Molly Sterling has said that she had "the time of her life" at the Eurovision, despite failing to reach the final of the song contest.
The 17-year-old singer-songwriter co-wrote the ballad Playing with Numbers with Greg French, and put in a confident, strong performance of the track on the Eurovision stage at last night's (May 21) semi-final in Vienna.
She said: "I've had the time of my life. To be in the final would have been a bonus but the Eurovision is a bit of a lottery so you just never know how it’s going to go. Representing my country has been a privilege and I hope I did everyone proud. I have had to pinch myself every day that I’ve been part of something so amazing. It will probably only really hit me when I get home. I want to thank everyone over here and at home for their support.
"I've made new friends who are like my second family. Being up on that huge stage with those cameras and lights, in front of so many people, has been an incredible experience for me professionally. There’s been so many highlights this week besides the show - performing at the Vienna State Opera is one I will never forget. Myself and Greg are going to focus now on working on the album, which will be coming out in the autumn."
Marty Whelan added: "Molly's performance was marvellous. She is mature beyond her years. It’s disappointing for her, naturally, but she’ll rise like a phoenix and carry on. Molly is now a major name and this is only the beginning of a long career. As for Eurovision, the show goes on and I hope the audience at home will join me on RTÉ on Saturday night for the big final."
RTÉ’s head of Eurovision delegation Michael Kealy said: “I think I can speak for the whole country when I say how proud we are of Molly. It was an absolute pleasure to work with this talented young songwriter and it goes without saying that she has a fantastic future ahead of her.”
Iceland, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, the Czech Republic and Switzerland did not qualify for the final, which will take place on Saturday, May 23.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 will air on 8.00pm on RTÉ One, RTÉ Radio 1 and BBC One.
Make sure you join TEN on Twitter this Saturday @RTE_TEN where we will be bringing you all the latest from the Eurovision as it happens.
