– Singer will give her debut performance of the song on The Late Late Show tonight
– Maps will be available on platforms including Apple Music & Spotify today
RTÉ has today launched Ireland’s 2021 Eurovision entry, Maps, by Lesley Roy. Dubliner Lesley will get her second chance to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam this May, following the cancellation of last year’s show due to the ongoing pandemic.
The first airplay of Maps takes take place on RTÉ 2FM Breakfast with Doireann & Eoghan this morning at 8.35am, followed by the launch of the song’s video via Eurovision’s YouTube channel at 9am.
Lesley will take to the stage on The Late Late Show on RTÉ later this evening for her debut performance of Ireland’s 2021 Eurovision entry and an interview with Ryan Tubridy.
Speaking today, Lesley Roy said: “I’m thrilled to see through this project and represent Ireland at Eurovision 2021 with Maps. I’m so happy with the song and so passionate about it and Eurovision. I’m working each day towards representing Ireland in whatever version of Eurovision goes ahead in May. It’s a true honour and I want to have the best time I possibly can on the stage for Ireland. This has been a year in the making and I’m thrilled to finally get it out there for everyone to hear. Maps was specifically written for Eurovision. It’s heartfelt, it’s uplifting, and I hope people love it.”
Michael Kealy, Head of the Ireland Delegation for Eurovision 2021, said: “I’m really excited about the release of Lesley’s song, Maps, today. It was unfortunate that she didn’t get the opportunity to compete in Eurovision last year, but I’m delighted that we are back with a song we feel is even better. Lesley is absolutely focussed on getting to perform on stage in Rotterdam, and I believe that this song is going to do really well with Eurovision fans worldwide.”
Maps, an up-tempo and rousing number, was written and produced by Lesley, along with Eurovision producer Lukas Hallgren (She Got Me, 4th place ESC 2019), Philip Strand (producer/songwriter Normandie, Deepend), and Emelie Eriksson, (Stockholm based songwriter at Baggpipe Studios). The video for Maps, directed by Ais Brady, was shot against the stunning backdrop of the Wicklow mountains.
Ireland is scheduled to perform in the first semi-final at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday, May 18th, at the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, with the final taking place on Saturday, May 22nd.
– Latest updates on Eurovision 2021 can be found at www.eurovision.tv
About Lesley Roy
Lesley Roy is a singer/songwriter from Balbriggan Co. Dublin, who released her debut album, Unbeautiful, in 2008 on Jive/Sony Records, which was executive produced by Max Martin. As a songwriter, Lesley’s career has been prolific, lending her talents to numbers performed by artists including Adam Lambert, Miss Montreal, Medina, Jana Kramer, Marlee Scott, and Deorro.