Bambi Thug is urging two-time Irish Eurovision entrants Jedward to compete again and plans to write a "rock song" for the twin brothers.
The 31-year-old singer, who finished sixth in Ireland's first grand final since 2018 with the song Doomsday Blue, is currently working on convincing John and Edward Grimes to return to the contest with an alternative track.
Speaking to The Standard, the non-binary musician shared their uncertainty about their own return to Eurovision but expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to collaborate with Jedward or the song contest.
Bambi said: "I’m trying to get Jedward to go in again, with the new rock song. I would write something for them, with them.
“I love those guys. They're so kind and they're so funny. I love them so much.”
The singer had previously criticised the involvement of Israel’s representative, Eden Golan who came fifth in the competition, in the wake of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Then in the build-up to the finale, the non-binary artiest was outspoken about their pro-Palestine views, and accused Israeli broadcaster Kan of rule violations.
When asked if they had learned of a verdict yet, the alt artist told us they’re still awaiting a response from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Bambie shared: “They're still 'investigating it', and I feel like they're hoping it just goes away. Let's be honest, like, it won't, you know, like whoever comes after me as well.
“I feel like Ireland is just going to continue to give them stick - I hope.”
Post-competition, Bambie shared their ongoing frustrations with the EBU's handling of the situation and hopes for significant changes moving forward.
“I would hope there would be a change,” they added. “There's a lot of behind-the-scenes things that has to happen for changes to be made - and I don't know, God forbid the world gets even worse and it hasn't changed. I don't know.
“I think a lot of people, a lot of fans even last year, their minds have been changed about Eurovision.
“And I think if something's not done, it's only going to continue down with that breach of losing followers but it is a good platform to use your voice and it is a good platform to highlight these things even if you are in the same competition as the things you're highlighting.
“I don't know it's a weird double edged sword.”
The 68th Eurovision Song Contest, held in Malmo, Sweden, was won by Swiss contestant Nemo with his song The Code, amid a week of controversy.
Despite the uncertainties, Bambie remains proud of their efforts and the broader impact of their advocacy.
Sharing their advice to performers considering entering the competition in 2025, they began: “First of all, enjoy that you suddenly have the production value and stuff behind you to actually, like, really see your vision come into fruition.
“And I would also say to try and have as many conversations with the rest of the countries as you can because that's something I thought, one of the things they [the EBU] say is like ‘fostering meaningful conversations’ and well, that's only if you go and have the conversations yourself.
“There's no like, [the EBU] don't have a time where all the contestants are together and just get to chat - and I think that's maybe something [the EBU] should improve on in the future.
“Like, imagine if it was a circle of everyone, all the countries, you could change a lot of perspectives with conversation?”
They concluded: “So I think enjoying it, having fun, and not letting it make you crazy.”
