"Doomsday Blue" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Bambie Ray Robinson, known by their stage name, Bambie Thug. Self-described as "an electro-metal breakdown", the song was written by Robinson, Olivia Cassy Brooking, Sam Matlock, and Tyler Ryder. It was self-released on 13 October 2023 as part of their first extended play, Cathexis. The song is set to be the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, to be held in Malmö.
Background and composition
"Doomsday Blue" is composed by Bambie Ray Robinson, Olivia Cassy "Cassyette" Brooking (who also provided uncredited backing vocals), Sam Matlock and Tyler Ryder. In interviews given out by Robinson, Robinson claims the song is about the reality of heartbreak, deception and the pain of unrequited love, describing the song as "explosive" and "hard-hitting" but at the same time "sweet" and "soulful".[1] In an interview with ESCBubble, they said that the song was originally written in Wembley. They explained that whilst writing the song with Ryder, they intended to include as many different genres as possible, describing the song as "genre-defying".[2] They described the song's composition as a mixture of alternative rock, pop and jazz. They also described the song as "an electro-metal breakdown" that shows their music style and performance, including using a variety of genres and "switching things up" at the end of the song.[2] The song itself also features numerous "spells", including the term "Avada Kedavra", an Aramaic phrase which means "to destroy" which was popularised by the Harry Potter franchise; in a post on Twitter, Robinson stated that as a non-binary person, they were "not a fan" of J. K. Rowling but instead a "fan of being clever with language".[3][4]
According to Robinson, they initially applied for Eurosong 2024 to "curse out" memories of themself being raped in May 2023 by an unnamed acquaintance, around three weeks before they were set to make their debut festival performance.[5] When applying for Eurosong, they considered a couple songs for their application, but decided that "Doomsday Blue" worked best for Eurovision and the Irish audience.[2] On 11 January 2024, Robinson was officially announced as a participant in Eurosong 2024.[6]
Critical reception
The song has drawn praise from numerous past Irish Eurovision Song Contest entrants. Johnny Logan, who won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland in 1980 and 1987, stated in the Sunday World that he believed the song could win the Eurovision Song Contest, praising the song's uniqueness and staging visuals.[7] Ireland's 2022 entrant, Brooke Scullion, also stated beliefs that the song could win the contest.[8] Multiple beat reporters have also praised the song as well; Rita Dabrowicz, a writer for the indie music review site Vanadian Avenue praised the song, stating beliefs that "[Robinson] will bring a hell of a spectacle with them that surely will be remembered for a long time".[9] Ed Power, writer for The Irish Times, also praised the song's uniqueness.[10]
Numerous conservative personalities and groups have criticised the song and Robinson. Leader of the far-right Irish Freedom Party, Hermann Kelly, posted a tweet drawing comparisons to former Irish entrant and puppet character Dustin the Turkey and calling the song "woke nonsense [typical] of the Irish Establishment", accusing it of "celebrating Satanism".[11] By 6 February, over 2,000 people signed a petition to disqualify Robinson from competing at the Eurovision Song Contest, on the basis of "[Robinson] making a mockery of [Irish] national culture".[12] Two days later, Father Declan McInerney, an Irish Catholic priest, also heavily criticized the song and Robinson, stating in a sermon that "the poor devil can neither sing nor dance", while also claiming that Robinson was trying to push "certain orientations" on the Irish public and declaring that "[Ireland] is finished as a country".[13]
Ireland's broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) broadcast a Eurosong 2024 special episode of The Late Late Show on 26 January 2024 to select its entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The edition was the eighth iteration of the national final in this format. The winning song was selected via a combination of international jury, national jury, and public voting, which each group having a third of the total vote.[14]
Robinson performing "Doomsday Blue" on The Late Late Show in 2024 after Robinson won Eurosong 2024.
"Doomsday Blue" was announced to compete in Eurosong 2024 and premiered on 11 January 2024 on an episode of The Ray D'Arcy Show that was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1.[6] It was drawn to perform second.[15] In the grand final, Robinson came third with the international jury, scoring eight points. However, Robinson was able to win both the televote and the national jury votes, securing two sets of 12 points, combining for a total of 32 points. The total was eight more than the second-place finisher, Ailsha with "Go Tobann". As a result, the song won rights to perform as the Irish entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[16][17]
At Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consist of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Ireland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[18]
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