Now Eurovision 2025 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the shitshow events of the Basel, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2025 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our seventh part Daniel, Kittens, and Loïc discuss what went wrong with Ireland.
Who is Emmy?
Emmy Kristiansen is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter born in Holmestrand, Norway. As a child, Emmy was interested in singing, joining a choir and even competing in MGP Junior, Norway’s singing competition for children. Following this, Emmy honed her skills, eventually competing at Melodi Grand Prix in 2021 with her song “Witch Woods”, where she reached the final, but ultimately lost to TIX. Following this, she worked with several other songwriters to write tracks that were submitted to Melodi Grand Prix.
What are the issues with the selection?
Daniel – It’s tacked onto a special edition of an incredibly dated late night TV talk show. And that’s not even the worst thing about it. Every year I’ve watched the show the studio panel have either done or said something incredibly embarrassing, and it genuinely seems like it gets worse every year. Get rid of them, the show is far better off without Donal Skehan and the likes. Ideally they’d scrap the format entirely, but I really can’t see that happening.
Kittens – I can’t say this enough but The Late Late Show has got to go. I understand that they have a good viewership base that is useful for such a thing but it’s the wrong viewership base, and that’s very clear from the voting. I would honestly say at this point that there’s a good argument for them to go internal but! I think it’s critical that they get the right team – which I don’t trust them to do at this point! Ireland needs a good long look at themselves. Bambie Thug can’t be the exception to the rule – there’s talent in Ireland, but it needs some fostering to make a responsible selection, and I just worry that they do not have strong enough leadership to make it work. It is no longer the 1990s. Stop acting like it.
Loïc – First things first, scrap The Late Late Show and invest in a proper national selection with real production value in primetime, if you’re serious about going down that road to make people choose who will represent them in May. We’ve seen how the cheap and outdated format of The Late Late Show has hurt Ireland’s chances in the past. Just look at Bambie Thug, initially written off as a safe non-qualifier, but ultimately elevated by high-quality staging and solid creative direction. If you want to go big, then really go big, create a show that highlights the artist and the song properly. Otherwise, just go internal and put your full energy into crafting an entry that works from the ground up, without being held back by a subpar selection process.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Daniel – To be brutally honest, I don’t think any performance from this year’s Eurosong was good enough to get to the Eurovision final. I don’t think Emmy was Ireland’s best option but she definitely wasn’t their worst either.
Kittens – Look, Emmy is completely lovely and I don’t think this is a failure as a performer, but the song was…the song…the song was. It was just very kitsch and felt more like music from a children’s TV show than anything else. I love countries who don’t mind taking risks, but this feels like the wrong direction.
Loïc – Emmy definitely had the potential to deliver something stronger; I can’t help but think about Witch Woods, or the many stunning cover versions she’s shared on TikTok over the past few months. So why choose such an outdated song, with a production that felt surprisingly weak ? To be fair, the concept of celebrating, in its own oddly poetic way, the idea of eternal life for a dog sacrificed in the name of innovation had potential. It could have been moving, even powerful, if all the elements had come together more cohesively. But in the end, it just didn’t land the way it should have.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Daniel – Quite the opposite in my view. Why is Emmy on the platform for the entire song? It just makes a song meant to be fun and whimsical feel so static.
Kittens – If you’re going to go camp, go all in. I could almost have asked them to go even further, but it felt a lot like it lost all focus. Putting her on the platform lost all the dynamics of the performance. It wasn’t grabbing attention at all, or at least for the good kind of reasons, so it just got completely lost. It’s so hard to grab and sustain that attention with a song like this – go absolutely as far as you’ve got a budget for. And then spend that extra 100 Euro you found behind the sofa. Because it needed so much more.
Loïc – Not at all ! I’d even go further and argue that the staging completely killed any chance the song had to qualify. Before rehearsals, I was actually ready to consider Ireland a potential borderline qualifier. But what we got was a static performance that drained all the energy from a song that could have been AND should have been about dancing and celebrating. Instead, it ended up feeling cheap and boring, and that shift really sealed its fate. Where was the party in the sky ?
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Daniel – I really don’t think so. Even with the best staging you’ve ever seen, the song just isn’t good enough to make it through.
Kittens – While I’m probably gonna be personally playing this song on occasion and having a reasonable time, I just don’t think it had the oomph to be a ‘pick up the phone’ televote gainer. There was potential that it could maybe have attracted momentum if it went viral, but it was just a bit undercooked for that, and it just ended up not really fitting in passionately anywhere.
Loïc – Honestly ? I’m not sure. I could try and make a case… Say that a more dynamic staging might’ve helped Ireland but deep down, I think that even with the best possible performance, the song would have remained borderline at best.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Daniel – One way or another they should kill the Late Late Show: Eurosong special. Put on a real show or go internal if there’s not the budget, just put this thing out of its misery.
Kittens – The selection needs sorting. It NEEDS sorting. Fundamental to everything is that the selection is a mess. If the selection gets sorted, then there’s a chance. Maybe Ireland need to hit a rock bottom (maybe a Swedish win would give them a kick up the proverbial…) to get fire in their bellies, but it’s not looking like a good prognosis for them in their current state. They need to strip everything back and get the basics right – and then tap into the talent that exists in Ireland, and make the most of what they have. There’s so much untapped potential there!
Loïc – Go bigger or go internal !
Ireland’s Eurovision Journey
In 1965, Ireland made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest with Butch Moore and the song “Walking the Streets in the Rain”, which managed to place 6th. Since their debut, Ireland has participated 57 times (making the Grand Final 46 times), and has won the competition seven times, which is currently tied for the record of most wins.
Ireland’s latest Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Norwegian singer EMMY with her song “Laika Party”. At the close of voting, Ireland would fail to qualify from the second semi-final, earning 28 points – ultimately placing thirteenth.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Ireland could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU