Ireland’s Eurovision contestant Brooke Scullion hopes support from voters in the north will give her an extra boost to get through to the grand final.
The singer, 23, who hails from Derry, said her song was creating “a good buzz”. this is rich before their appearance in Turin in the second semi-final this Thursday.
“People are excited this year and the North can essentially vote which means we’re in an even better position again so the song gets a lot of credit. Also, we are in a sane place for the UK to vote. So if that takes off, we could actually advance to the grand finals for the first time in a long time. And hopefully that will take us into the future,” she said.
She said she was hopeful that sending in a competitor with a “completely different” song could be the key to Ireland reaching the final again, having not done so since 2013 when Ryan O’Shaughnessy made it to the final had.
“The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself,” she said.
Brooke Scullion, who is representing Ireland in this year’s Eurovision competition
“I think what’s different this year is that we sent something completely different. We always sent a ballad and maybe that’s just not the right formula that we need.
“Maybe we need to send something completely different, new and fresh that will grab people’s attention. I think this year people are taking it pretty seriously and (feel) threatened enough that we might actually qualify.”
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However, she criticized the lack of audio drama for her song, which she co-wrote with Izzy Warner and Karl Zine.
“I would like to have more radio plays. I think that would definitely increase my chances. Radio is really hard to crack and I have a feeling that Eurovision will make people more aware of who I am.
“It’s definitely going to get an audio play this week. But of course it would have been better to get it beforehand. But that’s in the past now, all we can focus on from now on is the campaign. I think playing it on the radio will be an excellent boost.”
She said she thinks it’s “very difficult” as an artist who’s not yet established to get a radio play.
Scullion, a previous candidate The UK Voicepromises an entertaining performance this Thursday with a troupe of dancers and a pyrotechnic display.
“A lot of people put a lot of work into it. Emer Walsh is a world famous choreographer and she helped me learn to dance and she did a great job,” she said.
“The support was phenomenal and people were like, ‘Wow, Ireland didn’t come to play this year’. It’s a really, really close performance and I’m so happy with it.”
Source: independent