Josh Dubovie
Encyclopedia
Josh James Dubovie is a British
singer. He represented the UK at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest
, held in Oslo
, Norway
in May 2010, finishing last with his performance of "That Sounds Good to Me
", written by writers and producers Mike Stock and Pete Waterman
of Stock Aitken Waterman
and Steve Crosby.
, performed with StageAbility, an after-school stage club from age nine. At age 15 he played Enjolras in a school production of Les Misérables
with the Essex Group. For this role he saw a vocal coach as he had no previous experience of singing. He attended The Billericay School and studied for A levels in Music Technology, Drama and English Literature. In 2008 he won the Blues Idol competition, and has also won Voice of St Lukes contest and Billericay
's Got Talent. Prior to auditioning for Your Country Needs You, he applied for a part on E4 TV series Skins
3rd series and was short-listed for the role of Freddie Mclair.
When Josh left school his father, Richard, decided to manage him and has got him the majority of his professional work.
with "That Sounds Good to Me
". He said, "The minute I heard the song I thought it was a definite winner, I'm so happy I'm going to sing it in Oslo." and "I really believe I can go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest for us." He sang "Too Many Broken Hearts
" by Jason Donovan
to get into the final three chosen by Waterman, and he also took part in the ABBA
medley with the others. After that performance Waterman described his voice as "perfect" while suggesting more "excitement" should be added to his dancing and Tonioli told him he had "an incredible talent". Neil Fox on the other hand, a former, fellow judge with Waterman on two series of Pop Idol
, described the performance a few days later as "An average song and an average singer".
As he represented a "big four" country, Dubovie automatically qualified for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
on 29 May. He was the 12th performer, out of 25 entries. He finished in last place, with a total of 10 points, the third time that the UK had come last in the finals and the second worst result for the UK in the history of the competition. On May 30, 2010, the song reached #179 on the UK charts.
During Eurovision, Josh received the following points, 1pt from Albania, 2pts from Azerbaijan, 3pts from Georgia and 4pts from Ireland.
Dubovie's father and manager, Richard Dubovie, insisted it was unfair to describe Josh as a loser, but also is quoted as saying "we're delighted Josh came last – if he couldn't come first".
Despite being beaten into last place by Belarus at the last moment, Josh explained he had taken plenty of positives from his Eurovision experience, which began when he won 'Your Country Needs You' in March. "I think there were two results I would have been happy with - first or last," he said. "Because now I'm still going to be talked about for coming last, but hopefully it will be a blessing in disguise. "I was happy [with my performance]. I watched it back and I thought I gave it everything that I had," he added. "I could have given a bit more on the last note, but the atmosphere in the arena was absolutely incredible, it's just unlucky that the rest of Europe didn't like it." Josh refused to join in with any criticism of his Pete Waterman and Mike Stock-penned song, which many Eurovision observers have pointed to as the main reason for the UK's poor performance in Oslo. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion and I think I did what I could with the song," he said. "Personally I like it, I tried to add my own twist. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but maybe if I release a new one, people will like that instead."
Dubovie appeared with Proms in the Park show at Billericay
on July 24, 2010. Whilst tickets for this event were originally planned to cost £15.00 each, the local council later decided to offer them for free (providing refunds to those who had already paid). The concert starring Will Young
that immediately followed the show remained a paid for event.
Dubovie appeared as Aladdin in the Pantomime
, Aladdin
, for two weeks at The Lighthouse Theatre Kettering in December and it was planned for one week at the Civic Hall in Grays
in January 2011.
However, in November 2010, the planned production in Essex was cancelled citing poor ticket sales and confusion over Dubovie's appearance.
On December 27, 2010, A programme aired on BBC Three
entitled "The 100 Most Annoying people of 2010", Dubovie was featured in the program at 88 with reference to his Eurovision performance, with Jedward
ironically commenting, "If we could perform
at Eurovision and sing a better song
than That Sounds Good to Me
..."
On 2 and 3 March 2011, Dubovie appeared in a Harborough Academy of Performing Arts show of A Step in Time 2011. He sang a duet with Georgia Greene and sang "Cry Me a River".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer. He represented the UK at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
, held in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in May 2010, finishing last with his performance of "That Sounds Good to Me
That Sounds Good to Me
"That Sounds Good to Me" is a song written and composed by Pete Waterman, Mike Stock and Steve Crosby that finished last when it represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 held in Oslo, Norway...
", written by writers and producers Mike Stock and Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
of Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
and Steve Crosby.
Early life
Dubovie, from LaindonLaindon
Laindon is a town in the west of the Basildon district of Essex, England.It is north of Laindon railway station on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. South of the railway station and line is Langdon Hills. Laindon and Langdon Hills are part of the Basildon post town.Until its abolition in...
, performed with StageAbility, an after-school stage club from age nine. At age 15 he played Enjolras in a school production of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
with the Essex Group. For this role he saw a vocal coach as he had no previous experience of singing. He attended The Billericay School and studied for A levels in Music Technology, Drama and English Literature. In 2008 he won the Blues Idol competition, and has also won Voice of St Lukes contest and Billericay
Billericay
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces...
