The first semi-final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest will see Ireland's entry Bambie Thug battling it out with other acts to qualify for Saturday's showdown in Sweden.
"I'm so proud and so excited to represent Ireland tonight," Bambie Thug told RTÉ's Arts and Media Correspondent Evelyn O'Rourke, who is in Sweden for tonight's first semi-final at the Malmö Arena.
Cheering fans gathered as Bambie made their way to the backstage area at the Malmö Arena earlier today and it is clear they are making waves amongst the crowds of different nationalities who have descended upon the Eurovision village.
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Ireland’s hopes rest on the shoulders of the 31-year-old Cork native. 2018 was the last time we made it to the Grand Final, and it has been 28 years since we last claimed victory.
Bambie is one of the favourites to make it through tonight's semi-final, and is fast becoming a contender to lift the trophy on Saturday according to the bookies.
However, speaking to RTÉ they said they are putting all their efforts into tonight's performance before they can think about the Grand Final.
"I am just concentrating on tonight now and putting on a great performance here in the arena later– that is my focus now."
Bambie also talked about their preparation for tonight, explaining that as the team gets more and more practice, the make-up application is getting quicker.
They said the whole team is feeling calm, but are also very aware of how excited people are for them.
Bambie also said one of the most gratifying things about the Eurovision experience is the reaction they received from younger fans and children who have connected with their music and message of inclusivity.
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Ireland and Sweden are level for the most wins in the contest's history, at seven each, following Swedish singer Loreen triumphing at Liverpool last year.
But despite this success, Irish 2018 competitor Ryan O’Shaughnessy was the last to reach the final with Together and came in 16th position. Ireland has not won since 1996 with Eimear Quinn’s The Voice.
Bambie, who is performing fourth has previously blamed songs from Ireland for not "standing out" in the competition for the failure.
Ukraine duo Alona Alyona and Jerry Heil, who are set to go fifth tonight, are entering with the religious-infused Teresa & Maria and have been touted as strong competition.
Ukraine have previously shown they are consistent at Eurovision by winning three times – with Ruslana in 2004, Jamala in 2016 and Kalush Orchestra in 2022.
They also have never missed a Grand Final, and nine of their 14 entries have finished in the top 10.
The semi-final on Tuesday also sees current favourite Croatia’s Baby Lasagna with the infectious Rim Tim Tagi Dim and the absurd Finish entrant Windows95Man with No Rules! featuring an egg-shaped denim patchwork prop try to earn a place in the top ten.
Sweden’s contestant, the Norwegian-born twin singers Marcus & Martinus, will also perform their love song, Unforgettable, but are through to the final as the country won the competition in 2023.
The other countries competing tonight are Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Poland, Iceland, Slovenia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal and Luxembourg.
Ahead of the event at Malmö Arena, fans have also been warned not to bring Palestinian flags or symbols to the event or bags and have been told that there will be "vigorous security checks".
The terrorist threat level is at four points out of five, but the Swedish Police Authority has said that this is not related to the contest.
Protests are not expected until later in the week when Israel’s Eden Golan performs Hurricane at the second semi-final on Thursday.
Addtional reporting: Press Association
