Irish-Czech singer-songwriter: ‘I am the first Irishman to write a Eurovision track for Armenia’
By Laura DelaneyRTE, Ireland
Irish-Czech singer-songwriter Joshua Curran has said penning a track for Eurovision 2025 has “been an incredible experience” and admits it’s “really cool” to say he’s the first Irishman to write a song for Armenia.
Born in Prague – his mum is Czech and his dad is Irish – Curran fondly recalls spending summers at his nana’s house in Tramore, Co Waterford.
“I have loads of cousins from Waterford and Dublin, and we holiday together as a family every year. I’ve always described myself as an Irish-Czech singer-songwriter,” he told RTÉ Entertainment.
Also a multi-instrumentalist, Curran, who just turned 20 last month, proudly states that “you can hear the Irish influences in many of my songs”.
As a young boy, Curran always watched Eurovision – which he reckons is down to his dad’s influence.
“He was always telling us about how successful Ireland had been in the competition and how it was ruined by a turkey, which honestly, I still don’t understand. Also, the Eurovision episode from Father Ted has always been my favourite,” he laughed.
Curran admits when he reached out to Armenia’s Eurovision entrant PARG (Pargev Vardanian) his goal “was always to write a Eurovision hit”.
Hailing from the picturesque town of Hayravank, PARG’s music is deeply rooted in Armenian culture, yet forward-thinking and innovative.
Recalling their first introduction, Curran says they “clicked immediately” and quickly learned that they share a very similar approach to songwriting “which made the whole process flow really naturally”.
“I came up with the first verse immediately, in the first ten minutes. Obviously, there were some changes since, but the base pretty much stayed the same,” he said.
Curran explained that it took about a week to bring the track to life, and admits it was a hectic journey to get to the final product.
“I was travelling a lot and working on my solo releases, so it was a lot of Zoom calls and sending each other voice memos of ideas,” he said. “Funnily enough, my favourite part of the song – the bridge – was made in like two minutes.
He continued: “I came up with the melody and lyrics while running up and down the stairs in my house, sent a quick voice memo, and we decided to leave it in the song.”
Survivor has garnered attention for its powerful message which celebrates resilience and overcoming adversity, while the lyrics emphasise themes of personal strength and determination, with lines like “I’m a survivor, stay aliver, do or die in my prime.”
Parg is credited as a co-writer on the catchy anthem, alongside a team including Thomas G:son and Peter Boström.
“It’s amazing to see so many people from different countries coming together to create something for Eurovision – it really shows the global nature of music,” Curran said.
“I also have to mention that this song was a huge team effort. I feel honoured to have worked alongside such an incredibly talented and international group of songwriters and producers,” he added.
As a fan of the contest, it must feel surreal to be contributing to a show that is watched by approximately 180 million television viewers every year – not to mention adding to the history books along the way.
“The goal was always to write a Eurovision hit – it was never meant to be a random single. We were aiming directly for Eurovision,” he said.
“It’s really cool to say this, but I am the first Irishman to write a track for Armenia, and if I’m not wrong, I’m one of only two Irish songwriters in the entire Eurovision this year.”
Last year, Ireland reached the Eurovision final for the first time since 2018 which saw Bambie Thug’s “electro-metal breakdown” track, Doomsday Blue, taking to the stage at Malmö, Sweden.
This year Norwegian singer EMMY and her infectiously catchy track, Laika Party, will represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland in May.
Ireland holds the joint record alongside Sweden for the most Eurovision Song Contest victories, with both countries reigning supreme a total of seven times. Will we be lifting that trophy again in the near future?
“Over the last couple of years, many countries have joined the Eurovision family, and some were stronger than expected. But I do believe that Ireland has so much more to offer and might actually win it sooner than we think,” he said.
With big dreams and aspirations, the future looks bright for the up-and-coming artist, so we don’t blame him for being “really excited” for what’s in store.
“Being part of Eurovision as a songwriter has been an incredible experience, but I’m also really focused on my solo project right now,” he said. “I’ve been working on my own music and preparing for upcoming releases, which I’m really excited about.”
“Who knows – maybe one day I’ll be honoured to be in Eurovision not only as a songwriter but also as a performer!”
Watch this space!
The first Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final will be broadcast live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Tuesday, 13 May.
The second semi-final will be aired on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Thursday, 15 May.
The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final takes place on Saturday, 13 May.
You can catch it live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
