Ireland’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest has said it is “really important” the competition continues to deliver light-hearted entertainment in spite of the current political climate.
Singer Emmy, who hails from Norway, told the PA news agency her job is “to bring comfort and happiness”, especially during “hard times”.
Before this year’s competition in Basel, Switzerland, Spanish broadcaster RTVE called for a debate on the participation of Israeli public broadcaster Kan amid the conflict in Gaza.
Last year there were calls for fans and participants to boycott the music competition due to the inclusion of Israel, and protests took place in Malmo, Sweden, near where the event was held.
Emmy told PA: “My most important job as a singer-songwriter is to bring comfort and happiness wherever I can, especially in hard times, so that people, maybe they can feel comforted or happier because of a song, so I think it’s really, really important.”
Emmy will perform her song Laika Party in the semi-finals in May.
She said: “The song has an Irish songwriter so it just felt natural for us to send it there and I’m so, so glad we did.
“And I love Ireland so much and we’re so grateful for the support that they have shown us, and the song, it really, really means a lot, we love them.”
Speaking about fan response, she added: “It’s been so, so, so amazing and people have been so nice and kind.”
Emmy has around 1.2 million followers on TikTok and made a name for herself posting cover tracks on the platform.
Asked how social media informs her work, she added: “I feel like in the last couple of years, social media has been very important to get music out there.
“So yeah, it’s definitely like that feeling of, ‘Oh, maybe I should post that on social media’, and I should probably be better at it than I am.”
Ireland’s entry last year, Bambie Thug, accused organisers of not supporting them over a row with Israel.
Bambie, who had been outspoken about their pro-Palestine views, accused the Israeli broadcaster Kan of a rule breach and said they have been waiting to hear back from the European Broadcasting Union about what action would be taken.
The grand final of Eurovision 2025 will take place in Basel’s St Jakobshalle arena on May 17, with the semi-finals on May 13 and 15.
