Disappointed Eurovision hopeful Brooke Scullion has broken her silence since failing to qualify for the song contest’s final – saying she thought she deserved to go through.
Speaking for the first time since her failed Eurovision bid with her song, That’s Rich, Brooke told us she doesn’t know what it will take for Ireland to ever qualify again for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
But the 23-year-old said she was honoured to be given the opportunity to represent her country – saying it has made her hungrier for success as she launches new music.
READ MORE: Brooke Scullion shares sweet snaps honouring legendary Eurovision 'bestie' Marty Whelan
“It has been unbelievable. I’m not joking – I have never been happier,” she said.
“Now, granted I had a 15-minute breakdown after it, but it was a 15-minute thing and then after that, there were people who didn’t go through, they kept themselves to themselves, they were very disappointed and got really sad about the whole thing.”
She said she went back to her dressing room with her backing dancers but could hear everyone else celebrating when they got through.
“Everyone is beside each other so it is just like a kind of intense and weird experience, no one really knows what to do.”
Moments after being told she did not qualify; Brooke took to social media to share an emotional video message with her fans.
“I sent that wee video message because I wanted it to be genuine and raw and I wanted people to know that I had done everything I could for them.
“It was just such a genuine message and I’m glad I recorded it. I really did get over it really fast because I watched the performance back and I was so impressed with myself."
The Derry native said someone recorded the decibels from the audience in the Turin stadium that night in Italy and she got the second loudest reaction.
“They recorded the decibels in the room to see who got the loudest reaction and I’m second.”
Brooke said she doesn’t know why we didn’t qualify - and admitted she doesn't know what it will take for us to ever qualify again.
“There are different opinions. I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to disrespect the EBU because I did have the time of my life and I am very grateful for the performance and the fanbase that I now have and the opportunities I got.
“I knew that that experience was once in a lifetime, and I had done everything I could, and I thought I did deserve to go through.
“But I had the best time, and I made all the connections, and it has made an exciting career for me, I think, from here on in.”
But she admitted that she has no idea what it takes for Ireland to qualify – disagreeing with Linda Martin and Brian Kennedy’s opinions that we should stick to ballads.
“I definitely don’t know what Ireland would have to send now to qualify because we have exhausted everything now. I have a song that I would nearly submit for the artist next year because it’s a good Eurovision song as well but I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Brooke said she thinks it is “unfair” to say that we can only win with ballads.
“It is a different competition to when we were winning it with ballads. I definitely think that ballads are amazing and they’re really good, but it is depending on the artists that submits their song like I wouldn’t close the door, I think I’ve opened the door to young, aspiring pop artists that want to do Eurovision.
“I think it is rather unfair to say we can only win with ballads because has every other country only won with ballads? It just depends on the level of songs and the level of the artist. It’s a worldwide competition now that 200million watch. Politics does play a part but I don’t know. It was a rap song that won this year.”
But she agreed there needs to be a bigger campaign at home before we go to Europe, saying we should be playing the song more on Irish radio stations.
“Someone pulled up a report to me when I was away of how much radio play I got and it wasn’t a lot. I heard the UK entry on radio about 100 times more than I heard 100 times more than I heard my entry on the radio.
“I’m not trying to diss the radio. It is amazing when I do hear it on the radio but for the campaign, if Ireland wants to take this seriously, there has to be an effort on the radio side because familiarity is key. I mean, why would you back something you’re not familiar with?”
Did you watch Brooke's Eurovision performance? Share your views in the comments section
But Brooke said she is kind of glad she didn’t get through, saying not qualifying has made her hungrier for success.
“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. I don’t care what it takes or what I need to do, I am just so focused right now. I’ve never been hungrier for it, and I suppose that’s why I'm nearly glad I didn’t get through because the hunger has only increased.”
But Brooke is moving on from the Eurovision and has released a brand-new single, Tongues, which is out today.
The tune is a deeply personal track to Brooke who wrote it in 20 minutes after she became “reluctantly in love”.
Speaking about her new tune, Brooke said: “Tongues ended up being the best song I’ve ever written. I was at a different point in my life, I had reluctantly fell in love. It was the most overwhelming experience I had ever been in and I ended up writing the song in 15 or 20 minutes. It happened so fast.
“I always wanted to write a song where it felt like I was under water and whenever I’m writing a song, I always have a 360 view of what I wanted to achieve.
“Tongues is a very personal song for me, it’s about a love language, so called speaking in Tongues. It captures the moment when people talk to God in their own language, their own way, so only they can understand it. Therefore it’s very personal. If we can speak in Tongues we can speak in a love language with each other that only the two of us will understand.
“Tongues is next level. It is a mature song. It’s different from That’s Rich but not a million miles away,” she added.
After Eurovision, Brooke will tour the Pride circuit and will attend events across Dublin, the UK and Amsterdam.
Brooke’s new single Tongues is available to stream today.
Listen to Tongues here.
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