Nicky Byrne has been announced as the Irish representative at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
The former Westlife man, now a 2FM radio presenter, will be aiming to break Ireland's run of dismal results with 'Sunlight'. Written alongside Wayne Hector - a frequent Westlife collaborator who's also penned hits for One Direction and Nicki Minaj - and composer Ronan Hardiman, the track and performer were chosen in a departure from the format previously used for the contest.
“We have a long and proud history with Eurovision, but we’ve had mixed results over the last few years," said John McHugh, Head of Entertainment RTÉ Television. "Myself and Head of Delegation Michael Kealy took a serious look at our approach, reviewing the entire process and the Eurovision Song Contest itself. The competition is constantly evolving and RTÉ has to be flexible in how we approach it in order to put our best foot forward. Direct selection has proven to be a successful method for other countries and we felt that this year it would give us the best chance at success.
“First and foremost, it’s a great song, written by an internationally renowned team, and with Nicky’s massive breadth of performance experience, along with his huge fan-base and profile throughout Europe, it’s a really impactful package”.
Nicky himself said, “"Like many of us, I have grown up watching The Eurovision Song Contest. It always brought great excitement to our house down through the years and I was lucky enough to see Ireland win it on many occasions. I have a great memory as a nine year old, of dancing around our sitting room in a tri-colour sweatshirt when Johnny Logan lifted the trophy in 1987.The Eurovision is a TV show and song contest like no other and for the past three years my Eurovision experience has gotten better and my affiliation grown stronger, as I have proudly delivered the Irish votes live from Dublin. This year I go one step further, and actually walk on that stage to represent my country, I am honoured RTÉ have chosen me and believe in this song like I do”.
This year's contest will be hosted in Stockholm, and Nicky will have to battle through one of the semi-finals in order to book his place at the main event, taking place on May 14.