The song was performed by the group Blue, which was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany.

For the 2010 contest, the United Kingdom finished in twenty-fifth place (last) out of twenty-five competing entries with the song "That Sounds Good to Me" performed by Josh Dubovie.

[2] BBC has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose the British entry for Eurovision.

[8] Prior to the announcement of Blue as the British representative, artists that were rumoured included singers Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins and Pixie Lott, the duo Hurts, actress Margi Clarke and Big Brother 2004 winner Nadia Almada, while singer-songwriter Mika was reported in July 2010 to be in talks with the BBC to write the British entry.

[9][10][11][12] On 10 March 2011, the song "I Can" written by members of Blue Duncan James and Lee Ryan together with Ciaron Bell, Ben Collier, Ian Hope, Liam Keenan and StarSign was previewed and presented during a press conference, and was presented to the public on 11 March 2011 during the BBC One programme The Graham Norton Show, hosted by Graham Norton.

Matt Williams of The Independent referred the group as a "nineties boy band", while Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph labelled the group's selection as "boardroom meetings and internal discussions involving unspecified members of the BBC hierarchy, imposing both a band and a song on the British public" and "high handed Auntie-knows-best arrogance allied [...] to the pop instincts of out-of-touch bureaucrats".

[16][17] Blue subsequently stated that their Eurovision participation would serve as an international springboard for the group's reunion, pledging people to wait until the song release.

[18][19] Blue's contest entry was also met with criticism, including from television presenter Phillip Schofield who called it "a shocking song".

The group responded to Schofield by calling his comments "upsetting" and "hurtful" as well as accusing him of seeking publicity from being overshadowed by Jason Gardiner on Dancing on Ice.

Television presenter and Loose Women panellist Denise Welch also responded to Schofield in defense of the group, stating that the British public should support their act regardless of the song.

[22] The first version of the official music video of "I Can", filmed on top of a building in London, was released on 12 March 2011 in order to promote the special BBC One documentary Eurovision: Your Country Needs Blue.

[28] On 9 April, Blue performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the Club Air venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Cornald Maas, Esther Hart and Sascha Korf.

[30] On 24 April, Blue performed at a concert held at the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, as well as during Tantsi z zirkamy, the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars on commercial broadcaster STB.

[33] In addition to their international appearances, on 16 April, Blue were featured on the documentary Eurovision: Your Country Needs Blue, which covered the preparations of the band and featured advice from singers Robbie Williams, JLS, John Barrowman, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, composer David Arnold, choreographer Arlene Phillips, and former British representatives Cliff Richard and Lulu.