IRELAND

The Irish song and act was unveiled on March 5th with the first radio play on 2fm, the release of the music video online and had the premiere live performance on the the next evening. Like the last few tears, the process was done internally by RTE. Going to Rotterdam is Lesley Roy with the song "Story of my life"

The majority of the video is full of bright colours and showcases lots of different personalities doing different things. Lesley is lip syncing for most of it and sometimes can be seen playing an electric guitar. Lesley is dressed in a trouser suit with a black lacy top underneath. She has short blonde hair which is styled back behind her ears. For most of the video the shots are of her shoulders and head but she has a good connection with the camera. Near the end the song shifts it to a darkened club where the clubbers are full of energy - in slow motion!

The song has a pop-rock edge and uses this to good effect when differentiating the chorus from other parts of the song. We start with a wordy and staccato verse which is followed by a very sparse and slow pre chorus. The chorus continues this pace and begins with the title of the song. In the middle of the chorus there is a very memorable 'na-na-na-na-na-na" part which I can imagine the hall all joining in with. This pattern is repeated again but this time with a double chorus which has slightly different words the second time round. Here we have a small bridge and short instrumental before another long chorus. There is then another bridge, which starts the song's wind down to the finish which is the repetition of the very first line of the song.

There is some good news - this is great fun pop song with a admirable message and a pretty memorable chorus. She also seems to be working with some great people for a different kind of stage show - different at least for Ireland ! Unfortunately I think that may be it. The song is slightly reminiscent of Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" which although a fine hit song, is over ten years old. The delegation might say this is a fresh new direction - it's really not! Her performance on "The Late, Late show" was not at all convincing. In fairness to her she seemed to be having some issues with her earpiece and the setup of the stage was rather unexciting plus she may have felt some pressure and nerves. Lesley's voice faltered quite quickly almost like it was too fast or too high which really shouldn't be happening. There wasn't really much performing going on, although she may have some help with that at Eurovision.I think most fans felt slightly underwhelmed and empty after that rendition.
If everything is on point with this there could be an outside chance of sneaking through to the final but if any one of the piece is out of sync this could be a total car crash. Considering the rollercoaster has had at Eurovision of the last few years, I wonder if a non-qualification might be the catalyst for RTE to take a break from the contest. It is nice to see them trying different things, but nothing has quite worked enough. I think to make a mark they are going to have to search WAY outside their box and comfort zone. This just isn't quite far enough.

Artist - Lesley Roy
Song - Story of my life
Composers - Catt Gravitt, Robert Marvin, Lesley Roy, Tom Shapiro
Lyricists - Catt Gravitt, Robert Marvin, Lesley Roy, Tom Shapiro

IRELAND

The Irish entry was unveiled on March 8th with the video being premiered on youtube as well as its first play on RTE Radio 1. Although the Irish delegation said they were making an internal selection, very little was known about the entry or entrant until just before the official reveal. Going to Tel Aviv is Sarah McTernan with the song “22”

The video shows Sarah on a windy beach whist singing the song. The camera also has an odd flickering filter on it which is fine at first but gets quite annoying by the end. It does however give that old film type quality which goes with the vintage feel of the song. Her performance is rather simple and gives us very few clues to staging possibilities - unlike last year’s Irish entry. She copes really well in the video keeping her hair and scarf tamed and keeps good enough eye contact with the camera. I think with fewer distractions she could be really sassy and fun on stage.

The song has a 1960’s mowtown/soul feel with a nod to modern singers like Amy Winehouse. The song is about a former love and how certain things - in this case the number 22 - remind her of them. Her voice is very much the centre of the song and the backing is very bassy and is drum heavy. There is also the presence of backing singers who, although not really very loud or prominent, give quite a lot of depth and extra rhythm to the song. The structure of the song is basically verse-chorus x3 although some of the verses are longer than others and the last chorus is a bit more free form. The guitar riff after the chorus is also a nice light touch that gives the whole thing a nostalgic and whimsical feel.

It feels like her voice is heavily synthesised to be as clear and as strong as it is and I wonder if she will sound this clear live. I could imagine this styled and performed in a slightly more old school way with Sarah at the front a couple of backing singers at the side who also do a few moves with the numbers made up with musicians. Unfortunately semi 2 is already female heavy although the fact that this song has a unique genre and styling might make is stand out a little bit more. The UK gets to vote in the semi and will definitely give this points as well the Scandinavian countries drawn in the semi so it has got a glimmer of a chance to progress. 

I like the fact that they are trying something a little bit different and I just hope they don’t go too safe with the staging. I’d love this to qualify, just to keep the diversity rate as high as possible, but something tells me this won’t quite make it. It's certainly not a winner.

ARTIST –  Sarah McTernan

SONG – 22

MUSIC -  Janieck Devy, Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker, Roel Rats

LYRICS - Janieck Devy, Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker, Roel Rats