Ireland remained quiet over this Eurovision season, however as the deadline for song submission approached, it was revealed by the Irish broadcaster RTÉ that Sarah McTernan would be representing Ireland with the song ’22.’
The song was written by Janieck, Marcia ‘Misha’ Sondeijker and Roulsen, and as the Irish Head of Delegation Michael Kealy explained, Sarah fit well with the song. He says,
‘We received a huge amount of entries for this year thanks in part to Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s great performance in Lisbon last year. Sarah has an amazing voice which stood out the minute I heard it and she fits perfectly with our chosen song ’22’. I think the Eurovision audience will love her, now it’s full steam ahead preparing for her performance in Tel Aviv in May.’
After last year’s contest, the Irish broadcaster held its second annual Eurovision Song Contest forum where industry professionals, songwriters and performers interacted with the broadcaster in order to discuss their participation at Eurovision and how to improve on their results. Before the November deadline of song submissions as set by the Irish broadcaster, over 430 songs were received however ultimately it was the song 22 which was selected.
Sarah McTernan is an Irish singer-songwriter who previously participated in Series 4 of The Voice of Ireland where she finished in 3rd place. She has studied Music Technology at Limerick Institute of Technology, but has also studied in the field of nursing and has previously worked as a makeup artist.
Sarah has spoken about her upcoming gig, saying,
‘It’s like an early birthday present! My 25th birthday is next Monday and if you’d told me last year that I’d be chosen to represent my country at Eurovision, performing the song for the first time on Dancing with the Stars this Sunday, and then flying to Tel Aviv on my birthday to record a postcard, I would have told you – you were crazy! My Mum, Nana, family and friends are super excited for me – they’re shocked and very proud. I can’t wait to teach my biggest fan – my 2 ½ year old daughter Mia- all the lyrics to ’22’!’
Listen to the entry below:
First off I would like to say fantastic blog!
I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if
you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing.
I’ve had trouble clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out there.
I truly do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first
10 to 15 minutes are lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips?
Thanks!