Ireland didn’t make it to the Eurovision Grand Final after Brooke Scullion’s performance of the pop break-up track That’s Rich didn’t make it to the final.
The 23-year-old singer, who finished third on The Voice UK in 2020 with mentor Meghan Trainor, was hoping to change Ireland’s recent fortunes in the competition.
The country has entered the competition 54 times and has triumphed seven times, a record but not since 1996 with Eimear Quinn’s The Voice.
Despite thunderous applause following her energetic performance, Scullion – who wore a coordinating blue outfit as she opened her performance on stage atop a pink heart – failed to impress the international audience.
BBC Three commentators Scott Mills and Rylan Clark shared their sympathy for Ireland, with Clark saying: “I have to say that too, disappointed for Ireland. But I know Brooke is going to just go out tonight and have a really good night.”
Among those who successfully secured a spot in Saturday’s Grand Finals was competitor We Are Domi from the Czech Republic with his performance of Lights Off.
The electropop trio met while studying at Leeds College of Music and made it into the top 10 with a strobe show.
In classic Eurovision style, there were a number of quirky performances in the second semi-final, including Serbian Konstrakta – who wowed audiences with her quirky song about Meghan Markle and secured a place in the top 10.
video of the day
Sweden also got a spot in the finals, with Cornelia Jakobs spending most of her performance on the floor lit by a color changing circle.
Although Australia’s representative Sheldon Riley won a place in the finals with his diamond-studded face covering, the unique looks didn’t help Georgia’s Circus Mircus, who failed to secure a top 10 spot with his extravagant facial hair and accessories.
Achille Lauro of San Marino, who finished his performance on a bucking bronco after taking the stage in a black feather bower and diamond-studded cowboy hat, also missed out on a place in the finals.
Israel, Malta, Cyprus, North Macedonia and Montenegro were also unsuccessful.
Finland was luckier to secure a spot in the top 10 as their representative, rock group The Rasmus, entertained the crowd after opening the second semi-final with their song Jezebel.
Romania, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Poland and Estonia were also confirmed for the finals after acts from 18 countries took the stage in Turin, Italy.
The 10 successful countries join the 10 that also secured spots in Tuesday’s first round of semi-finals.
As the voting lines opened, the break saw an appearance by competition hosts Mika and Italian singer Laura Pausini.
Conclude
Australia’s Representative Sheldon Riley took the stage in a dramatic rhinestone face covering (EBU/Corinne Cumming)
The opera-pop group Il Volo, which represented Italy at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, also performed, however one of the members of the trio, Gianluca Ginoble, was absent due to illness and could only be seen on stage screens.
The grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday, with the 20 successful countries competing to be crowned the winner.
The United Kingdom is one of the Big Five countries – including Spain, Germany, France and Italy – which do not have to qualify via the semi-finals and advance automatically to the final.
TikTok star Sam Ryder, 32, will be representing Britain on Saturday with his uplifting pop song Space Man.
The Grand Final will be broadcast again on BBC Three on Saturday, with commentary from TV star Rylan Clark and Radio 1 presenter Mills.
Source: independent