Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) has now released the full list of six entries that will be competing to represent Ireland at Eurovision 2025 - and there are some big names in the mix!
Starting from Monday 20 January a new entry was released, with two entries announced on Thursday 23 January. Each of artists premiered their song on The Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 each day at 2pm Irish time.
The six entries competing in the Irish Eurovision national final this year are:
Adgy - Run into the Night
Bobbi Arlo - Powerplay
Emmy - Laika Party
NIYL - Growth
Reylta - Fire
Samantha Mumba - My Way
The competing acts:
Adgy - Run into the Night
Eurosong viewers will remember Adgy when he participated in the Irish national final in 2023 with Too Good For Your Love. He finished fifth behind winners Wild Youth with We Are One.
Pop and EDM is Adgy's genre, and Run into the Night certainly displays that. However Adgy tells RTÉ there is "a very strong Celtic influence in this track" with the featuring of the fiddle.
Run into the Night was written by Adgy and his sister Jennie, and was produced by Ivan Klymenko who also produced Eurovision 2022 Stefania by Kalush Orchestra. Could Run into the Night also be a winning formula?
Bobbi Arlo - Powerplay
Bobbi Arlo grew up in Dublin but now resides across the ditch in Glasgow, Scotland.
In an interview with the Gay Times her genre of music has been as "hyper-pop", which her entry Powerplay embodies.
Bobbi tells RTÉ she is a massive Eurovision fan, and she was inspired by Bambie Thug after the latter did so well with a song that "was so different [from] what Ireland normally [sends]." In fact some fans called her "Bambie Thug's daughter".
She has been described as a "rising star" in the Irish music scene, with her track Feel It receiving a nomination for Song of the Year at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards.
EMMY - Laika Party
EMMY hails from Norway, and outside of singing is also a graphic designer.
She arguably has the most Eurovision experience out of all the artists. In 2015 she competed in Melodi Grand Prix Junior, before competing in the adult version six years later in the hope of representing Norway at Eurovision 2021. Performing the song Witch Woods she reached the final, losing out to Tix with Fallen Angel.
According to RTÉ EMMY "is especially known for singing on TikTok" where she has 1.2 million followers.
She will perform Laika Party. One of the songwriters is Irish, with EMMY telling RTÉ it therefore felt logical to enter the Irish Eurovision selection. Will she follow in Marcus & Martinus' footsteps last year and be a Norwegian representing another country at Eurovision?
NIYL - Growth
Born in Limerick, NIYL has mentioned he hopes to bring a new sound to Irish music.
According to Extra Ireland he gets inspiration for his music from his upbringing in western Ireland "and the dramatic landscapes of the coast". NIYL couples deep emotions in the lyrics of his songs often to an electronic sound, as demonstrated in Growth.
NIYL identifies as queer and has told RTÉ he wishes to "amplify queer culture in the Irish music industry with his music."
Reylta - Fire
Reylta grew up in rural Galway. Therefore it makes sense why her music has heavy influences from traditional Irish music. According to Extra Ireland "poetic lyrics and haunting vocals backed by an inherently Irish arrangement and harmonies" are key features of Reylta's sound.
This is reflected in Reylta's Eurosong entry Fire which she herself describes as a "magic song" about the initial thrilling moments of meeting a new lover.
Samantha Mumba - My Way
By far the biggest name in this year's Eurosong selection, many people across the world will remember Samantha for her smash hit Gotta Tell You. The song reached number 2 in the UK, number 3 in Australia, and even number 4 in the US.
Born to a Zambian father and Irish mother, Samantha was discovered at 15 on a RTÉ talent show by Louis Walsh who has managed Boyzone, Westlife and Jedward.
After the success of Gotta Tell You, Samantha went on to have a fascinating career such as starring in several films, modelling including being chosen to wear the world's most expensive dress, and appearing on television shows such as Celebrity Masterchef Ireland and hosting Loose Women.
Samantha revealed to Ray D'Arcy that RTÉ had ben asking her to do Eurovision for years, and that now she "really wanted to do it". However she was little concerned that she was "too old to be putting herself through this stress" of competing. It will be intriguing to see if big name star power means Eurosong victory.
My Way is the name of Samantha's entry for Eurosong 2025.
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The Irish national final will be held on The Late Late Show on Friday February 7 at 9:35pm Irish time, or 8:35am AEDT on Saturday February 8.
For continued updates on all Eurosong and Eurovision news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
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