's Got Talent. Prior to auditioning for Your Country Needs You, he applied for a part on E4 TV series Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
3rd series and was short-listed for the role of Freddie Mclair.
When Josh left school his father, Richard, decided to manage him and has got him the majority of his professional work.
Eurovision
On 12 March 2010, Dubovie won Eurovision: Your Country Needs You!United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The United Kingdom participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, held in Oslo, Norway in May. The BBC announced on 29 January after months of speculation that British record producer and songwriter Pete Waterman would write the UK entry for the 2010 Contest...
with "That Sounds Good to Me
That Sounds Good to Me
"That Sounds Good to Me" is a song written and composed by Pete Waterman, Mike Stock and Steve Crosby that finished last when it represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 held in Oslo, Norway...
". He said, "The minute I heard the song I thought it was a definite winner, I'm so happy I'm going to sing it in Oslo." and "I really believe I can go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest for us." He sang "Too Many Broken Hearts
Too Many Broken Hearts
"Too Many Broken Hearts" is a popular song by Australian singer Jason Donovan.Written and produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman it was Donovan's first solo number one single for two weeks in March 1989, though he had made number one with his duet with Kylie Minogue "Especially for You" in January...
" by Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
to get into the final three chosen by Waterman, and he also took part in the ABBA
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
medley with the others. After that performance Waterman described his voice as "perfect" while suggesting more "excitement" should be added to his dancing and Tonioli told him he had "an incredible talent". Neil Fox on the other hand, a former, fellow judge with Waterman on two series of Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, described the performance a few days later as "An average song and an average singer".
As he represented a "big four" country, Dubovie automatically qualified for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
on 29 May. He was the 12th performer, out of 25 entries. He finished in last place, with a total of 10 points, the third time that the UK had come last in the finals and the second worst result for the UK in the history of the competition. On May 30, 2010, the song reached #179 on the UK charts.
During Eurovision, Josh received the following points, 1pt from Albania, 2pts from Azerbaijan, 3pts from Georgia and 4pts from Ireland.
Dubovie's father and manager, Richard Dubovie, insisted it was unfair to describe Josh as a loser, but also is quoted as saying "we're delighted Josh came last – if he couldn't come first".
2010: After Eurovision
In his first interview following Eurovision, Dubovie revealed he was keen to pursue a career as a TV presenter.Despite being beaten into last place by Belarus at the last moment, Josh explained he had taken plenty of positives from his Eurovision experience, which began when he won 'Your Country Needs You' in March. "I think there were two results I would have been happy with - first or last," he said. "Because now I'm still going to be talked about for coming last, but hopefully it will be a blessing in disguise. "I was happy [with my performance]. I watched it back and I thought I gave it everything that I had," he added. "I could have given a bit more on the last note, but the atmosphere in the arena was absolutely incredible, it's just unlucky that the rest of Europe didn't like it." Josh refused to join in with any criticism of his Pete Waterman and Mike Stock-penned song, which many Eurovision observers have pointed to as the main reason for the UK's poor performance in Oslo. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion and I think I did what I could with the song," he said. "Personally I like it, I tried to add my own twist. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but maybe if I release a new one, people will like that instead."
Dubovie appeared with Proms in the Park show at Billericay
Billericay
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces...
on July 24, 2010. Whilst tickets for this event were originally planned to cost £15.00 each, the local council later decided to offer them for free (providing refunds to those who had already paid). The concert starring Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
that immediately followed the show remained a paid for event.
Dubovie appeared as Aladdin in the Pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
, for two weeks at The Lighthouse Theatre Kettering in December and it was planned for one week at the Civic Hall in Grays
Grays
Grays is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex and one of the Thurrock's traditional parishes...
in January 2011.
However, in November 2010, the planned production in Essex was cancelled citing poor ticket sales and confusion over Dubovie's appearance.
On December 27, 2010, A programme aired on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
entitled "The 100 Most Annoying people of 2010", Dubovie was featured in the program at 88 with reference to his Eurovision performance, with Jedward
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
ironically commenting, "If we could perform
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany with the song "Lipstick" performed by Jedward. The song was selected by the Irish public through the national final Eurosong 2011 competition, organised by the Irish broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann .-Eurosong...
at Eurovision and sing a better song
Lipstick (Jedward song)
"Lipstick" is the third single released by Irish pop duo Jedward. It is the first song released from their second studio album, Victory. The song also represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany. "Lipstick" was selected on 11 February 2011, following the...
than That Sounds Good to Me
That Sounds Good to Me
"That Sounds Good to Me" is a song written and composed by Pete Waterman, Mike Stock and Steve Crosby that finished last when it represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 held in Oslo, Norway...
..."
2011
After Eurovision, Dubovie continued to pursue his singing career. He released his first album Carpe Diem independently on 11 February 2011. The album included cover tracks that Dubovie had performed.On 2 and 3 March 2011, Dubovie appeared in a Harborough Academy of Performing Arts show of A Step in Time 2011. He sang a duet with Georgia Greene and sang "Cry Me a River".