Joe McCaul, with sister Donna, during their Eurovision Song Contest performance in Kiev in 2005
EBU
Participating in the Eurovision Song Contest is a milestone in the career of our artists and using it as a platform for a whole new audience is the best reward they can get from this experience, regardless of their results. On our Life After Eurovision series we'll bring you updates on our Eurovision Song Contest stars. This time we focus on Joe McCaul and Youddiph.
Joe, aka. Joseph McCaul
In 2005 the Eurovision Song Contest moved to Ukraine's capital city, Kiev, and it was only the second year that a Semi-Final was implemented. Ireland had to test its chances there for the first time and it wasn't "luck at first sight" as the country didn't reach the Final that year with the song Love?. The act suffering that fate was sister and brother duo Donna and Joe McCaul from Athlone but, what happened to the pair in the last 10 years?
Donna gave it another go participating in the Irish national final Eurosong in 2012 placing third with a song called Mercy. She then moved to L.A. where she applied for The Voice USA castings reaching the blind auditions round.
Younger brother Joe has also been active in the world of talent shows, applying for The X Factor UK in 2009 where he reached the stage called "bootcamp". This year he's trying to take it one step further in the same competition. The 27-year-old singer already made it through to the same round of the reality singing series. He is already dividing the judging panel with Simon Cowell going as far as saying: "Is there any way you can put that voice in another contestant?". Joe replied: ""I'm not your typical looking popstar, am I? (...) But I think I've been given a talent, so I'm using it."
Last year Joseph McCaul also made public his health issues, as he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis an illness which didn't stop him from pursuing his dream or even taking part in marathons.
Youddiph, aka. Maria Katz
A decade before, in 1994, Russia made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest. The chosen singer was Youddiph, the moniker of Maria Katz, who claims that ever since she is only invited to talk shows, or Eurovision specials, where she shares her experiences as Russia's first participant but where she is never asked to sing. She wants to change that and thus decided to give it a try in the blind auditions of The Voice Russia.
And from their first contestant to the most recent one, Polina Gagarina, who finished as the runner-up of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, is one of the coaches in The Voice Russia and the first one who turned around her chair for Youddiph. She instantly recognised her and claimed that she couldn't teach her anything. In the end Maria chose the other coach that pressed the red button, Grigory Leps: "now you'll have to take me, darling"!
This extra boost of life in the music business prompt lots of singers to take part in talent shows all around the world. Do you know of more previous Eurovision Song Contest artists that are coaches, judges or participants in TV singing competitions in your country? Tell us below!
