A girl group called Stand Uniqu3 has been chosen to represent the UK at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Nice, France.
Following an extensive audition process, the trio, consisting of Maisie, Yazmin and Hayla, whose grandfather was a backing dancer for the 1987 UK entry, will perform on Sunday November 26 at the Palais Nikaia.
The track they will sing, Back To Life, was revealed on Thursday morning on BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, and in the run up to the live contest in France, the group will perform on Blue Peter, Saturday Mash-Up, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and BBC Children In Need.
The three, who were brought together after producers spotted their chemistry as a trio, will become the first group to represent the UK at the European singing contest.
The young singers found out they had been chosen to represent the UK when they were surprised by BBC Radio 1’s Dean McCullough after they had travelled to a London dance studio under the pretext of attending an audition, where McCullough broke the news that all three of them had been selected for the competition.
Speaking about the girl group, Patricia Hidalgo, director of children and education at the BBC, said: “The Junior Eurovision Song Contest was a real spectacle and success for us last year, and we’re very happy that we have a new calendar moment for fans of Eurovision and a brand new girl group for audiences to get behind.
“We have a great song and high hopes for our brilliant trio, Stand Uniqu3, and we want families everywhere to cheer on Hayla, Maisie and Yazmin and watch them represent the UK in the competition across BBC Two, CBBC and iPlayer.”
Suzy Lamb, manging director of entertainment and music at BBC Studios, said: “BBC Studios are once again excited to have led the song and artist search for Junior Eurovision after a successful debut year for the BBC in 2022.
“Stand Uniqu3 are a really fresh girl band who had immediate chemistry during the audition process.
“With an infectious pop song written by hugely successful writers, matched with Stand Uniqu3’s incredible vocals, it promises to be another exciting year for the UK in the junior contest.”
Last year, Freya Skye represented the UK in Yerevan, Armenia with the song Lose My Head and came 5th overall.
The contest for those aged between nine and 14 will be taking place in France this year after the country’s 2022 entry, Lissandro, won with his performance of Oh Maman!
The BBC has confirmed that TV presenter Lauren Layfield and singer Hrvy will once again act as UK commentators.
A half-hour documentary on CBBC and BBC iPlayer will air this autumn following the journey of Stand Uniqu3 as they get ready for the live contest.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is a BBC Studios production and will air on BBC Two, CBBC and BBC iPlayer at 3pm on Sunday November 26.