‘We can’t wait to get on stage’: Wild Youth hope to book Ireland a slot in Eurovision final tonight

Tonight's the night.

The Eurovision Song Contest gets underway tonight in Liverpool with Wild Youth hoping to get through the semi-final and into the main competition. Should they be successful in their efforts, it would mark the first time Ireland get to the grand finale of the Eurovision since 2018. The group will be the sixth act to perform tonight and are expecting a big reaction to their song 'We Are One'. The show will be broadcasted on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player from 8 pm. For the first time ever, those progressing to the final will be selected by television voters only. There will be no judges until the final which takes place on Saturday. Speaking to RTE ahead of tonight's semi-final, Wild Youth frontman Conor O'Donohoe said: "We are feeling excited, and a little nervous, but good nerves, I think. "We can't wait to get on the stage, and we just want to do everyone in Ireland proud."

Eurovision winner Linda Martin backs the boys.

Eurovision legend, Linda Martin, said Wild Youth have a great chance in the competition. Speaking to the Mirror she said: "They are four good looking boys. They have a very catchy tune.

"I think they have a very good chance in the competition.

"Even if they don’t win, taking part in the Eurovision is a fantastic opportunity. You have the chance to sing in front of a huge audience of 350 million people. They have a great song." Ten countries will qualify from the first semi-final at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena tonight, with the second semi-final taking place on Thursday night. Tonight's show will also see acts representing Norway who are favourite to finish in the top ten. This year, Alessandra will represent the country with her song 'Queen of Kings'. Ai Coração for Portugal will also take to the stage tonight with her upbeat tune 'Mimicat'. We'll also see acts representing Malta, Serbia, Latvia, Croatia, Switzerland, Israel, Moldova, Sweden, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Finland on tonight's semi-final.

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