This year, Ireland, the most successful country in winning the Eurovision Song Contest,opted to recruit five music professionals with a proven experience in the industry, in their national selection..
They had the opportunity and task to pick the artists and the songs they would believe could be potential Eurovision Song Contest winners.
On the 12th February the five acts competed for the right to represent Ireland. A mixture of televoting and jury votes determined the winner, with the twin brothers Jedward winning a close contest by just two points with the song Lipstick. Watch the video of their entry.
Who are Jedward?
Jedward became a huge hit after appearing on the UK’s X-Factor in 2009. Known for their distinctive blonde quiffs and unique performances, the identical twins have succeeded in being one of the most successful acts ever to have taken part in the talent competition. Following their success on the show Jedward collaborated with 90s hip-hop star Vanilla Ice on their debut single Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby). It was a No.1 hit in the Irish singles charts and No.2 hit in the UK singles charts on downloads alone. The twins then went on to release their debut album Planet Jedward in July 2010 which became the fastest selling record in Ireland in 2010. The twins have also had their own reality show OMG Jedward for Irish television which proved to be a huge hit with viewers and offered an entertaining insight into the world that is Planet Jedward. Have a look at our image gallery of the twin brothers.
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Ireland are the most successful nation in the Eurovision Song Contest, having won the title seven times. The last time was in 1996 with The Voice sung by Eimear Quinn. Since then the country has had mixed fortunes, but qualified for the Final in 2010. Ireland has been drawn to perform as the nineteenth and final song in the second Semi-Final in the Düsseldorf Arena on the 12th May.
