RTÉ ANNOUNCE SONG “DYING TO TRY” AS IRISH EUROVISION ENTRY FOR 2017
Introducing the official music video for Dying To Try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0qTZaBTPRs&feature=youtu.be
Singer and musician Brendan Murray will perform the ballad Dying To Try at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv in Ukraine this May. The ballad was co-written by Swedish song writer Jörgen Elofsson and British song writer James Newman. The song was chosen from over 320 entries by a judging panel of six industry professionals.
This year RTÉ selected Brendan Murray as the singer to represent Ireland in Kyiv. From Tuam in Co. Galway Brendan has been a member of the successful boy band Hometown since he was 17. Hometown’s first single Where I Belong became the fastest-selling single from a debut act and the fastest-selling single from an Irish artist in 2014, reaching number one in the Irish charts. The band’s second single, Cry For Help was released in March 2015 in Ireland and also reached number one. Hometown have toured extensively in the UK and Ireland and have supported such acts as Olly Murs, McBusted and The Vamps.
Singer Brendan Murray said: “When I first heard Dying To Try I instantly fell in love with it and knew it was the perfect song for me. I couldn’t wait to get into the studio to record it. My mam teared up the first time she heard it so that was a good start! The song builds slowly to a big key change which is great for me and allows me to showcase my vocal range. We shot the video in Bray on the beach in the freezing cold last weekend which was my first solo video shoot. It was a little bit nerve wrecking as I’m so used to having the other five Hometown guys around but the whole process was very exciting and I have a great team behind me. The song is a love song and it’s a power ballad. It’s about taking a leap of faith, putting your trust in someone else, there’s no guarantees that love will work out but it’s always worth trying which is the song title – Dying To Try.I’m very proud and honoured to be representing my country at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. It’s a huge opportunity for me. I can’t wait to get out there, fly the Irish flag and perform on the Eurovision stage.”
Eurovision mentor for Brendan Murray, Louis Walsh said: “When I first heard Dying To Try it really stood out from the other songs that were entered by songwriters from all over the world. I chose Brendan Murray because he is an amazing singer and his voice is so unique, I’ve never heard anyone like him before. The song and the singer are modern and contemporary and it’s a perfect combination for this years Eurovision in Kyiv. Ireland hasn’t won Eurovision since 1996 which is the same year that Brendan was born so perhaps that’s a lucky omen!”
Grammy Award nominated Jörgen Elofsson has been writing music for international artists for more than 15 years. Eight of his songs have hit No. 1 in the UK and two in the USA. Jörgen has had success with songs such as Britney Spears “Sometimes” and “(You Drive Me) Crazy” just to name a few. He’s also known for co-writing hit songs including Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), which was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards. He also wrote four of Westlife’s Top 40 number one hits. Jörgen Elofsson is a two time Ivor Novello Award winner and has written songs for Geri Halliwell, Celine Dion, Il Divo, Paloma Faith and Leona Lewis. Jörgen has also written seventeen winning songs for UK Pop Idol and America Idol which makes him a world record holder in this field.
Songwriter Jörgen Elofsson said, “I knew that the competition for the Irish song would be tough, so I was very exited to hear that I came out on top. Brendan´s got a very unique and soulful voice , a dream singer for any songwriter, especially for a songwriter like me. I´ve co written the song together with fantastic UK songwriter James Newman and we immediately knew that it would fit Brendan like a glove. Now, let´s hope that the rest of Europe feel the same way!”
As is Eurovision tradition Brendan will perform the song on The Late Late Show in late April before the delegation travel to Kyiv.
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Friday March 10th 2017
Editor’s Notes:
For further information please contact:
Eurovision Irish Head of Press: Rayna Connery rayna.connery@rte.ie 01 2083169/ 087 9862902
The official music video for Dying to Try can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0qTZaBTPRs&feature=youtu.be
Please feel free to link to this RTÉ You Tube page for inclusion in online articles.
Please note that new photos of Brendan Murray will be sent to national picture desks and are also on the RTÉ Presspack site:
The first semi final will take place on Tuesday May 9th. Ireland has been drawn to perform in the second semi final on Thursday May 11th.Qualifying acts from each semi-final will then compete in the Grand Final on Saturday May 13th.
The ESC is the largest entertainment show in the world and is consistently one of the most popular annual television events both in Ireland and across Europe. Last year’s Eurovision, hosted by Sweden in Stockholm reached a total of 204 million viewers.
Ireland still holds the record for most Eurovision wins with seven songs:
1970 Dana All Kinds of Everything
1980 Johnny Logan What’s Another Year
1987 Johnny Logan Hold Me Now
1992 Linda Martin Why Me?
1993 Niamh Kavanagh In Your Eyes
1994 Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan Rock n Roll Kids
1996 Eimear Quinn The Voice