Eurovision hopeful Emmy says she was ‘scared' of Eurosong judges
Eurovision Song Contest hopeful Emmy Kristiansen has said she was 'scared' of the Irish judges who sent her through to represent the country, which jointly holds the most wins with Sweden.
The 24-year-old Norwegian singer was voted through as the 2025 Ireland Eurovision representative after performing her song Laika Party – about a dog that was sent into space by the Russians – on RTÉ's The Late Late Show.
Samantha Mumba, 42, the Dublin singer and actress known for smash hits including Gotta Tell You and Body II Body, strongly criticised the judging in February, saying the panel 'were unnecessarily rude' to the finalists, after she entered with My Way for Basel 2025. Emmy has revealed she was 'scared' of the Eurosong judges Pic: Andres Poveda
Emmy told the PA news agency: 'I love Samantha, we are good friends, and I feel like… I was also scared of the panel.
'And because we are humans with feelings… we have feelings, even though we put ourselves out there, so panels – when music is what we do – make comments, it can be really scary, yeah, because we have feelings.'
The panel, made up of TV chef Donal Skehan, Dancing With The Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian, radio presenter Laura Fox and last year's Eurovision entrant Bambie Thug, who came sixth in Malmo, all suggested that Ms Mumba's song could be better. Donal Skehan previously hit back at claims from Samantha Mumba that he had the other judges did 'not have the credentials' to be judges
Ms Mumba posted online saying they did not have the 'credentials' to judge, and she stood by her 'art', with Skehan responding that her post was 'entirely understandable in such a high-stakes competition', but defending his background – which included entering the Irish competition and being behind hit singles.
Emmy also said it was 'so crazy hard to believe' that she has gone from being a TikTok star to performing in front of audiences, alongside her brother Erlend Guttulsrud Kristiansen aiding her performance. Emmy will make her Eurovision debut during the second semi-final next Thursday on RTÉ2 Pic: The Late Late Show via YouTube
'It's a huge honour, and we're just so grateful,' she said.
'I feel like it's almost an even bigger honour to represent another country. I'm so, so, so grateful and happy for the support of the Irish people. That really means a lot.'
She also called the experience a 'childhood dream', shared by her brother, and said she hopes that the song helps move away from the 'really traumatising' true story of Laika.
The two-year-old dog's flight to space on November 3 1957 paved the way for human missions, but despite surviving in orbit, the hound was soon dead.
Emmy said: 'I'm such a big animal lover; if I see a fly drown, I try to save it. So to hear about a dog that was sent out in space all alone, to die, it just broke my heart and I wanted to create a scenario where she gets to be happy and alive instead.'
Emmy will perform in the second Eurovision semi-final next Thursday, May 15 – representing Ireland, which has had seven wins at the contest.
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