Brendan Hugh Francis Murray (born 16 November 1996) is an Irish singer and former member of the Irish boy band

HomeTown Hometown, HomeTown, or Home Town may refer to: *A hometown, the town where someone lives or the town that they come from, typically their place of birth. *In developing nations particularly: native place, village of origin in newly urbanized soci ...

. He represented

Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Republic of Ireland, Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Dying to Try", sung by Brendan Murray and written by Jörgen Elofsson and James Newman (musician), James Newman. The song and the singer were internally ...

with the song "

Dying to Try Ireland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Dying to Try", sung by Brendan Murray and written by Jörgen Elofsson and James Newman. The song and the singer were internally selected in December 2016 by the Irish broad ...

" but failed to qualify for the final. He then competed in ''The X Factor (UK)'' in 2018, finishing fifth.

Life and career

Brendan was born in

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bronz ...

, County Galway. He attended St Patrick's Primary School and St Jarlath's College, both in Tuam.

2014–2016: HomeTown

In 2014, Murray became a member of the Irish boy band

, managed by

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...

. The band achieved three chart successes in its home country, including the number one singles " Where I Belong" in 2014, and "

Cry for Help "Cry for Help" is a song by British dance-pop singer Rick Astley, released as the first single from his third studio album, '' Free'' (1991). It was written by Astley and Rob Fisher, formerly one half of the 1980s pop outfits Naked Eyes and ...

" in 2015. Their debut album, ''

'', was released in November 2015 and peaked at number four in Ireland. In December 2016, the band announced that it was going on an indefinite hiatus.

2016–2017: Eurovision Song Contest

On 16 December 2016, Murray was announced as the Irish representative in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "1944" by Jamala. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

. His song, "

", was released on 10 March 2017. He didn't reach the final, placing 13th out of the 18 contestants; only the top ten finishers were qualified.

2018: ''The X Factor''

In 2018, Murray entered Season 15 of ''The X Factor'' UK. During the Six Chair challenge he received a safe seat from

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

singer Louis Tomlinson, its first recipient, on the way to the live shows. He sang " Break Free" by Ariana Grande for his first ''X Factor'' live performance, with a 'This Is Me' theme. The second week, 'Guilty Pleasure' week, Murray sang " Believe" by Cher. On Sunday's results show, he was in the bottom three to compete in the sing-off. He was given equal votes by the judges, along with LMA Choir. The result went to deadlock, reverting to the earlier public votes. LMA Choir had the fewest votes and Brendan was saved and continued to the next week. On the third week of 'Fright Night', Murray performed " Youngblood" by 5 Seconds of Summer. During Week 4, he sang "

Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top ...

" by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

for 'Movie Week'. He was eliminated in the semifinal on the Saturday show after he received the fewest votes from the public along with Danny Tetley, finishing in fifth place.

2021-present

In January 2022, Murray was announced as one of 6 participants in the running to represent Ireland in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. His song "Real Love" was written over lockdown by Murray and Darrell Coyle. He finished in 6th place (last place) with 12 points.

Discography

Singles

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Brendan 1996 births Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2017 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Ireland Irish pop singers Living people People educated at St Jarlath's College People from Tuam The X Factor (British TV series) contestants 21st-century Irish male singers