X Factor's Andy set for Eurovision

12:06am Friday 16th May 2008

While other talented singers have shunned the Eurovision Song Contest for the sake of their careers, this year's UK entry Andy Abraham has revealed that he is not afraid of being labelled "cheesy".

The former bin man turned pop star said he is looking forward to singing his heart out for his country in the 53rd contest, which is being staged on May 24 in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Abraham, who lost out to Shayne Ward in the 2005 X Factor final, believes that the song he will sing on the night, Even If, could make him a Eurovision winner.

The 43-year-old describes his self-penned entry, which is also the title track on his third album, as "great anthemic soul".

He said: "I came from the X Factor, which a lot of people consider to be cheesy. If I was at all worried about not being taken seriously as an artist I wouldn't do Eurovision.

"The X Factor is about singing covers, but I've moved on from that. For me, Eurovision is about writing and performing my own song in front of an audience of hundreds of millions."

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