RTÉ has revealed the six acts taking part in Eurosong 2023 this morning on RTÉ Radio 1. It was confirmed that Ireland’s entry for Eurovision 2023 will be selected on 3rd February during a special episode of The Late Late Show.
On this morning’s edition of The Ryan Tubridy Show that aired on RTÉ Radio 1, the six acts competing in Eurosong 2023 were revealed as:
ADGY – Too Good For Your Love
Andrew Carr is from Co. Donegal and his musical career took off after signing a record deal with the Universal Music Group. He has amassed over 10 million streams on streaming platforms and on the radio, making him a big name in Eurosong 2023. During the lockdown, ADGY initially wrote Too Good For Your Love as a piano ballad but after collaborating with the producer Boksay, the song was transformed into “an upbeat, high-tempo dance track”.
I’ve been a songwriter for as long as I can remember, and I’ve written for lots of artists, as well as myself. But it’s my dream to perform live on stage in front of a large audience, and I hope to do more of that this year.
Andrew Carr
CONOLLY – Midnight Summer Night
Jennifer Connolly, an 18 year old student at IADT (Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology) will be competing in Eurosong 2023 with the song Midnight Summer Night. The Galway girl wrote her song at age 17 during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Ireland. Midnight Summer Night is an ambient pop song with comparisons to London Grammar and Lorde. According to Jennifer, this song plays with themes of nostalgia and the passing of time.
The song conveys confusion and overwhelming detachment, but overall the song implies that nothing bad lasts forever, delivering a sense of hope. To be in with a chance to share my song on such a legendary platform as Eurovision is amazing. It would be nothing less than a dream come true to bring Eurovision back home for Ireland once again.
Jennifer Connolly
K Muni & ND – Down In The Rain
Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare are two rappers from Co. Longford that are signed to Academy Records. The duo have been writing music that reflects their experiences throughout ther lives. Earlier this year, they released a short documentary called “Welcome To Longford” about their experiences of growing up in a rural council estate as two young black musicians.
Down In The Rain is about a difficult time in their musical career when they felt like they weren’t getting the attention that they deserved. They have expressed that their entry is a testament to their determination.
We remember watching Eurovision as kids with our families, so to think we could have the people of Ireland, our people, tuned in to cheer us and our country on is incredible.
Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare
Leila Jane – Wild
Based in Dublin, Leila Jane has roots in Donegal and London. After Releasing her recent EP, Revolve Evolve, Leila has thrown her hat into the ring to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with an “empowering song of the strength of a woman’s spirit”. Wild is a contemporary pop song that opens with a piano riff and gradually builds in timbre throughout the whole song.
Wild represents my love of the creative freedom I have here in Ireland. It would be an absolute honour to show Eurovision what Ireland’s got!
Leila Jane
Public Image Ltd. – Hawaii
Public Image Limited, also known as PiL, are an English “post-punk” group fronted by former Sex Pistols front man John Lydon.
With a sound they describe on their website as “fusing rock, dance, folk, pop and dub”, the band originally formed in the 70s but was reactivated in 2009, and the band has earned 5 UK Top 20 Singles and 5 UK Top 20 Albums.
Despite this, their EuroSong entry Hawaii is a lot gentler than songs generally associated with the punk genre, and sounds like the song could have been written for a TV show set on the real Hawaii. The song is an homage to Lydon’s wife who has dementia.
It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most.
John Lydon
Wild Youth – We Are One
Wild Youth is an Irish indie boy band consisting of David Whelan, Conor O’Donohoe, Ed Porter and Callum McAdam. The band has had a handful of hits since they started making music together in 2017, including songs like “Can’t Move On,” “Long Time No See,” and “Making Me Dance.” The band has also supported huge acts on tour in the Isles this year, including Lewis Capaldi and Westlife. They have been teasing a possible Eurosong 2023 since June 2022 with a band member Conor O’Donohoe tweeting:
We are One was written with Grammy-nominated songwriter Jörgen Elofsson. Elofsson has worked on songs such as For You by Mariette, Dying To Try by Brendan Murray and In The Mirror by Demi Lovato.
We are so delighted to be here. Eurovision is something we have always loved and would love to represent our country. We hope that everyone loves the song that we’ve written and believe we can be the band to represent Ireland this year.
Wild Youth
Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest
Ireland debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965 and has won the competition a record 7 times (1970, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996). However, since the introduction of the public vote and the semi-finals, Ireland has struggled to reach the same heights.
Brooke represented Ireland at this year’s contest in Turin with “That’s Rich”. Unfortunately, she did not qualify, placing 15th in the second semi-final with 47 points. This marked Ireland’s third consecutive non-qualification.
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