Hold on to your miniature flags, Eurovision season is upon us again. In advance of May’s grand final in Basle, RTÉ has unveiled the six tunes in contention to represent Ireland at the contest.
The pressure is very much on, with Bambie Thug’s Doomsday Blue putting Ireland back on the Eurovision radar with a commendable sixth-place finish in 2024. Will there be a Bambie bounce 12 months later? To quote noted philosophers Oasis, the answer is “definitely maybe” – several of the class of 2025 have tacked to Bambie Thug’s when-in-doubt-scare-the-audience formula while others have gone in the opposite direction by opting for a gentler sound.
Here’s a rundown of the six finalists who will go head to head in a special Eurovision episode of the Late Late Show on Friday, February 7th, to become Ireland’s 2025 representative. The Eurovision itself takes place at Basel’s 12,000-capacity St Jakobshalle arena on Saturday, May 17th.
Bobbi Arlo, Powerplay
Eurovision isn’t Bobbi Arlo’s first electropop rodeo. She’s an experienced singer whose 2021 top 10 hit Feel It was nominated for Song of the Year at the Choice Music Prize awards. Born Jennifer O’Brien, Arlo lived in Dublin and Wicklow before moving to Scotland in 2023. Her middle name is “Billie”, after her grandfather – “Bobbi” being a contraction of Billie and O’Brien.
For Eurovision, she has concocted a slaloming would-be electro anthem with elements of Nine Inch Nails and early Lady Gaga. Powerplay is a frisky pile-driver – catchy yet pummelling, though there is the obvious worry that its fire-and-brimstone overtones will feel old hat coming on the heels of Bambie Thug’s “Ouija pop” from last year. Still, the Eurovision community is already on board. “Great way to follow Bambie Thug,” enthused one fan on the Reddit Eurovision forum.
Reylta, Fire
Flame-haired singer Reylta – real name Caoimhe Glynn – hails from Dunmore, Co Galway. She describes her songwriting as “deeply connected with Irish traditions and heritage – the poetry, the music, the landscape and the storytelling”.
Her entry, Fire, is Celtic pop meets angst folk – culminating with a Florence and the Machine-does-Kate Bush style chorus of “Fiiiiiire” (who knew so short a word could have so many syllables). It lacks the Bambie Thug wow factor, and it is easy to imagine it slipping between the cracks in the traditional stumbling ground of the Eurovision semi-finals – but you have to admire Reylta for trying something distinctively Irish.
Adgy, Run into the Night
The Donegal-born artist – real name Andrew Carr – wrote Run into the Night with his sister, Jennie, while the glossy production on the tune is courtesy of the team that worked on Ukraine’s 2022 winner Stefania. Adgy describes the song as a “Celtic pop anthem” – though it may strike some listeners as a sort of groove-fuelled Mumford and Sons.
“My kind of music is pop, it’s EDM, it’s very contemporary,” the London-based singer told RTÉ “but there’s a powerful Celtic influence in this track. It comes from the fiddle, it resonates in the tone and the lyrics.”
You can see why it’s on the shortlist. It has that ecstatic clubland spirit so beloved of Eurovision. Plus, those Riverdance vibes will ensure it isn’t mistaken for whatever Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, etc, send to Switzerland. Carr’s Ronan Keating-joins-Sigur Rós vocals have a Marmite quality, but that violin flourish is lovely.
Samantha Mumba, My Way
More than 20 years since her first hit, the Dublin singer aims to bounce back with the epic power ballad My Way – which may strike some as an Irish take on Sweden’s 2023 winner, Loreen’s Tattoo. It’s a fine showcase for Mumba’s rich and expressive voice, though the Eurovision family hasn’t exactly rallied to its cause, and there will surely be fears of it getting lost amid the traditional onslaught of power ballads in May. “This song seems like one never-ending build-up. Not really rewarding to listen to,” wrote one on the Eurovision Reddit forum.
NIYL, Growth
A soulful torch song from a Limerick singer who previously went as Nile St James and names London Grammar and Lana Del Rey collaborator Woodkid as influences. Growth is beautifully woozy, with a nice chanty chorus (“feel the love… and let it go!”) and follows in a long tradition of Eurovision man-ballads – including 2024 winner Nemo, with The Code. He won’t be fazed by a big audience, having sung backing vocals to Rufus Wainwright and Dermot Kennedy.
Emmy, Laika Party
Norwegian-born Emmy is a Eurovision veteran who competed to represent her native country in 2021. She has more than a million TikTok followers and works as a music producer and graphic designer.
Her sparkly Euro-anthem is inspired by Soviet space dog Laika – one of the first animals sent beyond the Earth’s atmosphere when she was blasted into orbit aboard Sputnik 2. Alone in the frozen void, she is believed to have entered a state of deep shock – much like East European voters when confronted by Bambie Thug last year.
“I hope she is dancing every night among the stars,” sings Emmy on a so-so tune that, as with several of this year’s Irish candidates, feels too generically “Eurovision” to be a contender this summer – the “bum-abum-bum” chorus, in particular, does not work. It’s the sort of song that the UK would put forward for Eurovision and then be astonished when it face-planted in the bottom five.
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