Erica Cody has revealed the “signs” that made her want to enter the Eurovision.
The 28-year-old is one of six contestants who will compete on The Late Late Eurosong Special on Friday night to determine who will go on to represent Ireland.
Erica is hoping her song, Love Me Like I Do, will win over the jury and the public.
Ireland uses a three-way voting process to determine who will represent us at the Eurovision.
The winner is picked by a combination of the national jury and international jury’s rankings, along with the public vote.
The winner of Friday night’s Eurosong will then perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Malmö, Sweden between May 7 and May 11 in front of an audience of over 160 million people worldwide.
Speaking to Goss.ie ahead of The Late Late Eurosong Special, Erica said now felt like the right time to enter the competition.
“The song and the team and the vision, you know, it just felt like the right time,” she explained.
“I’d been approached to enter a song in it over the last kind of couple of years, and I was just like, look if I’m going to do it it has to be the right time and I have to have the right team, and it has to be the right song.”
“I always wanted to bring a song that would represent me as an artist, and I feel like for the first time in years, I feel like I’m solidified in everything that I’ve built over the last 10 years of being in the industry. So I was just like, yeah, no better time than now.”
“The song just felt right, it was resonating with me for like the guts of two years since we wrote it, and I was like if I was to bring a song to Eurovision it would be this and it just felt right.”
“I did the maths and the last time we won was in 1996. It’s in Sweden, we’re tied in wins with Sweden, they’re hosting it and they’re the pop capital of the world, and I was born in 1996…
“So I’m a big believer in signs so I just felt like the stars were aligning, and I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna roll with it and see what happens. ”
When asked what it would mean to represent Ireland at the Eurovision, she confessed: “Oh, it’d be amazing. It would be everything and more.”
“You know, I think I like everything I’ve done in the last like 10 years of my career, like I’ve solidified myself, but also I feel like I’m prepared.”
“I feel like I’m ready. I’ve done the big shows. I’ve done the big tours. I’ve done the TVs…”
“And yeah, I just feel like I’m ready for a big stage like your Eurovision and I’m ready to show them the new Ireland and what we have to offer, and you know, not only represent myself as an artist, but also my country off the back of my country.”
When asked if she’s nervous or excited at the prospect of representing Ireland at the Eurovision, she said: “I’m excited. I think when you’re in the game for a while you learn to channel that nervous energy into a good excitable energy.”
“So yeah, the Cody camp is great. The boys are great. And we’re just excited to get out there.
“You know, we put in a lot of prep so, yeah, it’s all about enjoying it now the job is done.”
Last autumn, RTÉ issued a callout on The Late Late Show for artists and songwriters with the talent and ambition to compete and succeed in this highly competitive environment.
The final six songs will be performed live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Friday evening.
The 68th Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held in Malmö Arena after Loreen scooped the coveted title for a second time with her entry Tattoo for Sweden in 2023.
Two semi-finals will take place on Tuesday May 7th and Thursday 9th followed by the Grand Final on Saturday May 11th 2024.
The chosen Eurosong winner on Friday night will go on to represent Ireland at the competition in Malmö in May.
The Late Late Eurosong Special will air tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
