Eurovision star Alicja is now back and looking for revenge

EXCLUSIVE: Alicja was set to represent Poland at Eurovision in 2020 but was culled and replaced due to the pandemic − but now she is back this year and looking for revenge

Alicja spoke to Daily Star as she makes her final Eurovision preparations

Poland’s Eurovision act was left ruined when she was told she could not participate at the Contest. However, she has since returned and she is now looking for revenge.

This year’s Eurovision is just weeks away, as 35 countries − including the UK − gear up for the show in Vienna in May. But for Polish entrant Alicja, this is all too familiar to her, having already been chosen to represent Poland at the Contest in 2020.

Having managed to win the public over with her song in 2020, she was shocked when the Contest was dramatically cancelled as the COVID pandemic started to take hold across the world. But this was just the beginning of her woes.

Alicja was due to represent Poland at Eurovision in 2020 but wasn’t allowed to come back the next year

Speaking exclusively with the Daily Star, Alicja said she could not believe the news when the Contest was cancelled. But she was dealt an even more crushing blow when Poland’s broadcaster TVP told her she would not automatically be allowed to attend the show the following year.

“I was super sad, I was devastated,” she admitted. “I feel like every contestant that year must have felt the same as me.

“Obviously, I really wanted to go next year, so I was super sad and disappointed,” Alicja told us. But despite the sadness at being unable to represent her country, she explained that the experience helped her rebuild herself as an artist.

“After a few years, I feel like it must have been that way because right now, I’m coming back with my own song. And it’s the song that I always wanted to make and show on such a big stage, and I truly feel like Eurovision has never seen a song like mine before.”

She is now set to finally get her shot after charming the Polish public to give her the ticket to Vienna

Alicja is no stranger to big competitions like Eurovision, having shot to fame back in 2019 when she won The Voice of Poland. She also charmed the public in several other TV competitions in her native land, something she says will give her an advantage when she gets to the stage in Vienna.

“I did my first TV show when I was 5, so I’ve gotten used to it since I was very young,” she told us. “But still, this competition is different because at Eurovision you bring your true art, so it’s super exciting for me.”

Her song this year, “Pray”, has already broken records as she brings R&B, gospel and soul to the Eurovision stage. The song’s music video has already racked up millions of views, but she admitted that she has faced some backlash for not bringing something more traditional to such a big stage.

Her song “Pray” has already racked up millions of views and streams

She admitted that she was initially pushed into doing pop songs early on in her career, which left her struggling to enjoy her passion. And whilst she is now able to do her own style of music, this has not gone down well with the Polish charts.

“R&B and soul are non-existent in Poland, so that’s why it’s so difficult to try and make this kind of music − they don’t want to promote it and put it on the radio station,” Alicja confessed. “And Polish people are developed more on Slavic genres, pop and rock − so my genres are not appreciated.”

But despite the struggles she has faced at home with becoming a popular artist, she insisted that she is going to represent her country with pride and integrity when she gets to Vienna in May. She added that she has even set up a group chat with all of this year’s acts − including the UK’s Look Mum No Computer − so everyone gets to know each other ahead of the competition next month.

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