Niamh Kavanagh started her song It's For You on a small podium in the middle of the stage with one single spotlight. The light changed into emerald for the middle section and finally erupted into a bright golden hue across the entire stage. At that time, the wind machine set in as well, making the smoke present on stage throughout the song to whirl markedly.
Looking into the cameras, Niamh had a happy and warm facial expression, evidently enjoying the return to the big European spotlight. She was joined on stage by four backing vocalists on stage, two male and two female. A trivia fact is that one of them carries the same name as Niamh, being her first cousin.
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Lots of parties
With all the experience, Niamh got plenty of questions on her last participation in the contest. She told that there were few promotional efforts done in 1993. They came to the venue for the a couple of days and worked hard – and had a lot of parties.
"In essence, the work is the same now, but there are more people here. It's a nice thing that there are more entries now, it makes my part as an artist more comfortable," Niamh said.
Now, Niamh hopes to get time to go to more parties. When asked about why she returned to the contest, she replied that the reason was the song. She feels that the times when Ireland has been successful in the contest has been marked out by singing from the heart, so that is what she will try to do.
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In the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest , before an international audience of over 350 million people, Niamh wowed audiences with a powerful rendition of InYour Eyes and achieved a resounding victory for Ireland. The second of Ireland’s famous three-in-a row victories, the song, In Your Eyes, went on to achieve double platinum status. Niamh has been singing for most of her life, beginning with choirs and small local bands, training her voice, while at the same time indulging her love for music. She really came into her own in 1990 when Alan Parker, director of The Commitments film, paid tribute to her vocal talent featuring her commanding renditions of several soul classics on the film’s hugely successful soundtrack album. She toured extensively with the group performing at such illustrious events as the 1992 Grammy Awards in New York and the Commitment to LifeConcert in Los Angeles. Niamh has also collaborated with some of the finest Irish and international artists including, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, who featured on her debut album, Flying Blind.
