John Lydon has labelled Eurovision as "disgusting" and "dreadfully phoney", despite his apparent wishes to represent Ireland in the upcoming 67th annual song contest.
As the Mirror reports, while speaking to Cormac Ó hEadhra on RTE’s Radio 1, the former Sex Pistols frontman declared how his potential entry with his band Public Image Ltd. will hopefully "break the mould" of a contest which he describes as typically "awful".
Although there is a common conception that the competition is known for showcasing gaudy acts who, after taking part, tend to see their careers in the toilet rather than catapulted towards success, 2021's show proved triumphant for Italy's winners Måneskin, who have gone on to become one of the planet's fastest-rising and most popular bands, rivalling ABBA's historic win for Sweden in 1974.
"It’s absolutely awful, the songs" Lydon declares nevertheless. "The whole thing of it is disgusting to me. I’m a songwriter, I perform live, and these shows just come across as so dreadfully phoney to me. But look, we’re giving it a chance to break out of that mould.”
When asked how confident he is in their chances of representing Ireland, Lydon replies: "I’ve no idea. Apparently, I have to do karaoke over a backing track.”
Despite his negative views on the contest, Lydon still sees it as a "fantastic opportunity" for the band.
The submission which the vocalist believes will "break the mould" for the competition is the recently-released Hawaii, which was written as a love letter to Lydon's wife Nora, who is living with Alzheimer’s.
As Lydon explains in a statement, Hawaii is "a pensive, personal yet universal love song that will resonate with many.
"It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most. It’s also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all."
Hawaii will debut live for the first time on February 3 when the competition is hosted on Ireland's The Late Late Show.
The Eurovision grand final will take place in Liverpool on May 13, 2023.
Listen to the track below:
