Ireland will perform in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest this May in Malmö.
Irish entry Bambie Thug will perform her song Doomsday Blue in the first half of the broadcast on 7 May and will face Ukraine, Cyprus, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Australia, Azerbaijan and Moldova.
Which Semi-Final is your favourite country competing in? The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Semi-Final Draw took place in Malmö, alongside a ceremony which saw the Host City insignia pass from previous hosts Liverpool to our Swedish friends. #UnitedByMusic pic.twitter.com/cfNbotmwMv
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) January 30, 2024
Ireland has failed to progress further than the semi-final stages at Eurovision since 2018 but performing in the first semi-final is seen as an advantage as it gives songs a chance to become familiar with the voting public throughout the week.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 semi-finals will take place on 7 and 9 May, with the grand final following on 11 May.
The official draw to decide which countries will perform in the two semi-finals was made in Malmö on Tuesday night.
The countries performing in the second semi-final on 9 May are: Austria, Malta, Switzerland, Greece, Czechia, Albania, Denmark, Armenia, Israel, Estonia, Georgia, Netherlands, Norway, Latvia, San Marino and Belgium.
Bambie Thug has said they are “beyond grateful” to be representing Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, and promised they would deliver a “show-stopping” performance.
The 30-year-old Cork native was chosen to represent Ireland with their genre-shifting track on last Friday night’s Late Late Eurosong Special.
Here’s the full story 👇 https://t.co/oQoBBdIKte
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) January 30, 2024
The non-binary artist appeared on The Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday where they said the experience has been “very overwhelming”, adding: “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
“I was about to say it broke my heart, but it didn’t, it filled my heart,” Bambie told Ray. “I really wasn’t expecting the country to get behind me so much. It still l makes me quite emotional actually.”
Speaking about the support on the night, Bambie said: “There were banners and everything! It was crazy. I definitely was having a bit of a dissociative moment, an out-of-body experience for the whole thing, to be honest.
“But it was there was just so much love in the room. There was so much support. I felt so held and, it was beautiful. I’m so grateful.”
