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LAST UPDATE | 10 Feb
SAMANTHA MUMBA HAS hit out at RTÉ’s Eurosong panel and said that the panel, apart from Bambie Thug, were “unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists”.
However, an RTÉ spokesperson said the panel showed “professionalism, insight, integrity and good humour”.
The 24-year-old was chosen through a combination of the results of a national jury, an international jury and a public vote after performing in The Late Late Show’s Eurosong Special on RTÉ.
Samantha Mumba came in second place with her song My Way.
The Late Late’s Eurosong special included a panel made up of Bambie Thug (who represented Ireland at last year’s Eurovision), television presenter Donal Skehan, radio presenter Laura Fox, and dancer Arthur Gourounlian.
This panel discussed each of the songs after they were performed.
Discussing My Way, Laura Fox said she loves playing Mumba’s music on radio but said that she felt My Way “might be a little too slow to get into it” in the short time a performer at Eurovision has to captivate the audience.
Skehan called Mumba “an icon” and a “phenomenal” part of Irish history and that he wished the song could be Ireland’s Eurovision entry but that he felt it wasn’t quite strong enough. He said there would be “an opportunity for a revamp” of the song if it went to Eurovision.
Bambie Thug agreed that a revamp “could actually boost” the number and could be “what it needs to push it”.
Arthur Gourounlian said he felt the intro to the song was too long and that it overall “felt like ten different demos” mixed together but with no chemistry between them.
In a post on Instagram, Mumba thanked everyone for their “incredible messages and love” since her Eurosong performance.
“I am beyond proud of myself and the team for all the work and dedication we all put into this performance,” said Mumba.
“I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. Truly. Those that got it, GOT IT… and those that didn’t, that’s ok too. It’s my art and I stand by it.”
Mumba then paid a “special mention” to the panel.
“Special mention to the ‘panel’ (aside from Bambie who I stan) who not only didn’t have the credentials, experience or professionalism required and were unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists,” said Mumba.
Mumba then used an aubergine emoji and said that her “parting gift” to the panel is bag of them to “slowly choke on”.
Mumba remarked that she “would have said this in person but they all left the green room before I had the opportunity to, unsurprisingly”.
Despite this, Mumba praised the Late Late Show crew and said it was a “joy” to work with them.
“Most importantly the very best of luck to the sweetest EMMY, please fly the flag and make us proud in Switzerland,” Mumba added.
Meanwhile, in a comment under her Instagram post, Mumba referred to Skehan, Fox, and Gourounlian as a “trio of absolute bozos”.
In a post to his Instagram stories, Skehan responded with a selfie of himself with the word “BOZO”, with aubergine emojis placed inside the Os.
In a series of Instagram story posts, Skehan said he wanted firstly to “recognise the passion, effort, and dedication that every artist brought to the stage, including Samantha Mumba”
“I understand that Samantha’s response is personal and comes from a place of deep emotion, something that is entirely understandable in such a high-stakes competition. However, tearing others down is never a good look, especially when everyone involved has worked to make the process as fair and constructive as possible,” Skehan said.
“To insult the credentials of myself and my fellow panelists, Laura Fox and Arthur Gourounlian is completely unprofessional. Each of us was chosen for our experience, insights, and passion for Eurovision. Everyone on that panel took their role seriously and approached the night with thoughtfulness, integrity, and respect for the artists,” he said.
Skehan said that it “might be easy to write me off as ‘just a TV chef, but my career began in music”, noting that he has “had two number-one singles in Ireland with my band, Industry, supported acts like JLS and The Pussycat Dolls, and competed in Eurosong myself in 2008″.
He added that he has also “been a lifelong Eurovision fan” and that his role as a panellist was to “provide honest and constructive feedback based on that knowledge and experience”.
“I stand by my role on the panel, and I wish Samantha and all the contestants the very best as they continue their artistic journeys. Representing Ireland is an incredible honor, and I look forward to supporting this year’s entry EMMY with pride,” he said.
In a statement to The Journal, RTÉ said it is “extremely grateful to the Late Late Show Eurosong panel for their professionalism, insight, integrity and good humour”.
The RTÉ spokesperson said that the role of the panel was to “give their honest reaction to the performances on the night, offering their thoughts on the likely success of the song and act at the Eurovision Song Contest”.
“Our panel did this in a thoughtful and considered way,” said the spokesperson.
“It seems this was in line with the public vote that ultimately made the decision on the artist and song they wished to represent Ireland at this year’s contest.”
The RTÉ spokesperson also remarked that “it’s never easy to offer a personal opinion, as not everyone will agree”.
“Our panel did that with the utmost care and we wish to extend our thanks to them for the excellent job they did on Friday night.”
Eurovision 2025 is due to be held in Basel, Switzerland in May.
Despite jointly holding the record with Sweden of having the most Eurovision wins, Ireland has not won the contest in almost 30 years. Eimear Quinn won in 1996 with her song ‘The Voice’.
Last year’s Eurovision was mired in controversy over the participation of Israel.
The European Broadcast Union (EBU), which organises the song contest, faced calls internationally for Israel to be excluded from the competition due to the country’s war in Gaza.
Protests were widespread in Malmö, Sweden, where the competition was held last year, and numerous contestants, including Bambie Thug, spoke out against Israel’s participation and the EBU.
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