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Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025: Ireland's entry Emmy fails to make it to Saturday's grand final
Ireland's Eurovision 2025 entry has failed to make it into Saturday's grand final in Basle, Switzerland. It was a nail biting finish for Emmy, the 24-year-old Norway-born singer, who performed the song Laika Party for Ireland in the second semi-final of the competition on Thursday night. The three-minute song, a manifestation of wishful thinking, was written by Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen (aka Emmy), her brother Erlend Guttulsrud Kristiansen, Henrik Østlund, Larissa Tormey and Truls Marius Aarra. It is about a Soviet dog who was sent into space and became the first living being to orbit the Earth back in 1957. Although Laika's voyage ended tragically, when she succumbed to overheating and stress after 10 days, Emmy and her writing team decided to spin a tail with a happier twist. READ MORE 'I hope Laika never died and that she spins around us still / And that she has a party in the air and always will / I hope that she is dancing every night among the stars / I hope Laika is alive.' She performed dressed in space armour and a silver skater skirt in front of a fetching pink and turquoise colour scheme topped off with cosmic graphics. Emmy representing Ireland with the song Laika Party during the second semi-final of the Eurovision 2025. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images Emmy had hoped to replicate Bambie Thug, who last year in Sweden became the first Irish entrant to make the final since Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Lisbon seven years ago. However, matters took a downward turn when the results of the public vote were announced, with Ireland one of six entries that failed to make it to the next stage, with Australia, Montenegro, Georgia, Czechia and Bosnia also missing out. Emmy representing Ireland during Eurovision Song 2025 in Basle, Swtzerland. Photograph: Andres Poveda Since the semi-final format was introduced Ireland has failed to qualify for the final 12 times and got through on seven occasions. Twenty songs, 10 from Tuesday night's first semi-final and 10 from Thursday's second, have been chosen to join the 'big five' countries – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – as well as reigning champion Switzerland, in Saturday's final. The countries that qualified from Thursday's show, replete with bright lights and eye-popping costumes, were Lithuania, Israel, Armenia, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Malta and Greece.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025 second semi-final live updates: Can Ireland's Emmy qualify with Laika Party?
18 minutes ago Grüezi mitenand, this is Dublin calling with all the glittering action from the second semi-final in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest . Tonight in Basle, Emmy will be vying on behalf of Ireland to make it through to Saturday's grand final with her cosmic bop Laika Party. Will Europe save its kisses for Ireland? Will Saturday night be a party under the Swiss sky for Emmy? Or will this semi-final be our Waterloo? In the countdown to the show, I'll be recapping some of the rules and controversies, weighing up Emmy's chances and wondering how exactly to phrase the trigger warning I fear might be necessary for Australia's effort. Then, as the competition shimmies into life at 8pm, I'll have a snap analysis of the 16 countries contending for 10 grand final spots, as well as the performances of pre-qualified entries from the UK, France and Germany. Expect dry ice and costume changes. So, if you're home and willing, practise your best simultaneous toe-taps and eye-rolls, plate up your Euro-snacks and prepare to indulge in Eurovision 2025. Note: space helmets are optional, but recommended. Boom-bang-a-banging reads: 'RTÉ said we don't have any problem with Emmy. We have an Irish writer on the team': Ireland's Eurovision singer from Norway Eurovision 2025: When is Ireland's semi-final on, what are Emmy's chances and how does voting work? Eurovision 2025 first semi-final: the 10 countries advancing to the final 3 minutes ago Ireland is third in the running order tonight, a spot deemed unfavourable. This is because the results of the semi-finals depend entirely on the public vote, and the voting public are generally regarded as being a fickle lot who will be swayed by the last good thing(s) they heard. Voting will open after the last song has been performed and it will stay open for around 18 minutes. You can vote up to 20 times, if you are so inclined, and I'll leave it to Marty Whelan on the RTÉ commentary tonight to explain how. But – and it's a drag, I know – you can't vote for your own country. Ireland's qualification for Saturday night hangs in the balance. According to the aggregated bookmaker odds, we are the 13th most likely to qualify, having slipped in recent days from 11th. As there are only 10 qualifying spots, if this holds true, it will mean we won't get through. Some fingers may need to be crossed. 13 minutes ago Israel 's Yuval Raphael is fourteenth in the competition running order tonight with her balled New Day Will Rise. She is a survivor of the Nova music festival near Gaza on October 7th, 2023, where Hamas attackers killed 360 people and took 40 people hostage. The singer, who was wounded by shrapnel, says she survived by hiding under dead bodies in a bomb shelter. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel's offensive began in the wake of the October 7th attacks. The UN said on Tuesday that almost 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months as a result of Israel's aid blockade. An analysis by UN-backed food security experts IPC has found that one in five people in Gaza, or 500,000 people, face starvation, with 2.1 million people across Gaza likely to experience high levels of food insecurity by the end of September. This is just part of the backdrop that has informed protests against Israel's inclusion in Eurovision, both in 2024 and this year. A silent protest was held in Basle on Wednesday. Last year, protestors in Malmö held signs reading 'Eurovision Genocide Contest'. RTÉ is among the members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, to have asked for a 'wider discussion' about Israel's participation – or, to be more accurate, the participation of Israeli broadcaster Kan. A group called Artists for Palestine wants the EBU to expel Kan . The official EBU position is that, unlike its suspended Russian broadcaster members, Kan has not breached any of its membership rules. However, no one is under any illusions. Although fractious international relations have regularly surfaced throughout Eurovision's 69-year history, the past two years have been the most tense and uncomfortable for the EBU – and for many Eurovision viewers, too.
Irish Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025: the 10 countries that qualified for the final
Norway's Kyle Alessandro, Albania's Shkodra Elektronike and Sweden's Kaj have qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest final in Basle, Switzerland. Also through is Dutch act Claude Kiambe, Iceland's Vaeb and Poland's Justyna Steczkowska. San Marino's Gabry Ponte, Estonia's Tommy Cash and Portugal's Napa also progress. The last country that was announced as making it to the final was Ukraine group Ziferblat READ MORE The contest kicked off with absurd acts and performances as the contest returned to Switzerland, where it started more than six decades ago. Switzerland, where the competition began in Lugano in 1956, hosted Tuesday's first 2025 semi-final in Basle at the St Jakobshalle arena. Ireland has been drawn in Thursday night's second semi-final. Emmy Kristiansen is third in the running order between Montenegro and Latvia. The 24-year-old Norwegian singer will perform the song Laika Party – co-written with Russian -born, Westmeath -based Larissa Tormey. The contest has kicked off with a pre-record of the Swiss landscape and an opening performance that included a revamped version of 2024 winner Nemo's The Code. At the arena in St Jakobshalle Basle, there was a mix of dancing, before hosts Hazel Brugger, Sandra Studer and Michelle Hunziker took to the stage during Tuesday's semi-final. Brugger said that this is 'the biggest welcome home party that Eurovision has ever seen', as the contest comes back to Switzerland, where it started more than six decades ago. [ Eurovision 2025: When is it on, what are Ireland's chances and how does voting work? Opens in new window ] Estonia 's Tommy Cash performed an Italian parody performance, flicking his feet around the stage while singing the silly Espresso Macchiato, which referenced typical Italian phrases, and a screen behind him on stage said 'winner's cafe'. The performance also featured a fake fan, appearing to leap out at him before being caught by onstage security guards and dancing with him as the screen changed to a 'Tommywood sign', referencing Hollywood. Earlier, Icelandic electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson, known as Vaeb, started the event with their energetic Roa – complete with matching silvery outfits, ending with a group hug. Opting for a quieter and simpler staging surrounded by lights, Slovenia's Klemen belted out his entry How Much Time Do We Have Left, and ended saying 'thank you everybody, we love you' to the crowd. Favourites, Sweden's act Kaj had a co-ordinated dance for their song Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna). It saw dancers acting as lumberjacks, and in a fake sauna stage wearing towels – while the Swedish-speaking singers, from Finland, were dressed in dark green suits. Ukrainian band Ziferblat representing Ukraine with the song Bird of Pray performs during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Photograph:The first semi-final began with a pre-record of the Swiss landscape and an opening performance that included a revamped version of 2024 winner Nemo's The Code. A translation of Italian glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy), was displayed in the broadcast, after Eurovision confirmed there were artists singing in 20 different languages this year. 'This is the highest number since the regulation requiring songs to be in a national language was eased in 1999, prompting the rise of English as the song language of choice,' organisers said. There was a mix of dancing before co-host Hazel Brugger said that this is 'the biggest welcome home party that Eurovision has ever seen', as the contest comes back to Switzerland, where it started more than six decades ago. The hosts later introduced a section about props, before footage was shown of Finnish musician Windows95Man's giant egg when he performed No Rules! in 2024, and Irish puppet Dustin The Turkey's 2007 song Irlande Douze Points. Italian singer Lucio Corsi, representing Italy, with the song Volevo Essere Un Duro performs during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Photograph:On Tuesday, Basel's local government released figures saying that more than 38,000 people have visited its European Village since the free event began on Saturday until Monday. Basle police confirmed that a protest against anti-Semitism will take place in Basle, Switzerland on Thursday, ahead of Israeli singer Yuval Raphael performing in the second Eurovision semi-final that same day. A pro-Palestinian group is planning a large demonstration on both Wednesday, and Saturday. Wednesday's action will be a 'silent march', the group Basle for Palestine has said. During a demonstration at the opening ceremony on Sunday, the police received a report of 'threatening gestures', that appeared to be directed at Raphael while she took part in the opening ceremony. Israel's government shared a clip on X from the protest on Sunday, and said: 'Israel's Eurovision representative Yuval Raphael, a Nova massacre survivor, was 'welcomed' in Basle by a hostile crowd of pro-Hamas protesters. 'Yet she stands tall, singing for her country. Her love will always outshine their hate.' - PA Should Ireland boycott Eurovision over Israel? Listen | 24:08
Irish Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025: When is it on, what are Ireland's chances and how does voting work?
It's Eurovision 2025 week! Where is the contest taking place? The 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be staged at the 12,000-capacity St Jakobshalle in Basle after Switzerland won the right to host with last year's victory by Nemo with No Code . There will be two semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm, with the grand final on Saturday at 8pm. The semi-finals will be broadcast on RTÉ2 and the final on RTÉ One. Who is representing Ireland at Eurovision 2025? Ireland's Eurovision hopes have been entrusted to 24-year-old Norwegian singer Emmy Kristiansen , who will perform the song Laika Party – co-written with Russian -born, Westmeath -based Larissa Tormey. Emmy is from a village in the south of Norway . In 2021, she reached Norway's Eurovision national finals with Witch Wood. In 2023, she was on the jury that selected Norway's representative in the competition. In Basle, she will be joined by her brother Erlend, who will maintain a deadpan pose while playing keyboards. Tell me more about the song. Emmy came up with the concept of Laika Party at a songwriting camp in Norway . A few days previously, she and her family had been having a quiz night, and one of the questions had to do with Laika, the space dog notoriously blasted into high orbit aboard Sputnik 2 by the Soviet Union in 1957, where she was left to a horrible fate, confused and alone – perhaps like Ireland's Wild Youth at Eurovision 2023 ? READ MORE It isn't the first time Laika has been eulogised in song – the tragic pooch is referenced in the Arcade Fire track Neighbourhood 2 (Laika) . 'It's a great story about a dog being the first living creature in space,' the band's singer, Win Butler , explained. 'Doing this spectacular thing, but not having food and watching itself fall back into the earth.' So, do we like this song? Laika Party has its fans – but it has also proved controversial, with some Eurovision commentators struck by the contrast between the upbeat synth melody and the downbeat subject. Emmy says that this is the point: the real Laika suffered a lonely death. In Laika Party, she set out to rewrite history and give the interstellar dog a happy ending. As she sings: 'I hope Laika never died and that she spins around us still/ And that she has a party in the air and always will.' Why is a Norwegian singing about a dead Soviet space dog representing Ireland in Switzerland? There is a rich history of singers representing other countries at Eurovision. Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves did so for the UK in 1997, while in 2021, rapper Flo Rida featured on the San Marino entry. If new to Ireland, it is a long-standing Eurovision tradition. What about the staging? Emmy rehearsing her song Laika Party in St Jakobshalle, Switzerland. Photograph: Corinne Cumming/EBU At Eurovision, appearance counts as much as the song – one reason Macroom's Bambie Thug did so well in 2024 was because of their visually stunning 'Crown the Witch' staging of Doomsday Blue . It was impressive, even with the sound turned down. In the case of Laika Party, Emmy is leaning into the science fiction aspect and will perform atop a platform, drenched in purple neon lighting and with a back projection of a twinkling starfield. However, there has been some tweaking following dress rehearsals. 'We have made some changes after the first rehearsal. In the first rehearsal, I saw the props and the stage for the first time, and that was very big,' Emmy said. 'We had to change a bit of the choreography and my placement on stage because of that and also, I had some rails on the rocket, because I'm standing on top, but the team didn't think it looked that great on camera so we now removed the rails.' When is Emmy performing? Ireland has been drawn in Thursday night's second semi-final. Emmy is third in the running order between Montenegro and Latvia. The early start is regarded as putting her at a disadvantage, as statistically, songs that appear later in the broadcast tend to fare better. [ 'RTÉ said we don't have any problem with Emmy. We have an Irish writer on the team': Ireland's Eurovision singer from Norway Opens in new window ] How will the song do? Ten of Thursday's 16 entrants will go on to the grand final after a public vote, and Emmy is expected to make the cut. But she is seen as an outsider for the contest proper – with odds at 66/1. On Saturday, the successful semi-finalists are joined by the 'big five' who are guaranteed a place in the final due to their financial contribution to Eurovision: Spain, France, Germany, the UK and Italy. Any clue who will win? Sweden is determined to eclipse Ireland's seven Eurovision wins and become the only nation with eight victories. To that end, Sweden's 'comedy' pop trio KAJ are favourites in 2025, with their song Bara