Wild Youth band member David Whelan revealed that their Eurovision bid was almost put in jeopardy due to health concerns.
The Dublin based band wowed RTE viewers last night as they competed against other Eurovision hopefuls, including former Sex Pistol John Lydon. The indie boy band sang their hit single 'We Are One' in their bid to secure the public vote.
However, the band was dealt with a blow ahead of the RTE competition. David Whelan, who is the band's usual frontman, suffered a nasty injury and was forced to undergo an operation.
His health problems cast doubt over the band's appearance on stage. However, David was luckily able to perform alongside the rest of Wild Youth and uploaded a post victory photo of himself, showing his arm in a sling.
The musician wrote on Instagram: "I unfortunately had a serious accident at the beginning of this year which required major surgery. I feared I would not even make it onto the stage tonight."
He described his bandmate Conor O' Donohoe as his "best friend" and paid tribute to the rest of Wild Youth following their success. Wild Youth has amassed 27,000 followers on Instagram and has released several other hits, including 'Can't Move On' and 'Live Without You', available on YouTube.
Its members consist of Conor O'Donohoe, Ed Porter, David Whelan- known as David James on Instagram- and Callum McAdam, some of whom have strong social media presences. The group recently performed in front of their old school ahead of their Eurovision bid, suggesting that at least some of their members have known each other since childhood.
Conor O'Donohoe took to Instagram ahead of their Eurovision performance to thank fans for their ongoing support. He previously revealed to RSVP that a Twitter post led to the group's decision to try out for Eurovision.
Conor had tweeted that he would like the band to eventually represent Ireland at an international level. The story took off, leading to growing public interest in the indie group.
Ireland will perform in the first round of the Eurovision semi-finals on May 9 in host city Liverpool. Wild Youth will be the third act to take to the stage on the night.
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