Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up 2007
Biographies
"Don't let your indecision, take you from behind
Trust your inner vision, don't let others change your mind"
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Those were the immortal words sung at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 by UK winners Bucks Fizz.
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Step forward to 2007, and six new acts will be singing for the public vote hoping they will be able to change the nation's mind and be selected as the UK entry for this year's competition.
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United Kingdom, it's time once again for Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up!
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Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up is now in its fourth year and public interest in the Eurovision Song Contest has never been greater, with more than 180 million viewers worldwide in 2006.
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This year's line up sees a fantastic mix of artists – some with years of chart topping experience under their belts to a fresh face on the UK music scene.
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There is only one way the public can make sure the act of their choice goes to Helsinki in May, and that's to vote via phone or SMS voting.
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bbc.co.uk/eurovision will, as always, keep viewers up to date with all the latest news and gossip about the show. Viewers can also get exclusive clips of the six tracks to be showcased.
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Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up culminates in a results show later in the evening when one of the six acts discover who will be heading to Helsinki to represent the UK.
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Big Brovaz perform Big Bro Thang, written by Nadia, Cherise, J-Rock and Randy
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Big Brovaz first broke into the UK charts in October 2002 with their debut single, Nu Flow. It was an instant hit all over Europe, particularly in the UK where it made it into the top three.
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The group's success has continued with a further four singles making it into the UK Top Ten and their debut album, also entitled Nu Flow, was certified platinum in the UK.
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Their success led the band to win two Mobo awards (Best Newcomer and Best UK Act of the year), a Smash Hits award (Best Urban Act) alongside Capital Radio and Disney awards.
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After being locked up in a studio for two years, Big Brovaz are back as a four-piece with members Nadia, Cherise, J-Rock and Randy.
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They are confident they can take Eurovision to a new level with their not-so-traditional-Eurovision style.
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Nadia says: "We're performing our new single, Big Bro Thang. All four of us wrote it as a group, and it's about being yourself and not changing for anyone. The overall tone is darker than our normal stuff but the message is bright."
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J-Rock says: "We could win this thing... the whole thing!"
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The group agree their favourite Eurovision memory is when Abba sang Waterloo.
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Cherise says: "Those days were the best. Nothing has really topped it since that but we are hoping to change that!"
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Making Your Mind Up is renowned for its outlandish performances from Daz Sampson's troupe of school girls to Jordan's infamous pink catsuit. So, what do Big Brovaz have in store for their performance?
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Randy says: "We have some tricks up our sleeve. However, it's a secret. All I can say is that it's gonna be a big show from us. Big Bro are taking over the show; look out for something special from us."
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Cyndi performs I'll Leave My Heart, written by Henry Gorman and Paul Moessl
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Cyndi Almouzni first realised she wanted to be a singer when she saw the breathtaking performance of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, from the film The Bodyguard.
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She practiced her own vocal techniques to this track, at first singing to herself, her family and then in school. This led to her parents sending her to singing school followed by private lessons.
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Aged 14, Cyndi won a local talent contest and entered the national televised contest finals held in Paris. This was the start of her professional singing career.
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She went on to sign a worldwide recording contract in the USA while at the same time continuing her studies.
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Steve Allen, A&R at Sony BMG, discovered Cyndi after hearing her vocals on a dance track, and believed he was listening to the sampled voice of an American soul diva.
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The track, I'll Leave My Heart, has been produced by renowned Grammy Award-winning producer Brian Rawling.
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Cyndi is delighted to be taking part in Making Your Mind Up.
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She says: "My friend Paul Moessl, one of the composers of the song, asked me to sing the song for Eurovision and I decided to yes say.
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"I've watched it since I was a girl and always thought that it must be a great experience for a singer."
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Cyndi is leaving it up to the public to decide whether she can take them to the top in Helsinki.
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"The writers of I'll Leave My Heart have written a song that would represent the UK fantastically. I'll just say that I am different, and that I have something else to offer to the audience."
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Brian Harvey performs I Can, written by Connor Reeves and Grant Mitchell
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Brian Harvey began his musical career in 1992 as one quarter of the hugely successful pop band, East 17.
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Taking their name from the area of London in which they lived, East 17 were born, and, in August 1992, their first single, House Of Love, was released and went straight into the Top 10.
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From then on, a succession of 17 singles and six albums followed including the million selling single, Stay Another Day, which hit the Christmas No.1 spot in 1994 and stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.
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Tony left the band in 1997 but Brian, Terry and John continued to release songs and still perform around the world to this day.
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Brian has since appeared on the TV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2004, and had a much publicised car accident in 2005 that nearly took his life.
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This is the band's 15th year and they will be performing a greatest hits tour throughout the UK. And they are looking at releasing new material to their army of adoring fans who, although a little older, have not lost any of their passion.
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Brian says he was "thrilled" to be asked to perform on Making Your Mind Up, and his East 17 band mates are supporting him all the way. "They will all be voting for me on the night!" says Brian.
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Some people might think Eurovision is a world away from Brian's image of an East End lad, but he says: "There is something about the scale of this competition which grabs people's imagination.
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"It's like a national treasure and I am very excited to be a part of it."
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Brian remembers Eurovision from his younger days, recalling the moment the Bucks Fizz girls had their skirts ripped off.
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"I got very embarrassed and left the room; I didn't want my parents to catch me watching it," he says.
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Hoping to fly the flag for his country, Brian says he will give it his best shot on the night. So will we be seeing a performance anything like monster rockers Lordi, who won Eurovision last year?
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Brian says: "We're spookily similar. No, only joking! We are nothing alike."
