by BBC bosses and global management and music publishing company TaP Music, which represents stars including Lana del Rey, Ellie Goulding, London Grammar, Dermot Kennedy and Mabel. It was the same partnership that produced Ryder and his song Space Man last year.
Speaking when they launched their search for this year's act, Ben Mawson and Ed Millett at TaP Music, said: "Last year we wanted to change the narrative around the UK and Eurovision to something much more positive. We focussed on what Eurovision is all about - we found a brilliant artist, an unforgettable song and an incredible person in Sam Ryder - we’re so proud of his fantastic success, coming 2nd in the competition and then achieving a number 1 single."
READ MORE:
