Latest news with #WhyMe?
Sunday World
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Linda Martin lays out why Cliona Hagan must be Ireland's choice for Eurovision 2026
'She has it all - she sings, looks gorgeous, can move and is very friendly. All she needs is a great song.' Linda Martin came out on top in 1992 with the song Why Me? Eurovision queen Linda Martin is tipping Irish country star Cliona Hagan as a top contender to win the 2026 event if she puts her hat in the ring. And Linda, who won the mammoth song contest in 1992 with Why Me?, told the Sunday World that Ireland deserved to be in last Saturday's final with EMMY singing our entry, Laika Party. 'Ah God love her, I'm so disappointed that EMMY didn't get through on Thursday night. I genuinely thought she was much better than some of those other acts that got into the final,' Linda says. 'Next year I think we should send Cliona Hagan to the Eurovision with a mid-tempo song and a country feel to it. I really think Cliona is a winner. She has it all — she sings, looks gorgeous, can move and is very friendly. All she needs is a great song.' Linda Martin came out on top in 1992 with the song Why Me? However, Linda says she couldn't fault EMMY's performance in the second semi-final on Thursday night. 'The staging of the Irish entry was well thought out, the dancers were superb and her vocals were great,' she reflects. 'I thought EMMY was a little nervous having met her a couple of times, but nevertheless she was really, really good, so I'm disappointed for her, God help her. And she's only a young one, so I'd say she was upset.' Would any of the other songs in Ireland's Eurosong contest on The Late Late Show this year have had a bigger impact? 'No,' Linda responds emphatically. 'Samantha Mumba, if she'd had a good song, a really brilliant song, would have wiped the board with the lot of them at the Eurovision this year as a performer. She would have fitted in perfectly. She has the look, the stage presence and I think the Europeans would have loved her. But her song let her down.' Linda Martin at the 1984 Eurovision So what do we have to do to even qualify these days? 'Well, we have to go back to the ballads,' Linda says. 'I keep saying that. We cannot compete with the Europeans and their backing tracks. They have that sound down to a fine art. I suppose you could call it a disco sound. We cannot do it. The only time we ever won was because of a ballad.' Do you think a ballad will still work? 'Yes I do,' Linda insists. 'In an ideal world I'd have a brilliant ballad very simply staged. I think it would stand out so much. Sometimes less is more. 'There was too much performance in some of the songs in this year's semi-finals. It was like three-minute cabaret shows. You can say, 'she's too old' or 'too old-fashioned', maybe so, but genuinely I think it should be song first and then everything else afterwards. 'I'll tell you the God's honest truth, if I had been epileptic I'd be in hospital because the flashing lights never stopped in this week's shows. I do appreciate you have to have some sort of staging and lights, but at times I couldn't see the artists because of the lights. Sometimes it was too much.' Irish entry EMMY on stage in Switzerland Do we need to change what we're doing in terms of choosing a song and a singer? 'I absolutely love Michael Kealy [head of the RTÉ Eurovision delegation]. I think he does an amazing job with the restrictions he has, but gone are the days when we had Red Hurley, Johnny [Logan] and myself, all of those people that doesn't exist anymore, so RTÉ should get out, send scouts around the country where events are happening and find people who look well, have a good attitude and a good voice. 'RTE should then audition them like they did in the old days to see what they're made of before they're given a song. I had to audition myself back then. We've got the talent here it's just a matter of finding and perfecting that talent.' Linda adds that Eurovision should be given serious consideration by Irish singers as it's the perfect launching pad for a career outside Ireland. As a former Eurovision winner, Linda is treated like royalty on the continent. 'It's the best platform ever,' she says. 'I'm still working in Europe at a very high level because of that song.'
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Johnny Logan: 'Never say never' on Eurovision return
Ireland's three-time Eurovision winner Johnny Logan has hinted at a possible return to the contest - but only if the circumstances are right. Speaking on the Nicky Byrne HQ podcast, Logan, the only artist to win Eurovision three times - twice as a performer (What's Another Year in 1980, Hold Me Now in 1987) and once as a songwriter (Why Me? for Linda Martin in 1992) - spoke openly about the idea of returning. "I've thought about it different times," he said. "But I'm 71 now and really happy with the music I'm making. It's not Eurovision or pop-based, more New Orleans swing and rock, with big ballads that have evolved." Logan explained that Eurovision demands total involvement, which can be exhausting. "It takes up so much private time - the production, the presentation. If working with someone else singing, it takes twice as long because you have to guide them. If they won, I'd stay with them to help them through the experience." Despite his reservations, Logan didn't close the door completely. "Never say never. If I had something that really stood out…" Logan left the door open with one condition: "Give me an orchestra and I might think about it."
Extra.ie
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Johnny Logan says he 'might think about' another go at Eurovision
Mr Eurovision Johnny Logan has teased that he 'might think about' doing a hat-trick for the 40th anniversary of his second Eurovision Song Contest win. The Australian-Irish singer-songwriter has won the song contest two times as a singer, and a third time as a songwriter. In 1980, he won with What's Another Year and seven years later won again for Hold Me Now. His song Why Me? won in 1992, as sung by fellow Irish star Linda Martin. Mr Eurovision Johnny Logan has teased that he 'might think about' doing a hat-trick for the 40th anniversary of his second Eurovision Song Contest win. Pic: Andres Poveda Appearing on Nicky Byrne's podcast, Nicky Byrne HQ this week, the 71-year-old didn't rule out a third go at the Eurovision as a singer. A clip from the podcast shared to social media saw Nicky commend Johnny for giving the Irish public 'so many memories.' 'I'd love to see ya for the 40th anniversary of Hold Me Now do something for Ireland,' Nicky said, 'I'm not going to put it out there — well, I am putting it out there into the atmosphere because sometimes that works that you will dream up that song that's half-written and do it for somebody or you do it or somebody and have that magic we'll go one more time.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicky Byrne (@nickybyrneinsta) Nicky added that it would a 'hat trick' with Johnny responding: 'Give me an orchestra and I might think about it.' As well as composing Why Me? for Linda Martin in 1992, the musician wrote her song Terminal 3, which was the song she entered the competition with in 1984. Last year, Eurovision fans were treated to a surprise performance from Logan, who sang a rendition of Loreen's Euphoria. The Swedish singer-songwriter is also a two-time Eurovision winner, having won with Euphoria in 2012 and with Tattoo in 2023. Having her say on Johnny's performance, Loreen told the PA news agency at the time: 'The first thing that hit me was like this is a really hard song to sing… what's he going to do? 'Oh, not like how is he going to do? How's he going to make it? Not like that, more like how is he going to interpret the song? How is he gonna make it his own, which he did.' The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 takes place tonight, Thursday, May 15 from 8pm on RTÉ 2.
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘Embrace it' – Ireland's Eurovision hopeful Emmy gets advice after visiting former winner Linda Martin's dog shelter in Dublin
Emmy will represent Ireland at Eurovision 2025 later this month in Basel, Switzerland with her song Laika Party, which is about a dog sent to space by the USSR. It was after attending a song writing camp in Emmy's native Norway last summer where she met Irish songwriter Larissa Tormey and the pair collaborated to write their Eurovision 2025 entry song for Ireland. She and her brother, Erland, visited former Eurovision winner Linda Martin's dog shelter, Dublin Dog Hub, when they were in the capital recently. Ms Martin, who won the contest in 1992 for Why Me? told Emmy: "Enjoy it because it's going to go past in a flash." She and her team gave Emmy and Erland a warm welcome and a bouquet of green, white and orange flowers to wish Emmy luck. Ms Martin also advised 24-year-old Emmy to 'speak to everybody', including newspapers, magazines and the radio. 'Speak to them just so they know who you are and what your song is about and get your song out there because it's vitally important, but do enjoy yourself. "I know on the stage you're going to be nervous. Because you'll be aware that there's 400m people watching, you know, but this is the most wonderful platform you could ever imagine,' she said. Ms Martin added: "I mean, where would you ever be seen again by so many people? So there's going to be managers looking in, there's going to be promoters, there's gonna be record labels looking at everything and just use it and go forward. "Embrace it. Because I love Eurovision. I got stuck into it straight away and Emmy, I'm still working because of that Eurovision contest, you know. You're so beautiful and friendly. Both of you. We'll be cheering for you on the night." Ms Martin said it was a pleasure to have Emmy at her dog shelter and wished her the very best of luck. "And like I said to you earlier, if you win, you're right. You have to come back and live in Dublin. And then I'll have a job here for you !It's been lovely. Thank you for coming to this afternoon. It's been an absolute pleasure and go and win for Ireland.' The OGAE Irish fan club, which is the Eurovision fan club in Ireland, established in the 1990s, has created t-shirts with Laika the dog on them to support Emmy, with proceeds from the sales going to the dog shelter. Emmy previously tried to enter Eurovision twice through Norway's pre-selection contest Melodi Grand Prix. She initially entered at age 14 for the youth version of the competition before entering again in 2021, where she placed third and narrowly missed out on representing Norway at Eurovision that year. She follows in the footsteps of Bambie Thug, who came in sixth place last year with their song Doomsday Blue, scoring a total of 278 points, marking the country's highest placing since 2000. The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place on Saturday, May 17 from 8pm.
RTÉ News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Eurovision winner Linda Martin gives EMMY advice: 'Embrace it'
Eurovision legend Linda Martin gave advice to EMMY, this year's hopeful for Ireland, telling the 24-year-old Norweigan singer to "embrace it" because it's "going to go past in a flash". Martin, who won the Song Contest in 1992 with Why Me?, welcomed EMMY and her brother Erlend to her dog shelter in Dublin where she presented the singer with a bouquet of green, white and orange flowers to wish her luck on her Eurovision journey. Speaking to EMMY, Martin said: "Enjoy it because it's going to go past in a flash. And speak to everybody, speak to the newspapers and magazines, the radios, anything. "Speak to them just so they know who you are and what your song is about and get your song out there because it's vitally important, but do enjoy yourself." The Belfast-born singer continued: "I know on the stage you're going to be nervous. Because you'll be aware that there's 400 million people watching, but this is the most wonderful platform you could ever imagine. "Where would you ever be seen again by so many people? So there's going to be managers looking in, there's going to be promoters, there's gonna be record labels looking at everything and just use it and go forward. "Embrace it. Because I love Eurovision. I got stuck into it straight away and EMMY, I'm still working because of that Eurovision contest. You're so beautiful and friendly. Both of you. We'll be cheering for you on the night." When EMMY expressed her gratitude at being invited to the dog shelter, Dublin Dog Hub, which has rehomed 225 dogs since it opened in February 2024, Martin replied: "It was a pleasure... and we just wish you the very, very best of luck. "If you win... you have to come back and live in Dublin. And then I'll have a job here for you. It's been an absolute pleasure and go and win for Ireland!" "We'll do our best!," EMMY responded. EMMY will perform her track Laika Party at the second Eurovision Song Contest semi-final on Thursday 15 May at 8pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
