Bobbi Arlo announced as first Eurosong contestant ahead of Eurovision 2025

Alt-pop artist Bobbi Arlo has been announced as the first act in contention to represent Ireland at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

The Dubliner, who was a New Local Hero 2024 finalist during Irish Music Month in October, will go up against five other artists on the Late Late Eurosong Special on February 7. The winner will go on to fly the Irish flag in Basel, Switzerland, in May.

Entering with her song 'Powerplay', Arlo already has a flurry of hits to her name - like her 2021 single 'Feel It', which was nominated for Choice Prize Song of the Year and boasts hundreds of thousands of streams. Alongside her older brother and producer Adam, Arlo has made a healthy habit out of conjuring up juicy synth-crushed hyper-pop tracks, selling-out shows in Dublin and performing at festivals like Primavera Sound.

Bambie Thug represented Ireland at least year's competition, finishing sixth with performance of 'Doomsday Blue'. Switzerland's Nemo was the overall winner with their track 'The Code'.

The 2024 event, taking place in Malmö, Sweden, was also the source of controversy, much of which stemmed from organisers' decision to allow Israel to take part and prevent Palestinian symbols from being displayed. The contest was ultimately reviewed by an "independent expert," after the disqualification of the Netherlands's contestant Joost Klein over an incident where he was alleged to have made verbal threats to a female production worker.