Whilst providing support for Daði Freyr on the UK leg of his current tour, Glaswegian electropop duo Hyyts, made up of non-brothers Adam and Sam Hunter, confessed to the 2,000-strong crowd at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, that they “tried to represent the UK” at Eurovision 2020, but came “second”.

The UK selected James Newman off the back of an internal selection process run by both the BBC and BMG Records in 2020, with the song My Last Breath due to represent the UK in Rotterdam before the Contest was cancelled.

Newman returned with Embers in 2021, which became the first entry under the new voting system to receive 0 points from both the jury and the public. Indeed, upon announcing their rejection in favour of Newman at the show, Hyyts were met with a mix of ‘aww’s and boos, to which they replied: “Don’t boo us, boo them – we’ll be back!”

Lead singer Adam’s next comment perhaps suggested that the UK’s entrant for 2022 has already been picked, as he admitted they “picked someone else” this time. However, that “someone else” may have been referring to TaP Music, the record label behind the likes of Ellie Goulding, Dua Lipa and Lana del Rey, who the BBC has signed a new deal with to assist in selecting an entrant for Eurovision 2022.

Hyyts are curently represented by GMT Records, who specialise in making British and Irish indie acts visible, and say they may try again for Eurovision 2023.

The UK has long been looking for an act that will save them from their recent run of not having finished in the top half of the Grand Final rankings since 2011.

Hyyts’ sound has been described as a unique blend of electronica and modern pop, with fans comparing them to the likes of The 1975 and Prides. They also recently supported British electropop sensation Little Boots at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club.

If Hyyts did go to Eurovision, it would be the first time a Scottish act will have represented the UK since 1987, when Rikki Peebles, complete with flowing tartan lapel, performed Only The Light, finishing in a (for the time) disappointing 13th place out of 22.

The last (and only) Scottish winner of Eurovision is Lulu, who was part of the infamous 4-way tie in 1969 with Boom Bang-a-bang.

Although Scotland has made sparse appearances on the Eurovision stage of late, the songwriting teams have had more representation. Katerine Duska’s Better Love was co-written by Paisley-born singer-songwriter and Fame Academy 2002 winner David Sneddon for Greece in 2019.

Hyyts’ set included their recent hits Singing Your Name, Bad Tattoo, Avalanche and Blue & White, which the pair admitted was “not about Scotland”. They also performed their take on Shania Twain’s You’re Still The One.

Meanwhile, Freyr’s set included both his Eurovision entries Think About Things and 10 Years, as well as lockdown-penned Clear My Head, Where We Wanna Be and Somebody Else Now, and such Icelandic-languge hits as Hvað með það, Næsta skref and Endurtaka mig, as well as an acoustic cover of Sonique’s 2000 hit It Feels So Good and even a surprise rendition of The Birdie Song!

Would you like to see Hyyts at Eurovision for the UK? Or another Scottish act? Let us know in the comments and on social media.