Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard, known professionally as Johnny Logan, is an Australian-born Irish singer, songwriter and musician whose Eurovision achievements have been described as "legendary". He is the first artist to have won the contest twice as a performer.
He moved back to Ireland with his family at the age of 3 (he officially became an Irish citizen in 1987) and started songwriting at the age of 13. In 1978, he adopted his stage name Johnny Logan and released his first single. He first attempted to enter Eurovision in 1979 with a song entitled "Angie" and achieved third place in the Irish national final that year.
In 1980, he entered the Irish national final again with the Shay Healy song What's Another Year. It went on to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 in The Hague and won the competition, becoming a huge hit across the continent. However, several follow-up singles failed and all the momentum he had gained from the win was lost, citing his inexperience and poor management as the source of the problem.
Seven years later, he felt that what he had done in 1980 was left unfinished and decided to make another run at Eurovision, this time with the song Hold Me Now which he had writen and composed himself. He won the 1987 Irish national final in dominant fashion and went on to the Eurovision Song Contest 1987 in Brussels where he won again with 172 points including 8 sets of 12-points scores. "Hold Me Now" became a massive hit in Europe and a couple of follow-up singles did very well in the Irish charts, leading him to decide to focus his career in Europe.
At the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 in Malmo, he earned a third win as the composer for Linda Martin's winning entry Why Me? (he had also written Linda's runner-up entry Terminal 3 in 1984), and is one an elite group of seven people to have composed 2 winning songs.
Because of his achievements, fans and media have called him "Mr. Eurovision" and remains a great ambassador for the contest. He currently lives in Ashbourne, Ireland with his family.
He appeared in the "Museum of Eurovision History" sketch at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen as an interactive display who sings Hold Me Now before coming to life and complaining to presenter Pilou Asbæk about his back hurting from having to sit still for so long.
In 2022, he participated in the second season of the Belgian version of The Masked Singer as "Edelhert" (Red Deer).
Eurovision Song Contest 1980 | |||
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Participants | |||
Blue Danube • Adja Pekkan • Anna Vissi & The Epikouri • Sophie & Magaly • Samira Bensaïd • Alan Sorrenti • Bamses Venner • Tomas Ledin • Paola del Medico • Vesa-Matti Loiri • Sverre & Mattis • Katja Ebstein • Prima Donna • José Cid • Maggie MacNeal • Profil • Johnny Logan • Trigo Limpio • Télex | |||
Songs | |||
Du bist Musik • Petr'Oil • Autostop • Papa Pingouin • Bitaqat Hob • Non so che darei • Tænker altid på dig • Just nu! • Cinéma • Huilumies • Sámiid Ædnan • Theater • Love Enough For Two • Um grande, grande amor • Amsterdam • Hé, hé M'sieurs, dames • What's Another Year • Quédate esta noche • Eurovision |
Eurovision Song Contest 1987 | |||
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Participants | |||
Kate Gulbrandsen • Datner & Kushnir • Gary Lux • Halla Margrét • Liliane Saint-Pierre • Lotta Engberg • Umberto Tozzi & Raf • Nevada • Patricia Kraus • Seyyal Taner & Locomotif • Bang • Marcha • Plastic Bertrand • Rikki • Christine Minier • Wind • Alexia • Vicky Rosti & Boulevard • Anne-Cathrine Herdorf & Bandjo • Johnny Logan • Novi Fosili • Carol Rich | |||
Songs | |||
Mitt liv • Shir Habatlanim • Nur noch Gefühl • Hægt og hljótt • Soldiers of Love • Boogaloo • Gente di Mare • Neste barco à vela • No estás solo • Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne • Stop • Rechtop in de wind • Amour, Amour • Only the Light • Les mots d'amour n'ont pas de dimanche • Laß die Sonne in dein Herz • Aspro Mavro • Sata salamaa • En lille melodi • Hold Me Now • Ja sam za ples • Moitié-Moitié |
Trivia[]
- Both times Johnny won as a performer (1980 and 1987), the following year's editions (1981 and 1988) were held at the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion in Dublin. Coincidentally, this was also the case for fellow 2-time winner Loreen, the contests after she won (2012 and 2023) were both held at the Malmö Arena (2013 and 2024).