Eurovision reject Dustin The Turkey has described it as “bonkers” when he heard former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon wants to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest – but legend Linda Martin will back the song if she thinks it is good enough.
Public Image Ltd, the post-punk band formed by John Lydon – whose goes by the stage name Johnny Rotten - following the break-up of the Sex Pistols, were among six acts announced by RTE as contenders for Eurovision this May.
PiL's entry is an emotional ballad titled Hawaii, described as a love letter to Nora, Lydon's wife of more than 40 years, who is living with Alzheimer's disease.
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But Dustin – who represented us at the 2008 Eurovision – had his feathers ruffled when he first heard the news, simply telling us “It’s bonkers, isn’t it?”
But Eurovision legend Linda Martin – who won the contest in 1992 with the Logan-penned ballad Why Me? – said if the song is good enough, then why not.
She said: “The bottom line is if he’s got a good enough song, well that’s the bottom line.”
London-born Lydon has strong links to Ireland, with his mother hailing from Cork and father from Galway.
He previously talked about the Eurovision back in 2018, saying: "Once I see the light through the crack in the door, I’ll go for it. It’s a bit of a dull affair that Eurovision Song Contest, it really does need some proper new blood. Someone who has a great deal of respect for music and all of its possibilities . . . oh!
"Gosh! I guess I’m talking about myself here. Some of the negative nonsense was that I wouldn’t be able to handle big crowds on live TV. Wow! Hahahahahha."
Liverpool will host the contest on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine, and the grand final will take place in the Liverpool Arena next to the River Mersey on Saturday, May 13, with semi-finals on Tuesday, 9 and Thursday 11.
Fans were left shocked when it was announced that Lydon wanted to take part in the Eurovision.
His song, Hawaii, reflects on their years together, and in particular, one of their happiest moments in Hawaii.
The performer said the track is as close as he will ever come to bearing his soul.
"It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most," he said in a statement.
"It's also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all."
Lydon will be up against Wild Youth for the votes at next month’s EuroSong contest on the Late Late Show.
They will compete against ADGY, CONNOLLY, Leila Jane, and K Muni & ND on the special show.
Wild Youth are a four-piece band from Dublin, who have a string of top hits in Ireland and have toured with names including Niall Horan, Lewis Capaldi, and Westlife. They’ve entered a song called We Are One.
On top of their own sold-out tours of Ireland and the UK, Conor O'Donohoe from the band has also written a string of top hits for other artists and co-written with Moncrief and The Script.
We are One was written with Grammy-nominated songwriter Jörgen Elofsson.
"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 said.
ADGY is a singer-songwriter from Co Donegal, whose music career took off in 2020. Since then, ADGY has accumulated over 10 million streams globally across streaming platforms and radio.
“I’ve been a songwriter for as long as I can remember, and I’ve written for lots of artists, as well as myself,” he said.
“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.”
Leitir Meailláin's Jennifer Connolly is in her first year of Creative Music Production at IADT / Sound Training College in Dublin and has had a passion for music since she was a young child.
Her song is a track written one night during the pandemic when she was just 17.
She is currently in her first year of a creative music production course at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin.
Connolly has had a passion for music since she was a young child, and said this song plays with themes of nostalgia and the passing of time through her vocals.
"The song conveys confusion and overwhelming detachment, but overall, the song implies that nothing bad lasts forever, delivering a sense of hope,” she said.
“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."
Leila Jane is an indie pop singer-songwriter based in Dublin who was described as '"one to watch" by Late Date presenter Cathal Murray.
Imelda May also selected her to be the recipient of the 'Imelda May Scholarship' at BIMM Institute Dublin, where she graduated with a first-class honours music degree.
"All Eurovision songs need a strong message and Wild is an empowering song about the strength of a woman’s spirit," Leila Jane said.
"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."
For the track, she teamed up with Liis Hainla, an Estonian songwriter, Finnish producer Arto Ruotsala, and British songwriter Aaron Sibley.
The pair, made up of Kofi Appiah and Nevlonne Dampare, said it would mean “the world to us” to represent Ireland.
"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,” they said.
The song is described by the artists as a testament to their determination. It chronicles a difficult period in their careers when their music wasn't getting the attention they believed it deserved.
Down in the Rain, encourages listeners to never give up on their aspirations no matter how tough the road may seem.
Longford duo K Muni & ND describe their song as a testament to their determination. The song chronicles a difficult period in their careers when their music was not receiving the attention they believed it deserved.
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