Eurovision 2023: Meet the award-winning Leeds musician who worked on the UK's entry 20 years ago

Award-winning musician Mel Purves helped to produce the UK’s 2003 song, Cry Baby, and anticipates good things for Mae Muller who has been selected to perform at the competition in Liverpool this May. The 25-year-old’s performance of I Wrote A Song is the final European act to be announced and the news comes a year after Sam Ryder scooped second place with Spaceman.

It comes 20 years after a fateful night for Mel, who has has gone to produce music for a range of artists, including Leeds singer Corinne Bailey Rae.

Mel, 52, said: “I Wrote A Song is catchy, with European influences filtered throughout and Mae will perform it brilliantly”. But Mel’s colleague, songwriter Dr Martin Isherwood, who wrote the 2003 Eurovision entry which received a controversial nul points, is slightly more hesitant.

On the 20th anniversary of preparing to fly out to Riga in Latvia where the 2003 contest was held, Mel and Martin reveal their experiences of being propelled into the stratosphere of pop, politics and pressure.

Martin wrote the song Cry Baby for two singers Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey to perform in their band Jemini along with support from Mel, and after endless amounts of tweaking, the song made it through the BBC’s selection of Song for Europe, before being chosen as the song to go to Eurovision.

“That felt amazing,” Martin said. “The press were full of the big build up and it was so exciting. Mae will be feeling the same anticipation. But I had this weird feeling.

“One night I dreamt we got nul points. I had begged for the singers to be given monitors so they could hear well, but once we got the song through, it was as though we were set up to fail. I just knew we would.”

Martin added: “The performers Chris and Gemma were great but were not used to performing in such a vast venue and I repeatedly asked for them to have monitors so they could hear the track. Poor Gemma had to take a total stab in the dark and get the song out there whilst not hearing anything.”

Late broadcaster legend Terry Wogan echoed Martin’s view at the time, blaming the timing of the war in Iraq War not helping.

“As well as a dodgy performance, the war in Iraq had started not long before the contest and in addition, the track was not well known enough across Europe either,” Martin said. “The key is to get the track known across Europe before the big event and there is still time for that for Mae.

“But we were never taken around Europe which is something you have to do. The management did not have the money for that. You have to do the groundwork and that didn’t happen for us.”

Mel and Martin are full of hope for Mae, who has supported Little Mix on tour as well as working with artists like Aitch and Sigala.

"Things have changed a lot for Eurovision entries over the last 20 years,” Martin said. “Don’t forget in 2003 it was all a public vote. And the other thing to remember was that 24/25 countries were voting in 2003 but now there’s around 50 voting. 7,000 more points in the pot just like that!”

And with all eyes on Liverpool hosting the event on behalf of last year’s winning Country Ukraine, all eyes will be on the north.

Despite Liverpool outbidding Leeds as the host city for this years’ pop extravaganza, musical talent from Cities across the north including Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester will be able to take pride in the fact the spotlight will be on the north instead of the south.

Mel, 52, said: “This year is a great opportunity for the Northern Powerhouse to collate and show -off creative musical talents.”

Mel and Martin met when they studied music degrees at the University of Salford and have since gone onto work with some of the biggest stage shows and artists in the world with Martin also achieving a PhD in supporting song writing.

Martin, 52, has been head of music at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) since 2001, regularly meeting with Sir Paul McCartney as well as focussing on his own song writing work. And despite Martin and Mel’s enthusiasm for the international singing competition, there’s no getting away from what happened to them in 2003.

On the fateful evening itself, Mel had flown to Riga in Latvia to support Chris and Jemma for the UK entry but was powerless in being able to help the live performance. “The arena was huge, poor Chris and Jemma could not even hear the track as they performed. They had played gigs but nothing like this scale and it all just seemed so unfair to be given nul points,” Mel said.

“I just hope that this year Mae has a good support network,” Martin adds. “I went from being hailed a superstar from getting the song through to the final to being public enemy number 1. Poor Chris and Jemma were treated dreadfully after that by the media. I hope 20 years on, Mae will get support whatever the score. And I hope she is given any monitors she may need!”