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Hawkins & Brown perform They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To, written by Justin Hawkins
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Justin Hawkins is best known as former lead singer and guitarist from multi award-winning rock band The Darkness.
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His soaring falsetto led the group to major chart success with a string of Top 10 hits and two platinum albums in the UK, as well as three Brit Awards in 2004 – Best Act, Best Rock Act and Best Album for Permission To Land.
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In 2005, Justin set up a solo project called British Whale.
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His debut single, This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us, a cover of the 1974 hit by Sparks, was released in August 2005 and reached number six on the UK Singles Chart.
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Whilst enjoying a long sabbatical, Justin came up with a song idea for a duet. He invited his long-term friend and vocalist, Beverlei Brown, to come along to the studio to try it out.
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There was an instant chemistry, and They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To is the result of the collaboration.
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Hailing from the Midlands, Beverlei has worked as a professional singer alongside many top names – including Chaka Khan, Blur, Jamiroquai, Lemar, Joe Cocker and Razorlight to name but a few – and is considered to be one of the finest vocalists around at this time.
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Although Justin and Beverlei are both currently unsigned to any record label, this track is destined to appear on a future Beverlei Brown album.
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Justin continues to write and record new songs for his solo project, and is looking to produce music for film and television.
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On signing up for Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up, Justin said: "It's every boy's dream to represent their country at the highest level. But if we don't make it through to the final I won't be too disheartened – there's always next year."
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Liz McClarnon performs (Don't It Make You) Happy!,
written by John McLaughlin, Simon Perry, Liz McClarnon and Dave Thomas
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Since Atomic Kitten took a break in spring 2004, Liz McLarnon has been on a big roller coaster ride of adventures with her debut solo single, the Robin Gibb-produced Woman In Love, which hit the top five in February 2006.
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While recording her debut album, her songwriting travels have taken her from Liverpool to London, Los Angeles to New York and across Europe.
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Her popularity has continued to build with her TV appearances, which include her stint on Celebrity Love Island, in Fiji.
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She has also built a loyal and solid fan base with constant gigs across the globe.
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As one-third of Atomic Kitten, Liz enjoyed huge chart success across the UK, Europe and Asia, selling more than eight million albums and singles around the world. The band had two UK No.1 albums and 13 Top 10 singles including three No.1s, plus No.1 singles in more than 20 countries.
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True to their word, the Kittens still regularly work on projects together – most recently for Nokia when they headlined the Asia New Year's Eve event, with the Black Eyed Peas in the US and the Scissor Sisters in Europe.
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Liz will perform her self-penned single (Don't It Make You) Happy! which she believes will give the UK a much needed lift at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007.
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"Happy! is a huge, upbeat song from the heart which I think will give everyone a lift when they hear it and see the performance," says Liz.
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"Lyrically, it's as positive a message as you can get. Eurovision has always been a big event in our household. It's the musical event I have the earliest memories of, and to actually be in with the chance of representing the UK is so exciting!"
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Liz says she is the perfect choice to take part in Eurovision as she's such a massive fan of the show.
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"I watch Eurovision religiously every single year. We have one of those parties and I just absolutely love it, so I jumped at the chance. And I've written the perfect song for it so I thought it's definitely right to do it."
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Liz's ex-band mates, Natasha Hamilton and Jenny Frost, have already planned their Eurovision parties.
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Liz says: "Jenny's doing the London one, and Tash is doing the Liverpool one, and they're both rooting for me."
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Scooch perform Flying the Flag (For You), written by Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill and Paul Tarry
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Scooch were formed in 1998 and signed to EMI Records.
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Russ, Natalie, Caroline and David soon became one of the most popular teen pop acts of the late Nineties and early Noughties, performing on countless arena tours and television shows including Top Of The Pops, SM:TV, CD:UK, Live And Kicking, The Pepsi Chart Show, The Priory, The Big Breakfast and GMTV.
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Scooch scored four top 20 hits including the massive top five single More Than I Needed to Know, culminating in their album, Four Sure.
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In their time together they have performed alongside Christina Aguilera, Kylie, Westlife and Ronan Keating, to name but a few.
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Their success wasn't just limited to the UK, either, with No.1s in various countries worldwide.
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Since they split six years ago, Russ has been presenting on TV and is and is currently working on The Great Big British Quiz on five.
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He also featured in the Channel 4 and E4 show, Boys Will Be Girls, in which he tried to pass himself off as a woman!
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Natalie, now a full-time mum to her six-year-old son, Michael, has been working on her own solo projects.
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She has scored two dance hits with Unchained Melody and Music To My Heart, toured extensively as a solo artist and worked as a session singer and singing teacher.
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David went back into education, gaining an HND in Musical Theatre, and is currently completing his degree in Performance.
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David has also set up his own successful stage school, Performers which has been running for six years.
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Caroline moved from pop music to musical theatre.
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Having joined the cast of Grease in the West End, she then moved on to The Producers as part of the original cast, alongside Lee Evans and Nathan Lane, and currently stars alongside Peter Kay.
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So why have they decided to reform for Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up?
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Russ says: "Last year's winners, Lordi, showed that it's about the whole performance, and that's what we were always known for.
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"We decided to do it because we felt it was our job to bring Eurovision back to its former glory. The UK hasn't done too well of late, and we're taking it back to pure pop music.
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"We're the Bucks Fizz for this generation – pure pop is going to bring the Eurovision back to the UK.
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"We've got a catchy song, fantastic costumes and a great dance routine, but you'll have to wait till the night for any tricks."
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KH
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