IF pop band Blue gain Eurovision success for the UK tonight, the nation may have a songwriter from Poole to thank.

Ashley Cross resident Liam Keenan teamed up with the Blue boys to write the UK’s entry I Can, which will be performed in front of an estimated television audience of 125 million people.

Having come close to securing a record deal with his band Fever Tree, the former Herbert Carter pupil turned to music publishing when the birth of his son Joseph in 2009 prompted a change of priorities.

He hooked up with Blue’s Duncan James and Lee Ryan and his songwriting partners at the Hot Springs studios of former RCA boss Hugh Goldsmith in Hazelmere.

“The song came about as a ‘meet and greet’. It was a case of ‘Let’s get together and write a song’. We all sat together having a great time and 'I Can' was the result,” said Liam.

But when Blue accepted the BBC’s invitation to represent the nation at Eurovision, the song took on a new incarnation.

“'I Can' was never originally a Eurovision song. It was one of two or three songs we wrote for them. We all thought it was powerful.

“It was a joke between us – ‘What a great track for an occasion’. We were thinking of London 2012. When the BBC approached Blue, they must have asked what they were working on.

“It came as a surprise when we found out in January – a nice surprise,” said Liam.

He will watch tonight’s competition “with about 70 or 80 people” on a giant screen at his mother-in-law’s home in Broadstone.

“It would be great if it won, but as long as it’s in the top five it will be a success. It’s hard to talk about the song in terms of Eurovision because it was never intended for the competition.

“Because it wasn’t written for Eurovision, it has a certain coolness, a certain edge. It’s very much in touch with what’s happening in the charts,” he said.

Blue’s Duncan James is the second Dorset link in the six-strong team behind 'I Can', and Liam was full of praise for the contribution of the Blandford boy made good.

“It has the Blue flavour because Lee Ryan and Duncan James worked with us. The most important thing is that they are very tight as a unit and have the ability to sing.

“It’s not a manufactured product. The writing of this song was as much their input as ours. There was no hand holding,” he said.

The Eurovision Song Contest will be shown on BBC One at 8pm tonight.