Mae Muller: Eurovision broke my heart but album kept me going

The eyes of the world are on you. You've just placed second to last in Eurovision. What do you do?

If you're Mae Muller, you put on a brave face for the outside world and record a TikTok making light of the loss.

The 10-second clip, captioned "when someone asks me how well I did at Eurovision" - ends with the 26-year-old miming "ask me another question".

But it wasn't the whole story.

"When I made that TikTok I was still spiralling", Mae tells BBC Newsbeat.

Finishing in 25th place, a year after UK entry Sam Ryder almost won the contest, had left Mae upset and hurt.

"I was like, 'Oh my God, my life is over'," she says.

"But I knew I had to address it in my own way."

Mae says it was part of her coping mechanism, an attempt to own the narrative about that night in Liverpool back in May.

"I didn't want it to be a 'doom and gloom moment' because I can't deal with people pitying me," she says.

"The second I did that, everyone laughed it off with me and it highlighted it's not the end of the world."

Reflecting on the contest she now chooses to focus on the support she received.

"I really felt people were on my side," she says.

"I had so much fun with the fans and despite the pressure, I was able to be myself."

She's also proud of how her entry - I Wrote a Song - went down outside the Eurovision arena.

It picked up tonnes of airplay, more than eight million streams on Spotify and landed in the UK top 10.

"When that happened I had to force myself to take it in," says Mae.

"I was in a bit of a cloud but I'd wanted it for so long, so I had to give myself those flowers."

Mae says she loves writing songs, describing it as a way "to process emotions and feelings".

But even though her Eurovision entry was about doing just that, the demands of the contest meant she had to press pause.

"I had no time to write so I didn't write a song for six months," she says.

"I didn't have the mental capacity because it was so all-consuming. So I was like I'm going to put writing on the back burner and just focus on what's in front of me."

Luckily for Mae her new album - Sorry I'm Late - was already in the bag. Initially due for release in March, her team had to postpone it after she became the UK's Eurovision entry.

It's a decision she says has helped her in the long run.

"After coming out of Eurovision, it meant I wasn't twiddling my thumbs. I had a whole album to promote so we had to keep going".

If you're a fan of UK pop, you might be able to pick up on some of Mae's influences, including Lily Allen.

She says the singer's Alright Still was her favourite album growing up, one she "listened to on repeat a million times".

And like Lily, Mae's songs feature candid and comedic lyrics.

"Once I started writing my own, that's kind of what I wanted to do. And also naturally what kind of came out.

"I now want my songs to be conversational and something you and your friends would would say to each other," she says.

The release has been a long time coming, so much so, Mae says she can't believe it's actually happening.

"It feels very real, but it doesn't feel real. I'm so proud of it and just excited to know that people are gonna listen."

And now that the album is out, she's keen to "get back into the studio".

"I've missed that. So I'm ready to get into the creative vibe again," she adds.

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