Nicky Byrne has said we need bigger bands like The Coronas to represent Ireland at the Eurovision to win it.
The Westlife singer represented Ireland at Eurovision in the Ukraine with his song Sunlight in 2016.
Nicky’s effort was placed 15th out of the 18 participating countries in the second semi final with 46 points and he did not get to sing at the final.
The 43-year-old dad-of-three believes we need to think big to get back to our winning heyday.
Dubliner Nicky said: “I remember speaking to Danny from The Coronas saying I would love big bands like The Coronas to take on Eurovision for Ireland.
“That’s what they’re doing in Europe, that’s what the big bands in Italy and Sweden are doing, like Maneskin who won it last year who are now on Saturday Night Live and had a huge Spotify following.
“Not that RTE don’t take it seriously, they absolutely do.”
For new artists who aren’t used to performing in big stadiums the Eurovision stage can be daunting.
Speaking to Dermot and Dave on Today FM today he said: “If you’re not used to that side of it, you can be the best singer in the world if you’re not used to being on stage you can crumble.
“I think some brilliant singers from different countries get up on that stage and think oh no, I wasn’t expecting this.”
Thinking outside the box is crucial when it comes to the winning formula.
He continued: “Eurovision throws up something different every year and if we don’t think outside the box, we’ll never move on and get near to where we used to be.
“We can send dance songs but they might not qualify.”
Reminiscing on his own Eurovision journey, the singer quipped: “That was the best song that never won, that was just in my head.”
The Dancing with the Stars host looked back fondly on representing Ireland.
He said: “That was everything to me, to get the opportunity to go there.
“When Westlife ended and I started to write that song, people thought I was crazy after having that career in Westlife to even be considering Eurovision.
“But I was like it’s such a massive show, you’re proud to represent your country, if you can deliver on the night.
“We grew up in the glory days, we remember Ireland winning Eurovision every second year.”