Bada Bastu having odds of 5/4. Others regarded as in the running are Austria (9/4), France (9/1) and Israel (12/1). Wasn't there controversy about the Israeli entry? The continued participation of the country is regarded as controversial by many. The country is represented by Yuval Raphael, a 24-year-old singer and survivor of the mass killing by Hamas of attendees at the Nova music festival on October 7th, 2023. RTÉ has called on Eurovision organisers, the European Broadcast Union (EBU), to discuss Israel's participation. In an open letter to the EBU, 72 musicians associated with Eurovision demanded the exclusion from the contest of Israeli national broadcaster Kan, which, they said, was 'complicit in Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people'. Signatories included 1994 Ireland winner Charlie McGettigan . Will the controversy around Israel affect the contest? There were several flashpoints around Israel and Gaza at last year's contest: Bambie Thug, for instance, was asked to remove Ogham script saying, 'Ceasefire' and 'Freedom for Palestine'. This year, the EBU has changed the rules so that participants can only fly their national flag on camera. However, audience members will all be able to wave Palestinian flags. The EBU is also stepping up backstage protection of artists by creating 'no filming zones'. How does voting work? The semi-finals are decided based on a public vote. Participating countries will vote in the semi-final their country is in, though they cannot vote for their own representative. You can vote over the phone, by text or through the Eurovision app. For the final, the public vote will account for 50 per cent of marks, with the other half adjudicated by national panels. The experts' scores are based on the Friday night jury final performances, which take place behind closed doors. Should Ireland boycott Eurovision over Israel? Listen | 24:08
Irish Times
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision Song Contest: How are organisers reacting to criticisms of Israel?
It's Eurovision season but the event is mired in controversy over Israel. What's going on? The 69th annual Eurovision Song Contest takes place next week in Basle, Switzerland , beginning on Tuesday, with the first semi-final, before the Saturday grand finale. With a TV audience in the hundreds of millions, the event is one of the biggest in showbiz. Ireland 's entrant is Norwegian singer Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen , stage name Emmy, who will appear in the second semi-final on Thursday. Not for the first time, war in Gaza has prompted criticism of Israel 's participation. What's the background? Yuval Raphael is due to sing a ballad, New Day Will Rise, for Israel. She is also scheduled to appear in the second semi-final. The 24-year-old survived the Hamas attack on Israel of October 23rd, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. She was at the Nova music festival near Gaza, where 360 young people were killed; she hid for hours under dead bodies in a bomb shelter and received a shrapnel wound. Israel's war on Gaza soon followed; more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israel plans a big escalation of its military campaign in the Palestinian territory. What are critics saying? A group called Artists for Palestine wants the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), organiser of the Eurovision, to expel Israeli public broadcaster Kan because of the war. 'By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,' said a letter signed by 70 former contestants. 'The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don't accept this double standard regarding Israel.' Signatories include Charlie McGettigan , winner for Ireland of the 1994 contest with Paul Harrington. (They sang Rock 'n' Roll Kids). READ MORE Is there more? RTÉ journalists voted to ask the national broadcaster to oppose Israel's participation, citing moves against Israel by broadcasters in Iceland, Slovenia and Spain. RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst later called for EBU discussions : 'I am appalled by the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages.' What did Eurovision chiefs say? They pushed back, claiming no national broadcaster 'publicly opposed' Israeli participation. Eurovision director Martin Green said the EBU was maintaining an 'inclusive stance' towards Israel. 'The broadcasters mentioned in the [NUJ] letter, RTVE in Spain and RTVSLO in Slovenia, requested a discussion and RÚV in Iceland has informed us of their foreign minister's comments on Kan's participation.' Is that the end of it? Unlikely. Israel's 2024 entrant Eden Golan was booed at the dress rehearsal in Malmo, Sweden, and confined to her hotel room when not performing because of threats. She finished fifth.
