Molly Smitten-Downes (born 2 April 1987) known by her mononym Molly, is a British singer-songwriter. She was selected by the BBC to represent the United Kingdom in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Molly attended Our Lady's Convent School in Loughborough, began starring in stage productions from the age of eight. She studied music at Leicester College and at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, Surrey, and is an accomplished pianist. An acoustic EP Fly Away with Me was released on 18 December 2011. EP track "Shadows" was sampled by grime artist Marger and has been released on iTunes through 360 Records (21 August 2011). She was the winner of 'Urban/Pop' at Live and Unsigned 2012 and also received a separate award for 'Best Song' at The Best Of British Unsigned Music Awards with her song "Lost Generation" in 2013. "Beneath The Lights", her collaboration with Swedish producer Anders Hansson, was released in April 2013 with Anders' project Dream Beats. "Never Forget", her collaboration with hardcore producer Darren Styles, was written and recorded in 2012. On 3 March 2014, the BBC announced that Molly would be representing the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Children of the Universe". Molly wrote "Children of the Universe" herself and has described her ambition to write music that "breaks down political barriers".
