Johnny Logan on life after Eurovision and going back on the road

Johnny Logan is a Eurovision legend. Not only did he win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 for Ireland with the song What’s Another Year, he won again in 1987 with the song Hold Me Now. Logan was the first singer to win the contest twice but went on to win again in 1992 for the third time, writing the song Why Me? which was performed by Linda Martin. 

Life after Eurovision

After the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest life became tough for Logan. Tied to a record label which took him down a route he didn't want to go down, he began drinking heavily. Eventually Logan filed for divorce and in the nineties he even considered quitting the music industry. "I didn’t want to be part of that world anymore," he said. The singer soon had a change of heart and started to rebuild his life. "Since I’m not getting any younger, and there aren’t many other options to choose from, I decided to take control again. I am good at making music and I just love it so much."

What's another album? 

Johnny has been in the music industry for five decades now. "The music industry has changed over the years, and it is uncomparable to the industry in 1980," he said. With the changes though came certain freedoms, which included self-funding his new album, It Is What Is Is. "Right now I can do what I want," he added. Self-producing an album does not come cheap though as Logan found to his cost. Literally. "It was a huge expense, €60.000 to record the album and another €20.000 for promotion," he told De Telegraaf. "I could afford it because a giant car factory used Hold Me Now as background music for one of their commercials," he revealed. 

Hitting the road again

Logan is in a positive place in his personal life as he prepares to go on tour again having quit drinking. "I wanted my kids to know their real father and not just his party side." He revealed that there were times when he couldn't remember what he did some nights when he was drinking. "I now relax by sitting in my chair, watching television shows or taking my dog for a walk." 

Whilst the road has been rocky at times, Johnny Logan remains a proud supporter of the Eurovision Song Contest. "I have a very loyal fan base all around Europe and I want to see them again. I will go back to Ireland first, go to Denmark and Norway after and I will wrap up 2017 with a New Years Eve show on Austrian television."