ONE of Britain’s most iconic pop stars is set to take to the stage at Eurovision 2026 – but not for the UK.
Culture Club frontman Boy George has been confirmed as part of San Marino’s entry for the 70th anniversary contest in Vienna.
Why is Boy George representing San Marino at Eurovision?
The simple answer is the Eurovision rulebook – artists don’t need to be a national of the country they represent to enter the competition.
Boy George will join singer Senhit for her track Superstar, which won the Sammarinese national selection in March.
San Marino has recruited big international names before, including American rapper Flo Rida, who joined Senhit on her 2021 entry Adrenalina.
Senhit linked up with Boy George, 64, via the songwriting team behind her track.
It marks the first time the Karma Chameleon hitmaker has ever performed at Eurovision.
Boy George, real name George Alan O’Dowd, is credited as a co-writer of Superstar alongside Senhit, Anderz Wrethov, Julie Aagaard, John-Emil Johansson and Thomas Stengaard, and also provides vocals on the studio version.
Back in March, when asked by Eurovisionfun whether Boy George will perform with her in Vienna, Senhit replied: “Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. Absolutely. This is something that was discussed with Boy George.
“He’s in America touring right now. I will go to him next week to start to talk about staging and all the things.
“And he knew that the possibility to go to Vienna. He said absolutely I will be involved with you, and I will be on stage with you. So yeah, you will see him for sure.
“We can dance, we can scream, we can sing, we can bring our superstar vibe onstage. I think you will enjoy!”
She added: “He [got a] shock when I was talking about Eurovision. Because he’s from England and he knows Eurovision, [but I guess] he didn’t expect the victory because he said ‘I don’t know, let’s try’.”
The pair were not on stage together at the San Marino Song Contest in March, with Boy George appearing as a projected image on the big screens.
They went on to perform live together for the first time at the London Eurovision Party in April.
San Marino has been drawn to perform 13th in the first Eurovision 2026 semi-final.
When is Eurovision 2026?
Eurovision 2026 takes place at the Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna.
The first semi-final is on Tuesday, May 12, with the second following on Thursday, May 14.
The Grand Final caps off the week on Saturday, May 16.
All three shows are live and start at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with Rylan and Angela Scanlon commentating the semis.
Graham Norton returns for the Grand Final, which will also air on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
Look Mum No Computer is flying the flag for the UK with his track Eins, Zwei, Drei.
The British act is guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s final as one of the contest’s pre-qualified Big Four nations.
