How a British rejected song became a hit

It was 1980. The United Kingdom had a national selection for Eurovision with no less than 12 songs. It was a close call: in the end, there was a tie between two songs, only a revote could bring a decision.
But in this field of participants there was also a lady with the name of Sonja Jones. She sang the Tony Colton/Jean Roussell song “Here we’ll stay”. She ended up quite anonymous at the 11th place.

The song would have been long forgotten. However, things went different. Abba’s Frida released a solo album, “Something goin’ on”, produced by Phil Collins. And of course it was inevitable: a duet between the two stars. And guess what! They chose the flopped Eurosong “Here we’ll stay”!

However, Collins wasn’t credited on the song. So when Frida’s record company decided to release “Here we’ll stay” as the next single, he didn’t want to be associated with it at all. A solo version of “Here we’ll stay”, by Frida only, was made for the occasion.

The success of the song was not as big as the first singles from the album, “I know there’s something goin’ on” and “To turn the stone”. It reached the charts in The Netherlands and Belgium. Okay, and in the United Kingdom: 1 week, on the number 100 spot.

But many people know the song, either from the album or from the single version. And who could have said thát when Frida had never added it to her album……

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Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Eurovision Universe brings you another weekly update. The Eurovision season moves fast. Vienna 2026 now comes into sharp focus. Each day puts the contest a little closer. This week, we cover new artist and song announcements and key national final developments. We also spotlight major tour news for fans who want Eurovision live on stage. New artists and songs 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: Dara chosen, song still to come Bulgaria has chosen its Eurovision 2026 artist after a televised final on 31 January at BNT Studio 1 in Sofia. She won the show with “Thunder”, a selection song rather than the final Eurovision entry. On 28 February, she will perform three candidate songs, and Bulgaria will select the Eurovision entry that night. A five-member jury and online voters will decide the winner. source: Eurovision Universe national finals page 🇨🇾 Cyprus: Antigoni sets date for Jalla Cyprus has confirmed that the entry will be premiered on Sunday, 8 February. The song and official music video will debut during the main evening news broadcast on CyBC. After the TV premiere, the track is expected to be available online. That includes the Eurovision platforms and major streaming services. source: Instagram Antigoni 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: BBC comments on selection rumours The BBC addressed reports that it had dropped the UK’s Eurovision “entrant.” The Euro Trip Podcast says the BBC told one act it would not represent the UK. The podcast adds that some outlets overstated the situation, because the act never had a contract and never received a formal offer. It traces the rumour back to a story from The Sun. The BBC says it will announce its chosen act shortly and will complete its usual due diligence first. source: Euro Trip Podcast 🇦🇺 Australia: SBS teases news “very soon” Eurovision remains part of SBS’s 2026 programming plans, and Australia’s next announcement may not be far away. TV Tonight reports that Natalie Edgar indicated the Australian Eurovision 2026 act will be revealed “very soon”. No artist name has been published at this stage. source: TV Tonight National finals 🇸🇲 San Marino: familiar Eurovision names in the casting list The Dreaming San Marino Song Contest continues to build its line-up through the casting phase. The official casting schedule includes Magdalena Tul. She represented Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.  Maraaya, who represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, also takes part. More names are expected as the selection process continues. source: Dreaming San Marino Song Contest 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Vidbir final on February 7 Ukraine’s national selection reaches its final stage this week. Suspilne has confirmed the hosts: Timur Miroshnychenko and Lesia Nikitiuk. Anna Tulieva will host the pre-show and a new Eurofans zone feature. The ten competing songs have also been released ahead of the live show from Kyiv. source: Eurovision Universe national finals page Other news Eurovision Song Contest Live Tour: first “Icons” announced The first headliners have been revealed for the official Eurovision arena tour. The initial “Icons” line-up includes Alessandra, Guy Sebastian, Helena Paparizou, Johnny Logan, Katrina, Lordi and Verka Serduchka. The tour runs across ten European cities from 15 June to 2 July 2026. General ticket sales open on 6 February at 10:00 CET, with pre-sale access tied to Eurofan accounts. source: Eurovision.com

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Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Eurovision Universe brings you another weekly update. The Eurovision season moves fast. Vienna 2026 now comes into sharp focus. Each day puts the contest a little closer. This week, we cover new artist and song announcements and key national final developments. We also spotlight major tour news for fans who want Eurovision live on stage. New artists and songs 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: Dara chosen, song still to come Bulgaria has chosen its Eurovision 2026 artist after a televised final on 31 January at BNT Studio 1 in Sofia. She won the show with “Thunder”, a selection song rather than the final Eurovision entry. On 28 February, she will perform three candidate songs, and Bulgaria will select the Eurovision entry that night. A five-member jury and online voters will decide the winner. source: Eurovision Universe national finals page 🇨🇾 Cyprus: Antigoni sets date for Jalla Cyprus has confirmed that the entry will be premiered on Sunday, 8 February. The song and official music video will debut during the main evening news broadcast on CyBC. After the TV premiere, the track is expected to be available online. That includes the Eurovision platforms and major streaming services. source: Instagram Antigoni 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: BBC comments on selection rumours The BBC addressed reports that it had dropped the UK’s Eurovision “entrant.” The Euro Trip Podcast says the BBC told one act it would not represent the UK. The podcast adds that some outlets overstated the situation, because the act never had a contract and never received a formal offer. It traces the rumour back to a story from The Sun. The BBC says it will announce its chosen act shortly and will complete its usual due diligence first. source: Euro Trip Podcast 🇦🇺 Australia: SBS teases news “very soon” Eurovision remains part of SBS’s 2026 programming plans, and Australia’s next announcement may not be far away. TV Tonight reports that Natalie Edgar indicated the Australian Eurovision 2026 act will be revealed “very soon”. No artist name has been published at this stage. source: TV Tonight National finals 🇸🇲 San Marino: familiar Eurovision names in the casting list The Dreaming San Marino Song Contest continues to build its line-up through the casting phase. The official casting schedule includes Magdalena Tul. She represented Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.  Maraaya, who represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, also takes part. More names are expected as the selection process continues. source: Dreaming San Marino Song Contest 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Vidbir final on February 7 Ukraine’s national selection reaches its final stage this week. Suspilne has confirmed the hosts: Timur Miroshnychenko and Lesia Nikitiuk. Anna Tulieva will host the pre-show and a new Eurofans zone feature. The ten competing songs have also been released ahead of the live show from Kyiv. source: Eurovision Universe national finals page Other news Eurovision Song Contest Live Tour: first “Icons” announced The first headliners have been revealed for the official Eurovision arena tour. The initial “Icons” line-up includes Alessandra, Guy Sebastian, Helena Paparizou, Johnny Logan, Katrina, Lordi and Verka Serduchka. The tour runs across ten European cities from 15 June to 2 July 2026. General ticket sales open on 6 February at 10:00 CET, with pre-sale access tied to Eurofan accounts. source: Eurovision.com

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