Phillip McMahon, director at the theatre and events production company THISISPOPBABY announced on Twitter that he will act as the Creative Director for Ireland’s Eurovision 2020 entry. 

Philly told his following on Twitter that he was “answering Ireland’s call”, with THISISPOPBABY confirming that once they heard the song they were sold and “said yes on the spot”.

https://twitter.com/McMahonPhilly/status/1222645493358088194

.@RTE called. They played us the song and we said yes on the spot. THISISPOPBABY will create the show for Ireland's #Eurovision2020 act. Stay tuned for more details, but we're all about to have an Italia '90 moment together. X https://t.co/F1wC9y8vs4

— thisispopbaby (@thisispopbaby) January 29, 2020

In his tweet, Philly also confirmed that Dublin based dance artist and choreographer Philip Connaughton will be doing the choreography for Ireland’s Eurovision 2020 performance in Rotterdam, with Connaughton himself hopping on Twitter to confirm the news and express his excitement. 

This is gonna be EPIC! https://t.co/q43BjiTq8H

— Philip Connaughton (@CompanyPhilipCo) January 29, 2020

The Head of Music Content of RTÉ’s radio 2FM, Alan Swan stated following the announcement that more details about the song and the artist performing the song will be revealed on the radio station “very soon”. 

Exciting news below!!! @RTE2fm will have news on the artist & song very soon #Eurovision https://t.co/caii81bJiX

— Alan Swan (@alanswan) January 29, 2020

Eurovision 2020 will be an LGBT+ Act

Philly spoke with GCN about being part of the competition and divulged some exclusive information saying:

“We’ve been in conversation with RTÉ for quite a few years about Eurovision, and the planets have finally aligned for this historic 50 year anniversary of Ireland first winning the competition. RTÉ played us the song and we instantly said yes. We come at the competition as superfans, patriotic pop tarts and show ponies.

“Our dream for Eurovision is to win it, yes, but it’s also about creating an Italia ’90 moment for the country. We want to build a swell of support for this epic song at home, and we want the Irish fans to feel like this is a Eurovision moment from fans, of fans and for fans. We want Europe to know that Ireland 2020 is a fresh look, a fresh vibe, and a fresh start! While I can’t reveal anything about the song, I can exclusively tell GCN that the act is an artistically on point LGBT act. Next stop Rotterdam!”

Back in autumn, RTÉ Entertainment in conjunction with RTÉ 2FM announced that Ireland would be competing in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest and called for artists submissions for the competition. Citing a “ three-year strategy” RTÉ  explained their plans to encourage new and contemporary Irish artists and songwriters to share their talent to a large audience in a competitive environment. 

Speaking on the opportunity they stated; “This is a rare and valuable opportunity for artists and songwriters to gain exposure on a global scale,” and that “confidence and attitude are definite advantages.” So it will be interesting to see what act they have selected to represent the country. 

We hope whoever they have chosen will go on to put on a spectacular show in Rotterdam in May with the help of Philly and his team!