Who is Ireland's Eurovision 2021 entry? Meet Lesley Roy who will sing Maps
The singer/songwriter will represent the European country in the competition.
Ireland has not done badly at all when it comes to their time in Eurovision and they have competed in 53 competitions since making their debut in 1965, and only missing two years - they failed to qualify in the last contest held in 2019.
For Eurovision 2021, they chose singer/songwriter Lesley Roy to represent them. She was also picked for the the competition before it was cancelled due to coronavirus – thankfully, she is back to see what she can do in 2021 with a new song lined up to perform.
But, what made Lesley stand out from the rest? Here's everything you need to know about the star.
Who is representing Ireland at the Eurovision 2o21?
Name: Leslie Roy
Age: 34
Instagram: @lesroy
Twitter: @lesleyroyreal
Lesley is a singer/songwriter with many years in the music industry behind her. She hails from Balbriggan in Co Dublin and splits her time between New York City and Ireland.
She released an album called Unbeautiful in 2008 that made it to number eight in the Irish music charts.
What is Ireland's Eurovision 2021 song called?
Lesley was due to sing her hit Story of My Life, which she co-wrote with Robert Marvin, Catt Gravitt and Tom Shapiro.
Her replacement song, because no song chosen for 2020 can be used this year, is called Maps.
Maps was written by Roy herself alongside Philip Strand, Emelie Eriksson and Lukas Hällgren and you can check the tune out for yourself in the video below!
Where did Ireland come in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest?
Duncan Laurence won the show for The Netherlands with his song "Arcade", for which he received a staggering 492 points for.
As for Ireland, they failed to qualify for the final of the competition which means they will be gunning to make an impact in the contest for 2021.
But will Lesley Roy put in a good enough performance to do it? We do not have long to wait until we find out!
When is Eurovision 2021?
The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will take place on Saturday 22nd May 2021 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
BBC One will be broadcasting live coverage of the event, while Graham Norton commentates.
Ken Bruce will be providing commentary on BBC Radio 2.
The semi-finals will be held on Tuesday 18th and Thursday 20th May, and will be broadcast on BBC Four.
Why was Eurovision 2020 cancelled?
Due to COVID and the global pandemic that we assume you have heard about, The Eurovision Song Contest grand final, that was set to take place at the Ahoy Rotterdam Arena on Saturday 16th May, was cancelled.
Instead, the Shine a Light show aired on the same day on BBC One. Eurovision Come Together also aired and they featured some classic Eurovision acts performing. It was a nice enough replacement but it has made the wait for the 2021 contest feel like a super long one.
You can buy the DVD and watch Eurovision 2018 here and Eurovision 2019 here.
The Eurovision Song contest 2021 will air on the BBC this May. Check out the full list of Eurovision winners here. If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.
