Ireland: Ryan Dolan speaks to ESCDaily

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Hello Ryan, Thank you for speaking to ESCDaily.com.
Firstly, congratulations for winning Ireland’s Eurosong this year…

How does it feel to be representing Ireland in Eurovision this year?

I’m so excited! It’s a real thrill for me to go to Sweden and represent Ireland and I’m really looking forward to performing on the world stage!

Could you tell us a bit more about you & what you’ve done, before you entered for Eurovision?

Well I come from a musical family, my parents and most of my siblings are singers so I’ve been around music my whole life. Because I was a shy kid growing up I didn’t start to perform or record until around three years ago when I started to post cover versions on Youtube and they started getting a lot of views! I hooked up with a producer and friend of the family; Wez Devine and we started to write original material together including “The Secret” as Zenemy DJz feat. Ryan Dolan which was championed by BBC Radio 1 in the UK last year.

Then I hooked up with my manager and Savee Entertainment and they got me some great live gigs including playing to a crowd of 20,000 at a recent Jedward concert and this all lead up to me competing in Eurosong competition and now the Eurovision!

St Patrick’s Day was celebrated recently. How did you celebrate it this year?

I was in Dublin this year for the celebrations as the atmosphere in the city on Paddy’s Day is always electric and the “Craic is 90” as we like to say!

Ireland has an impressive Eurovision history including the most wins to date but haven’t won since 1996. Do you think you could bring Eurovision back to Ireland this year?

I certainly hope I can and will do my best! I think Eurovision is such a magical event. My whole family have always been mad about it and they still can’t believe I am actually going to be part of it this year! I think there’s no questioning the talented people who have walked this path before me and I’m truly humbled by that alone.

You co-wrote Ireland’s entry; “Only Love Survives”. Did you intend to write the song for Eurovision?

We had wanted to write a “universal message” song for a while. We had some ideas for the song that we hadn’t done anything with but when I learned I might have the chance to compete in the Eurosong and told Wez we both automatically thought, “Only Love Survives” and so we rewrote it with the ESC and the big stage in mind. It’s so amazing for us that I will get to perform it on the world stage in Sweden!

Would you ever be interesting in singing with another Eurovision winner?

Yes I would love to do a song with last year’s winner Loreen, I think she’s amazing and also Lena who won for Germany a few years back, she was also really talented and interesting. I have huge respect for our own ESC legend Johnny Logan at the other end of the musical spectrum and would love to sing with him one day!

As you are from Northern Ireland, UK is another possible country to represent in Eurovision. The question is would you represent the UK if the opportunity was made?

I would love to – It would be just as great an honour from me to represent the UK at the ESC and you never know what might happen in the future!

Will there be many (if any) changes to your performance in Malmö from your performance on ‘The Late Late Show’?

The sheer difference in size between both venues is dramatic so we’re hoping the effect will be too – It’s to be really special in Malmö , think bigger, better, bolder!

Have you heard any of the other Eurovision participants this year?

Yes I have been listening to some of the other entrants songs and I have lots of favorites. I like the Russian song “What If” and I think Dina Garipova sings it beautifully. Also I like Sweden’s entry “You” by Robin Stjernberg and Cascada’s song “Glorious” is pretty rockin’ also, and I have to say I am looking forward to hopefully sharing a stage with the legendary Bonny Tyler going up for the UK and hopefully I might get to meet her also!

…and Finally, what is your favourite Eurovision entry?

“Rock n’ Roll Kids” by Paul Harrington and Charlie Mc Gettigan is my favorite Eurovision song of all time, I have listened to that song a million times and I still totally love it!


ESCDaily would like to thank Ryan Dolan and his management for giving us this Interview.