Linda Martin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Martin in May 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1952-03-27)27 March 1952 (age 73)[1] Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Pop,pop-rock,MOR |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | CBS,Polydor,Rex, Spider,WEA |
Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952)[1] is anIrish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which sherepresented Ireland with the song "Why Me?", thefirst of a record three consecutive wins by Ireland. She is also known within Ireland as a member of the band Chips.[2]
Born in Belfast in 1952,[3] Martin is of Irish, Scottish and Italian ancestry. Her father's family's surname was originally Martini. Her paternal great-grandfather Francis Martini was born inDublin to immigrants fromSaronno, north ofMilan, Italy. Two of Martin's maternal great-grandparents, William Green and Elizabeth Nangle, had a coal-mining background; they had transferred toBelfast fromLarkhall,Scotland.[4]
Martin began her musical career when she joined the band Chips inOmagh in 1969. They quickly became one of the top bands in Ireland on the live circuit, and released hit singles "Love Matters", "Twice a Week" and "Goodbye Goodbye" during the mid-to-late 1970s.[5] In 1972, Martin left Chips to be a vocalist with new group Lyttle People, but rejoined her former bandmates the following year.[2]
The group appeared onOpportunity Knocks in 1974 and appeared a number of times on British television promoting their singles, but never scored a UK hit.[2] With multiple entries to theIrish National finals of the Eurovision Song Contest, the band carried on into the 1980s. They scored a final Irish hit in 1982 with "David's Song (Who'll Come With Me)", after which Martin left when she won theCastlebar Song Contest with "Edge of the Universe" in 1983. From this point, she concentrated on a solo career as well as occasional live appearances with Chips until they recruited a new lead singer (Valerie Roe) in the late 1980s.[citation needed]
She participated in theNational Song Contest four times as a member of Chips; however, they did not score successfully. She participated another four times in the contest as asoloist and once more as part of the group 'Linda Martin and Friends'.[6] With nine participations, she has been the most frequent entrant in the National Song Contest's history. She won the contest twice, going on to representIreland twice at theEurovision Song Contest.
The first of these victories was in1984 with the song "Terminal 3", written byJohnny Logan (under his real name Séan Sherrard). The song came second in the final, being beaten by eight points. "Terminal 3" reached No. 7 in the Irish charts.[7] The second victory was in1992 when her song "Why Me" (also written by Logan) went on to win the final in Sweden. This became Ireland's fourth victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, and the song reached No. 1 in the Irish chart as well as becoming a hit in many European countries.[7]
Martin was, at the time, one of only three artists to finish both first and second at Eurovision, behindLys Assia andGigliola Cinquetti. Since then, onlyElisabeth Andreassen andDima Bilan have achieved this, raising the number to five. Martin was the first of the three artists to finish second first and first second, matched only later by Bilan.[8]
Martin was one of the hosts on theRTÉquiz showThe Lyrics Board,[9] and also served as one ofLouis Walsh's behind-the-scenes team on the first series ofITV'sThe X Factor.[citation needed]
She also served as a judge on the first,[10] second[10] and fourth seasons ofRTÉ'sYou're a Star and onCharity You're a Star in summer 2005 and summer 2006. While she was dismissed from later seasons,[11] speaking onSaturday Night with Miriam on RTÉ television on 28 July 2007, she said that she was "open" to being invited back on to the show. Martin did not rule out a return to Eurovision following Ireland's dismal performance in the 2007 contest finishing last with only five points.[citation needed]
She was a guest performer atCongratulations, the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert inCopenhagen,Denmark, in October 2005. Martin was also the Irish spokesperson forEurovision Song Contest 2007 and was one of the five judges for Eurosong 2009 (Irish Selection for Eurovision). In 2012, she was the mentor forJedward in the Irish Eurovision finalEurosong 2012.[12]
During the interval ofEurovision 2013, the hostPetra Mede presented a light-hearted history of the contest, during which she explained to viewers that Johnny Logan had won the competition three times, in 1980, 1987 and 1992. Appearing alongside Linda Martin in some vintage footage she joked that he had won the third time disguised as a woman, saying, "I recognise a drag queen when I see one". The joke proved controversial, particularly in the Irish media. However, on 1 June 2013, during an appearance on RTÉ'sThe Saturday Night Show Martin said that she had actually benefited from all the publicity.[13] On the same show she performed a cover of the song "Get Lucky" byDaft Punk.
Martin has also appeared in pantomime, in Dublin. She starred inCinderella as the Wicked Stepmother,Snow White as the Evil Queen andRobin Hood as herself, at the Olympia Theatre.[citation needed]
She touredMenopause the Musical with Irish entertainerTwink. While on tour, Twink described Martin as a "cunt" during a tirade in May 2010. The two had been friends for 30 years but both said afterwards that they had no plans to speak to each other again.[14][15]
| Date | Single[2] | Irish Charts [5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "Today I Killed a Man" | - |
| "Sock It to 'Em Sister Nell" | - | |
| 1973 | "Open Your Eyes" | - |
| 1974 | "King Kong"(as Lily and Chips)[16] | - |
| "My World" | - | |
| 1975 | "Love Matters" | 6 |
| "Twice a Week" | 13 | |
| 1976 | "I'm a Song (Sing Me)" | - |
| 1977 | "Shine a Light" | - |
| "Goodbye Goodbye" | 2 | |
| 1978 | "Here in My Arms" (or "It's Over") | - |
| "The Sooner The Better" | - | |
| 1980 | "Automobile" | - |
| 1981 | "New Romance (It's a Mystery)" | - |
| 1982 | "David's Song (Who'll Come With Me)" | 13 |
| "Hi-Lowe" | - |
| Date | Single | Record label | Irish Charts [17] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Edge of the Universe" | Lunar | 20 |
| 1984 | "Terminal 3" | CBS | 7 |
| "Body Works" | 19 | ||
| 1987 | "Miles of Eyes" | Mystery records | - |
| 1988 | "Liffey Tinker" | Plaza | - |
| "Hiding from Love" | EMI | 22 | |
| 1989 | "Impossible to Do" | Plaza | - |
| 1990 | "Where the Boys Are" | K-Tel | 19 |
| 1991 | "Did You Ever?"(withMick McCarthy) | 15 | |
| 1992 | "Why Me?" | Columbia | 1 |
| 2016 | "Why Me? Remixed" | Energise | - |
| 2017 | "Won't Stop" | Powerworld Music | - |
Martin was in a relationship with the musician Paul Lyttle from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.[20]
Since her childhood in east Belfast, Martin has nurtured an interest in animals and now operates a dog sanctuary in north Dublin.[21]
In February 2025, Martin revealed that she had been approached by a unnamed political party to run in the2025 Irish presidential election.[21]
Linda [..] was let go as a judge from You're a Star
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song ContestIreland Commentator 1985 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
